Low Cost Launcher Project Advances

Washington – June 10, 1997 – A NASA research project aimed at developing a low cost space launch vehicle that could open up space for small researchers got a major boost June 10th when the NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Ala. awarded study contracts to four U.S. aerospace firms. The contracts call for six months of design development, leading to selection of two concepts by the end of the year. In early 1998, plans call for the space agency to award manufacturing contracts to the two firms for demonstration test launches of the proposed space booster. First flights of the new rockets are planned for late 1999.

NASA awarded the study contracts to Universal Space Lines of Newport Beach, Calif.; Summa Technology of Huntsville, Ala.; Aerojet General Corp. of Sacramento, Calif.; and Pioneer Rocketplane of Bladewood, Colo. The project, called the Bantam Launcher, is aimed at 21st century development of a low cost space booster capable of sending small 400-pound payloads into orbit for under $1.5 million, substantially less than the $ 8 million cost that would be charged users today for launching the same size spacecraft. NASA’s goal is to open up space flight for small research firms, universities, and small businesses that can’t afford the current price of a ride into orbit, and are thus shut out of commercial space business or experimentation.

Reuseable Launch Vehicle Archive at Spacer.Com

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