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X-37 Project Reaches Milestone

By Marc Boucher

May 23, 2000

Filed under General Story, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Last Friday NASA took delivery of the X-40A an 85% scale
test vehicle of the X-37 experimental plane. The The X-37 is
designed to demonstrate technologies in the orbital and
reentry environments for next-generation reusable launch
vehicles while reducing launch costs from $10,000 per
pound to $1,000 per pound. Reducing launch costs
is critical to the future commercialization of space.

Boeing delivered the X-40A to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research
Center at Edwards, California where it will undergo a
series of ground and air tests later this year to reduce
possible risks to the larger X-37.

“Delivery of the X-40A is an important step toward getting
us ready for our first unpowered X-37 test flight in 2001,
then orbital flights,” said Susan Turner, X-37 project
manager at the Marshall Center. “The X-40A tests at
Dryden will ensure that the X-37 mission is safe and
successful.”

In March NASA announced a new research program titled
“Second Generation RLV Risk Reduction Definition Program.”
The announcement calls for industry proposals as a first
step in defining detailed requirements, and identifying
and commencing initial risk reduction options, to
enable a second-generation Reusable Launch Vehicle
competition in 2005, leading to an operational system
around 2010.

NASA and its industry partners will take advantage of
space transportation programs such as the X-33, X-34, X-37
and Advanced Space Transportation Program to reduce
technical risk and create increased competition during
the five-year risk reduction phase.