Kistler K-1
Two-stage fully reusable launch vehicle by Kistler Aerospace.
Last updated
The Kistler K-1 was a two-stage, fully reusable launch vehicle design created by Kistler Aerospace. It was intended to support a variety of missions, including payload delivery to low Earth orbit and high-energy orbits, technology demonstrations, microgravity flights, and commercial resupply services for the International Space Station. The program was notable for winning a NASA contract in 2004, which was later suspended after a protest by SpaceX, and for its subsequent involvement in the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program.
Design
The first stage, called the Launch Assist Platform (LAP), was to use three AJ26 engines from Aerojet in a linear pattern. These engines were originally NK-33 engines built in the Soviet Union; Aerojet purchased 43 of them in the 1990s and refurbished them with American electronics. After separation, the first stage would perform a boostback burn to cancel its horizontal velocity, then coast back near the launch site, deploy six parachutes, and inflate airbags moments before impact for a soft landing.
The second stage, known as the Orbital Vehicle, was to use one vacuum-optimized AJ26 engine. Either a Standard or Extended payload module could be attached to the second stage; both had a shallow dome on the front for aerodynamic and thermal reasons, as there was no payload fairing. After delivering its payload, the second stage would wait in orbit until above the targeted landing site, then fire reaction control thrusters to deorbit. It would reenter nose-first, protected by a thermal protection system at the tip of the payload module, and then follow the same recovery profile as the first stage with parachutes and airbags.
Progress on design and construction
The K-1’s design phase kicked off in 1994, and by 1996 the plans were detailed enough to issue subcontracts. The vehicle was supposed to start flying in 2000, but setbacks meant the first unit was only three-quarters finished by August 2004. Key partners included Lockheed Martin (tanks and assembly), GenCorp Aerojet (propulsion), Northrop Grumman (structure), Draper Laboratory (guidance, navigation, and mission control), AlliedSignal Aerospace (vehicle management), Irvin Aerospace (parachutes and possibly airbags for landing), Oceaneering Thermal Systems (heat shielding), and Reynolds, Smith, and Hills/Leighton Contractors (launch site).
Did You Know?
- The company that was building the K-1, Rocketplane Kistler, lost its NASA COTS contract in October 2007 over failure to meet funding targets.
- Kistler filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010 and was later reconstituted as Kistler Space Systems.
- No progress on the K-1 vehicle has been reported since late December 2010.
More in Space Launch Vehicles of the United States
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Kistler K-1 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced