Marshall Space Flight Center
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Sept. 28, 1999

X-33 Program in the Midst of Final Testing and Validation of Key Components

The X-33 program is in the midst of final testing and validation of key components as it aims for vehicle rollout in the first quarter of 2000.

Currently, the first of two composite liquid hydrogen tanks and the first of four aerospike engines have entered validation testing. Once testing is complete, these components will be shipped to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, Calif., for installation on the X-33.

The X-33 is scheduled to begin flight tests in the summer of 2000.

X-33 Linear Aerospike Engine Scheduled to Be Fired this Week at Stennis Space Center

The engine test team is scheduled to test fire the first of four linear aerospike engines being built for the X-33 at NASA's Stennis Space Center, Miss., this week.

The first engine firing, which will last less than five seconds, is part of a series of 41 test firings on four engines. Two of the engines have been designated as test engines, while two will be used as flight engines on the X-33. The engine undergoing tests is the first test engine.

The first six tests on engine No. 1 address engine ignition and start sequence development. Each test is planned to last five seconds or less. Once these tests are complete, Stennis crews will conduct eight additional tests, each running no more than 250 seconds. These longer tests will be used to verify engine performance at various mixture ratios and power levels, as well as demonstrate thrust vector control or steering. Planned total test duration on the first test engine is 1,142 seconds.

Once the first engine has been successfully tested, two flight engines will be tested in 11 runs for a total of 1,042 seconds. After successfully completing the single-engine tests on the two flight engines in late 1999, the engines will be shipped to the Skunk Works to be mounted on the X-33.

Beginning in January 2000, the two test engines will be placed on the test stand together in a dual-engine arrangement to mimic the flight configuration, and the two will undergo 16 test firings for a total of 2,646 seconds.

The linear aerospike engines are being built by X-33 industry partner Boeing Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, Calif.

Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Tank Enters Testing at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

A series of pressure and stress tests has begun on X-33's right-hand composite liquid hydrogen fuel tank at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The 29-foot, 4,600-pound graphite epoxy tank is designed to carry approximately 29,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen rocket fuel. The right-hand hydrogen tank, along with its twin left-hand tank, form the flanks of the X-33 and comprise roughly half its airframe.

Engineers at NASA Marshall conducted the second pressure test on the composite tank by filling it completely with liquid hydrogen at -423 degrees Fahrenheit Sept. 21. One of the objectives of the test was to pinpoint seepage areas on the composite tank. When the tank was pressurized to 20 psi, as expected, some hydrogen seepage was noted. Technicians are applying sealant or patchwork to affected areas before resuming pressure tests. The tank passed an earlier pressure test with liquid nitrogen and a 5 psi helium leak test after it was shipped to Marshall.

Similar patchwork was completed on the X-33's earlier 5-foot composite test tank or the "Double D" tank. The 5-foot tank has since successfully completed approximately 30 cryogenic cycles involving the filling, draining and filling again of liquid hydrogen at pressure.

To fully validate the flight tank, six pressure and combined pressure and structural loads tests will be conducted over the next few weeks. Once validated, the tank will be shipped to the Skunk Works for installation into the X-33.

The left-hand liquid hydrogen tank has completed assembly at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space, Sunnyvale, Calif., and awaits transfer to Marshall in early October for its test series.

Alliant Techsystems, Clearfield, Utah, fabricated components for the tanks, while a joint Lockheed Martin-Alliant team working in Sunnyvale completed the assembly.

Umbilicals Tested, Installed on X-33 and Flight Operations Center

The launch umbilicals -- which will connect the X-33 to the cryogenic gas, power and computer lines while the vehicle sits on its launch mount -- have completed testing at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and have been installed on the vehicle assembly.

The vehicle's two 3-foot by 4-foot aluminum interface panels were installed on the aft section of the vehicle assembly in August, while two 15-foot-tall carbon steel tunnels that will house the launch mount's version of the interface panels were installed shortly thereafter.

Just like a car needs a pump, hose and nozzle to fill its gas tank, the X-33 requires a complex system of panels, valves and hoses -- known as umbilicals -- to transfer its super-cold propellants from on-site tank farms, through the launch mount, and into the vehicle's internal tanks. Carefully positioned latches and actuators are used to ensure all connections are properly aligned and sealed during vehicle fueling, and then quickly retracted and covered as the vehicle lifts off.

Software Build Nears Completion

About 90 percent of the software that will autonomously control the X-33 from take-off to landing has begun integration, while months of testing and independent verification remains. The software will eventually be loaded on the X-33's three redundant mission computers, allowing the vehicle to fly itself from takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to landing at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, and later Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont. The software also will give the Lockheed Martin-led operations team the ability to monitor the vehicle's flight from the program's eight-person control room at the Flight Operations Center at Edwards.

Delivery is complete on five of the six segments of flight software. The final software segment -- which adds vehicle approach and landing to the current software -- is undergoing testing before delivery. Testing of this segment -- referred to as "Build No. 6" -- will be complete later this year. The entire software package will be put through its paces constantly until the start of flight testing to monitor accuracy and effectiveness.

Industry partner AlliedSignal, Teterboro, N.J., created the software and is working with Lockheed Martin and NASA to test and integrate the software for the X-33.

Avionics Bay In Place

Installation of the X-33's avionics bay was completed Sept. 2 at the Skunk Works. The titanium avionics bay is 6 feet by 11 feet with an empty weight of approximately 300 pounds. The bay houses vehicle control systems such as the three redundant mission computers, communications gear, navigation equipment, and 28-volt and 270-volt power supplies.

The bay sits in the center of the X-33 between the forward liquid oxygen tank and the vehicle's two liquid hydrogen tanks. It is positioned near the upper surface of the vehicle, directly below one of the vehicle's upper thermal blankets, to allow for easy access. This positioning allows for quick replacement of components, supporting one of the X-33 program's overall goals of demonstrating aircraft-like operations in a launch vehicle.

Duplicate Liquid Oxygen Tank Testing at Glenn Research Center

Testing will begin in November at Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, on a 6,000-pound aluminum liquid oxygen tank that is a duplicate of the tank previously installed in the X-33's assembly structure. The testing is designed to obtain data on a system designed to densify -- or further cool to make more dense -- cryogenic rocket fuels.

The duplicate tank was built by Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems, New Orleans, and shipped to Glenn Research Center for loading into a test stand. Testing of the liquid oxygen tank is scheduled to be complete in December.

By densifying cryogenic propellants, engineers hope to show that by further cooling the liquids, tanks will be able to hold a greater volume of cryogenic liquids, within the range of an additional 5 to 10 percent of volume. This process could greatly aid the design and eventual operations of a single-stage-to-orbit Reusable Launch Vehicle where weight and fuel carrying capacity is crucial.

X-33 Flight Operations Center On Schedule to Support Vehicle Rollout

The X-33 Flight Operations Center at Edwards is online and on schedule to support the X-33 vehicle arrival and flight test series, both scheduled to occur in 2000.

Currently, all major ground system equipment has been installed at the launch pad area, and checkouts are being performed as software arrives.

Venturestar

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA
USAF Research Laboratory, Propulsion Directorate,
Edwards Air Force Base, CA

November 14, 1997

X-33 LAUNCH FACILITY GROUNDBREAKING HELD

Representatives from NASA, the U.S. Air Force and industry today broke ground at the launch site for the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator during a ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base, CA.

The 25-acre launch site is located on the eastern portion of Edwards, a few hundred yards north of what is known as Haystack Butte. The beginning of construction for X-33 launch facilities marks another major milestone for the program -- milestones which have included, during the last two weeks, the successful completion of a critical design review for the vehicle and closing out of the environmental impact statement process for X-33. All 15 planned test flights of the X-33 will be launched from the Edwards facility beginning in July 1999. Landing sites are Michael Army Air Field at Dugway Proving Ground, UT, and Malmstrom Air Force Base, MT.

Approximately 100 workers will construct the $30 million launch facility, with work scheduled to be completed in a year. Sverdrup Corp., St. Louis, MO, is overseeing construction of the facility.

Site plans include a retractable vehicle shelter; a rotating vehicle launch mount; storage areas for the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen used for fuel, and helium and liquid nitrogen used in vehicle operations; a water storage tank for the sound suppression system; a concrete flame trench; and assorted site infrastructure. The vehicle's operations control center will be located in an existing test control room within Haystack Butte.

NASA and the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works are conducting the X-33 program under a cooperative agreement. The X-33 is a subscale technology demonstration prototype of a commercial Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Lockheed Martin has labeled "VentureStar (tm)," which the company hopes to develop early in the next century. Through development and demonstration flights, the X-33 will provide the information needed for industry to decide by the year 2000 whether to proceed with the development of a full-scale, commercial RLV program.

