X-34: A Prelude to a Military Space Plane

975629

10/01/1997

Event
World Aviation Congress & Exposition
Authors Abstract
Content
The Military Space Plane program represents a major paradigm shift in the way spacecraft and launch vehicles are designed and operated. Now in its formative stages, the Military Space Plane, or MSP, strives for operational goals that blur the distinction between traditional spacecraft, launch vehicles and aircraft both from an operability and design standpoint. The X-34 rocket plane being built by Orbital at its Dulles, Virginia facility, represents a reusable technology testbed for evaluating new developments in launch vehicle subsystems and quick turnaround operations. These aspects of Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) design and operation are critical to achieving an MSP capability early in the 21st century. This paper will review potential objectives being developed by the Air Force for the MSP program, the evolution of the X-34 vehicle, the role of X-34 in furthering RLV technology and finally how X-34 can be utilized as it matures for evaluating additional MSP technology and operations issues.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/975629
Pages
8
Citation
Lindberg, R., Schade, C., and Feconda, R., "X-34: A Prelude to a Military Space Plane," SAE Technical Paper 975629, 1997, https://doi.org/10.4271/975629.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Oct 1, 1997
Product Code
975629
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English