We have had an incredible year. All the components and subsystems have finally come together into 2 flying vehicles. We designed and built the 750-LIT all aluminum engine, reworked Xombie from a 4 engine vehicle into a single engine vehicle, built Xoie in just 6 weeks, and cleaned up the NG-LLC. 2010 promises to be even better.
After a bit of a break, wherein just about everyone in the shop got sick, we are back to full strength and working on the next projects. All the projects serve a single goal – get to the edge of space with a small payload in the next year. There are three component/subsystem projects – aeroshell/aerodynamics, a 3000 lbf thrust engine, and “space” rating all systems. Those three projects feed the vehicle development projects – Xoie, Foxie, and Xogdor.
Xoie was just completely disassembled. We are re-arranging things on it so that it will be streamlined in a 30″ diameter cone and cylinder arrangement. An aeroshell (or three) will be built around it and we’ll start going much higher and faster. According to our trajectory analysis, it should be able to get to around 30 km (100,000 ft) altitude.
Jon and Ben are working on getting a new 3000 lbf engine and test stand built. Our goals are to get a much higher thrust to weight ratio, get higher Isp than our 750-LIT engine, and just generally make it better in every way. If all goes according to plan, we should be ready to mount a flight version of the engine on Foxie this summer.
Ken and Ian are updating and improving the software and electronics. Mike and I are working out the aeroshell and new vehicle designs. We are currently thinking about using high power rockets (HPR) to do some of the aerodynamic testing. A commercial HPR motor is much cheaper than a wind tunnel, and can get us a much larger range of aerodynamic conditions.
Foxie is in many ways just an updated Xoie. Xoie still has an internal structure supporting the tanks and other internal components while the aeroshell just takes the aerodynamic loads. With Foxie, we’ll have the aeroshell double as the structure holding all the internal bits together. Also, Foxie gets the new 3000 lbf engine. Initial estimates indicate that Foxie should be able to go to 60+ km (200,000+ ft).
Xogdor is just a better version of Foxie. Larger tanks within the same aeroshell size and shape enable Xogdor to get to over 100 km (328,000 ft).
On the business side, we just hired Colin Ake – one of our former interns – as our first full-time business development and salesperson. There are plenty of proposals to write, researchers to visit, conferences to attend and trade shows to display at. He’ll be working out of our Atlanta office with Michael but traveling a bit. Expect to see us around the country a lot more in 2010.
We have a lot to do, and the schedule is once again very challenging. Along with all the interesting things going on with our friends and competitors, 2010 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for both us and the industry as a whole.
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[...] just wrote the latest Masten Update over on our MSS Project Blog. The update goes over some of our plans for the new year. [...]
Great news. I love the name Xogdor, by the way. You’ll have to create a thatched-roof launchpad for it.
Which one of these will start taking payloads? I’m still excited about sending up something soda-can-sized as an SD Space project, but it probably wouldn’t have a height requirement.
Chris,
All of them will have payload space. The aeroshell Dave’s been working with provides a decent payload volume. Not as spacious as what I’d like to eventually offer for XA-1.0, but a lot more than a typical solid-fueled sounding rocket will give you.
Xogdor is the only one of the three that should be able to reach 100km, but if you have something that is fine with a sub-suborbital trajectory, Xoie or Foxie can carry it a lot sooner. Not sure when this year that will be (depends on if you need freefall or just altitude), but we definitely plan on flying payloads this year.
~Jon
I already paid for a payload slot from Masten to take my rover into space. But I never heard anything back. I just need mine to go into ‘space’ so it can be the first private rover to make it into space. You can see a test run on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXPwDRDJ3nI
I’m definitely looking forward to the time when I can buy a cansat trip, although I understand that it’s quite a bit away.
[...] aint bad plans, compadres, but you need a durn saddle. I don’t aim to ride them things bareback. Filed [...]
Pete,
It depends on whether you need the full 100km, or if you’re interested in lower flights. Depending on how difficult the aerodynamics/aeroshell work ends up being, we intend to be building a 100km capable vehicle later this year. We might not be flying commercial payloads to 100km this year, but sub-100km flights may be available sooner.
~Jon
Can’t wait to see what your team achieves this year. Looking forward to seeing Xogdor burninate things
It appears my question was deleted. Not sure why. At any rate, I paid for a 1 kg space with Masten and have not heard anything back yet. As I stated in the comments section when I placed my order through PayPal, I want my rover, named Der Wienerrover, to be the first private rover to make it into space. So it just has to go to the official level of ‘space’. You can see the rover in action at the AmericanSpaceship channel on YouTube.
Eurica,
It wasn’t deleted. Due to the holidays we weren’t monitoring our comments approval list as well as we should have. Normally our shopping cart software notifies us by email when someone makes a purchase but for some reason it didn’t this time. The order is listed in the system so its all good. I will be sending you information on the process shortly. Our sincerest apologies for taking so long!
-Michael Mealling, VP Business Development
The in space part of the rocket trip on the website is a simulation, you will save yourselves a lot of legal problems if it is labelled as such. Your website have gone from a group of hobbyists talking about themselves to a commercial firm running an advert – different rules apply.
Does this new vehicle bring us any closer to permanent settlements in space?
Any chance of some facts and figures on your current vehicles? dry/GLOW masses in particular. You’ve got to be getting close to the magical 0.7 propellant mass fraction yeah?
Trent,
I think we have a vehicle slick that we were going to be showing at SARG. It’s still too early to know where the performance numbers really will come in, but it at least gives you an idea of our current simulation info. Not sure, but Michael and Colin might be able to put that up on the blog.
~Jon
Christopher,
Well it is a small step in that direction. For now, these vehicles are all very much suborbital. Before you can do permanent human settlements in space you need low-cost ways of getting people and structures to orbit. We’re hoping that the suborbital vehicles we’re developing now may someday provide a basis for fully-orbital reusable vehicles or commercial lunar landers, but there’s still a lot of work between here and there.
~Jon
Hey! You’re going to have to publish payload specs for your customers pretty soon. What kind of total payload mass are you talking about for the various models?
Thanks, Bill
Just read “Rocketeers” by Michael Belfiore. Didn’t know you latterday Flash Gordons were out there. Hope I live long enough to see you in orbit/Senior Citizen Fan.
Hi
Can you keep me updated, if you have a mailing list for this? Thsi could be what we are looking for.
Best wishes
IM
Greetings,
I am working on lunar and low gravity landers. I don’t have confidence in NASA monopolizing this field and am thinking commercial more and more. My problem is family would not be thrilled with a move to Mojave, but I would love to get in on the ground floor as a GN&C guy.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jim