A full-scale, single-stage-to-orbit RLV could dramatically increase reliability and lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000. By reducing the cost associated with transporting payloads into Low Earth Orbit, a commercial RLV would create new opportunities for space access and significantly improve U.S. economic competitiveness in the worldwide launch marketplace. NASA will be a customer on, not the operator of, an industry-developed RLV.

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA

November 5, 1997

NASA COMPLETES X-33 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PROCESS

NASA yesterday completed its Record of Decision (ROD) on the X-33 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), announcing it intends to proceed with the preferred X-33 flight test program as described in the Final EIS issued Oct. 3.

Signing of the decision document yesterday by Dr. Robert E. Whitehead, NASA Associate Administrator for Aeronautics and Space Transportation Technology, concludes a 12-month EIS process of assessing the development and flight test of the X-33, a subscale technology demonstrator prototype of a Reusable Launch Vehicle.

All 15 test flights of the X-33 will be conducted from the launch site at Haystack Butte on the eastern portion of Edwards Air Force Base, CA, to landing sites at Michael Army Air Field, Dugway Proving Ground, UT, and Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls, MT.

A third landing site, Silurian Lake, a dry lake bed near Baker, CA, had been considered for use as a short-range landing site. However, flights into Dugway's airfield some 450 miles from Edwards better match the initial flight demonstration requirements.

The X-33 environmental study considered issues such as public safety, noise, impacts on general aviation, and effects on biological, natural and other resources. Two launch sites and five landing sites were evaluated for potential use. The final decision on a flight test program was based on programmatic, technical, and other considerations as well as environmental factors. Overall, environmental impacts of the program are expected to be low at all operational sites.

Now that the environmental process for the X-33 has been completed, the next major program milestone is groundbreaking for the launch facility at Edwards Air Force Base. Construction crews are scheduled to begin work this week. Construction is scheduled to be completed within a year.

The X-33 is being developed under a cooperative agreement between NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA, which began July 2, 1996.

NASA has budgeted $941 million for the X-33 program through 1999. Lockheed Martin will invest at least $212 million in the X-33 program.

The X-33 is a sub-scale technology demonstrator prototype of a Reusable Launch Vehicle, which Lockheed Martin has named "Venture Star (tm)," and which the company hopes to develop early in the next century. Through demonstration flights and ground research, the X-33 will provide information needed for industry to decide by the year 2000 whether to proceed to the development of a full-scale, commercial single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle.

The two-volume Final Environmental Impact Statement is available on the Internet at URL (approximately 1,025 pages with appendices):

http://eemo.msfc.nasa.gov/eemo/x33_eis

An electronic version of the 45-page executive summary is available at (1 MB file in Portable Document Format):

http://eemo.msfc.nasa.gov/eemo/x33_eis/x-33_pdf/executive_summary.pdf

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

September 26, 1997

NASA ISSUES FINAL X-33 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY, NAMES PREFERRED LAUNCH AND LANDING SITES

NASA today released the Final Environmental Impact Statement on the development and flight testing of the X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator. The study considers issues such as public safety, noise, impacts on general aviation and effects on biological and natural resources. In the document NASA named three preferred landing sites and one preferred launch site for the X-33. Seven sites were evaluated for potential use during the 14-month study.

The preferred launch site is located near Haystack Butte on the eastern portion of Edwards Air Force Base, CA. The preferred landing sites identified are Silurian Lake, a dry lake bed near Baker, CA; Michael Army Air Field, Dugway Proving Ground, UT; and Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls, MT.

After 30 days NASA will issue a Record of Decision announcing if it intends to proceed with the X-33 flight test program as described in the environmental impact statement. That final decision will be based on technical, cost and schedule considerations in addition to environmental factors.

"The study determined that the overall predicted environmental impacts of X-33 were minimal at all sites considered," said Dr. Rebecca McCaleb, who headed the study. McCaleb is director of environmental engineering and management at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. The study was prepared by a team of dozens of experts from NASA's Marshall and Kennedy space centers who studied the issues surrounding the X-33 program. The Department of Defense, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation within the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management all cooperated in preparation of the document.

NASA conducted 23 public meetings in 13 communities in five states near the proposed sites and met many more times with federal and state agencies, local authorities, elected officials, Chambers of Commerce and many interested citizen groups. Comments received from the public were considered during preparation of the final environmental impact statement.

