VentureStar
VentureStar was a single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch system proposed by Lockheed Martin and funded by the U.S. government. The goal was to replace the Space Shuttle by developing a re-usable spaceplane that could launch satellites into orbit at a fraction of the cost. While the requirement was for an uncrewed launcher, it was expected to carry passengers as cargo. The VentureStar would have had a wingspan of 68 feet (20.7 m), a length of 127 feet (38.7 m), and would have weighed roughly 1000 t (2.2 million lb).
Simulated view of VentureStar in low Earth orbit, having released its payload | |
| Function | Crewed Re-usable Spaceplane |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 38.7 m (127 ft) |
| Diameter | 39.0 m (128.0 ft) |
| Mass | 1,000,000 kg (2,200,000 lb) |
| Stages | 1 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 20,000 kg (44,000 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Cancelled |
| Launch sites | Kennedy, LC-39A |
| Total launches | 0 |
| First stage – VentureStar | |
| Powered by | 7 RS2200 Linear Aerospikes |
| Maximum thrust | 3,010,000 lbf (13.4 MN) |
| Propellant | LOX/LH2 |
VentureStar was intended to be a commercial single-stage-to-orbit vehicle that would be launched vertically, but return to Earth as an airplane. Flights would have been leased to NASA as needed. After failures with the X-33 subscale technology demonstrator test vehicle, funding was cancelled in 2001.
VentureStar was essentially a bigger version of the X-33 but was not produced. The X-33 had ongoing problems meeting performance requirements for the carbonfibre hydrogen fuel tank. There were a number of other technologies that were part of the program, including the linear aerospike rocket engine. One point of praise was the metallic thermal protection system developed by BF Goodrich.