"Public participation was a vital part of the environmental process," said McCaleb. "It strengthened NASA's understanding of the potential impacts of the flight test program and how to effectively mitigate them."

The 273,000-pound, wedge-shaped X-33 is being developed under a cooperative agreement between NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA, which began July 2, 1996.

NASA has budgeted $941 million for the X-33 program through 1999. Lockheed Martin will invest at least $212 million in its X- 33 design.

The X-33 is a sub-scale technology demonstrator prototype of a Reusable Launch Vehicle, which Lockheed Martin has named "Venture Star," and which the company hopes to develop early in the next century. Through demonstration flights and ground research, the X-33 will provide information needed for industry to decide by the year 2000 whether to proceed to the development of a full-scale, commercial single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle. Such a vehicle could lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000.

Final two-volume Environmental Impact Statement (approximately 1,025 pages with appendices).

Electronic version of the 45-page executive summary (1 MB file in Portable Document Format).

July 2, 1996

NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

LOCKHEED MARTIN SELECTED TO BUILD X-33

Vice President Al Gore today announced that Lockheed Martin has been selected to build the X-33 test vehicle, a one-half scale model of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) which will be used to demonstrate advanced technologies that will dramatically increase reliability and lower the costs of putting payloads into space.

Lockheed Martin will design, build and conduct the first test flight of the X-33 test vehicle by March 1999, and conduct at least fifteen flights by December 1999. NASA has budgeted $941 million for the project through 1999. Lockheed Martin will invest $220 million in its X-33 design.

Called "Venture Star," the Lockheed Martin design is based on a lifting body shape with a radical new aerospike engine and a rugged metallic thermal protection system which would be launched vertically like a rocket and land horizontally like an airplane.

"The RLV program is a radical departure from the way NASA has done business in the past," NASA Administrator Daniel S. Goldin said. "Our role is to develop the high risk technologies that industry cannot afford. But we won't build the vehicle, industry will. NASA will be a user, not an operator."

Goldin said the objective of the RLV technology program is simple. "We want to develop technologies that will allow industry to build a vehicle that takes days, not months, to turn-around; dozens, not thousands of people to operate; reliability ten times better than anything flying today; and launch costs that are a tenth of what they are now. Our goal is a reusable launch vehicle that will cut the cost of a pound of payload to orbit from $10,000 to $1,000."

The X-33 will integrate and demonstrate all the technologies in a scale version that would be needed for industry to build a full-size RLV. "The X-33 will be about half the size of a full-scale RLV. It will be a remotely-piloted, sub-orbital vehicle, capable of altitudes up to 50 miles and speeds of Mach 15," said RLV Director Gary Payton.

The X-33 program is being conducted under a Cooperative Agreement, not a conventional customer/supplier contract. Under this agreement, NASA defined the broad objectives and industry proposed an approach to meet the objectives. "Cooperative agreements are performance-based," said Payton. "Payment is made only after the industry partner completes a pre-determined milestone."

"The X-33 test vehicle is the most advanced part of a three-pronged RLV program to develop and demonstrate the kinds of technologies required by industry to build a new launch system that will provide truly affordable and reliable access to space," Payton said. "The RLV approach is to design a little, build a little, test a little, fly a little."

  • The subsonic DC-XA, or Clipper Graham vehicle which has successfully flown three times from its launch site in White Sands, New Mexico, is flight testing advanced technologies such as lightweight composite propellant tanks, fuel lines and valves.

  • The Mach 8 X-34 vehicle, to be built by Orbital Sciences Corp., will demonstrate technologies necessary for a reusable vehicle.

  • The Mach 15 X-33 vehicle which will integrate and test advanced components and technologies necessary for industry to build a full-scale RLV.

    Three industry teams competed for the X-33 vehicle. In addition to Lockheed Martin, proposals were submitted by McDonnell Douglas, Huntington Beach, CA, and Rockwell International, Downey, CA.

    Due to an innovative, paperless procurement process, the X-33 evaluation and selection was completed in about one- quarter of the time it normally takes to finish procurements of this size. Proposals were submitted by the three companies in April on CD-ROM media. One CD-ROM replaced approximately eight boxes worth of printed material. Proposals were read on-screen by each evaluator, and an evaluation database allowed them to enter strengths and weaknesses on-line while reading the proposal.

    The VentureStar team includes prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, CA; Rocketdyne, Canoga Park, CA; Rohr, Chula Vista, CA; and AlliedSignal Aerospace, Teterboro, NJ.

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