Pioneer Rocketplane

Infobox_Company
company_name = Pioneer Rocketplane
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan = "Permitting travel to space, travel in space, and travel through space."
foundation = 1996
location = Solvang, California, USA
key_people = Mitchell Burnside Clapp, Founder, Craig Dickman CEO/President
num_employees = 0 (1/1/05)
industry = Aerospace and defense
products = Suborbital spacecraft
Space systems

Pioneer Rocketplane was an aerospace design and development company intent on developing affordable manned space flight. The company is most famous for advocating a horizontal takeoff, turbo-jet and rocket propelled, aerial-refueled, rocket plane concept called the Pathfinder. The company still exists, but is no longer operating. Pioneer's intellectual property is now owned by Rocketplane Limited, Inc., but Rocketplane Limited does not employ any of the principals of Pioneer Rocketplane.

History

Note that most of this history was developed using the Internet Archive's Way-Back-Machine [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.rocketplane.com www.rocketplane.com] .

The "Black Horse" Study

The "Black Horse" study began with a bar napkin at the White Sands Missile Range Officers’ Club on May 12th, 1993. The original concept was developed by then Air Force Captain Mitchell Burnside Clapp, who envisioned an aerial refueled, rocket powered single-stage to orbit (SSTO) vehicle using jet fuel and hydrogen peroxide. This concept seemed a natural match for the Air Force’s TransAtmospheric Vehicle (TAV) mission and studies began at the USAF Phillips Laboratory. Aerospace engineering legend Burt Rutan and noted aircraft designer Dan Raymer contributed input to the development of the design.

During the winter of 1993-94, the U.S. Air Force's Phillips Laboratory conducted a six-week study with WJ Schafer Associates and Conceptual Research Corporation which developed the Aerial Propellant Transfer (APT) concept further. This concept used existing components, existing tankers, landing gear, and conventional technology as much as possible.

The "Black Colt" Study

Another study of a somewhat different APT concept was done at Martin Marietta during January through May 1994, this one of a near-term suborbital X-Plane that could serve as a demonstration vehicle for the APT concept. Because the vehicle was about half the size of Black Horse, it was decided to call it "Black Colt."

This concept used an existing NK-31 RP/O2 rocket engine with two Garrett F-125 turbofans used for takeoff, loiter during aerial propellant transfer, and landing propulsion. Also, rather than push for the very high performance required to achieve true SSTO operation, the Black Colt was a suborbital vehicle, with the 1000 lb payload then being delivered to orbit by means of a Star 48V upper stage.

The Private Sector

Mitchell Burnside Clapp left the Air Force in 1996. Teaming up with Robert Zubrin (co-author of the Martin Marietta Black Colt study) and promoter Charles Lauer, he founded Pioneer Rocketplane. To help the new company get started, it allied with Dr. Zubrin’s research company, Pioneer Astronautics, in Lakewood, Colorado. General Tony McPeak, now retired from the Air Force, joined the company as Chairman of the Board. During this time Pioneer Rocketplane refined the concept for the Pathfinder rocketplane. It had to require no new engine developments, which would postpone the first flight by years. It had to be built by subcontractors to avoid the time and expense of building an in-house manufacturing capability. Most importantly, it had to be able to support the requirements for the new low earth orbit communications satellites. This led to the switch from hydrogen peroxide to liquid oxygen as the preferred oxidizer, and drove an increase in overall size.

Version 2.0 of the Pathfinder concept was delivered in 1997 by Conceptual Research Corporation.

The Bantam Effort

On June 9, 1997, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center announced Pioneer Rocketplane as one of four winners in phase one of the Bantam-X program competition. Pioneer Rocketplane; Summa Technology, Inc. (partnered with Lockheed Martin) of Huntsville, Alabama; Aerojet-General Corp. of Sacramento, California; and Universal Space Lines of Newport Beach, California were selected. Total funding for these awards was approximately US$8 million.

Company Restructuring

During the Bantam effort, Pioneer Rocketplane relocated to Vandenburg Air Force Base. It also severed its relationship with Robert Zubrin's Pioneer Astronautics in Lakewood, CO. Co-founder Dr. Robert Zubrin remained President of Pioneer Astronautics, but was no longer affiliated with Pioneer Rocketplane.

Design 4.0 and 5.0

Pioneer Rocketplane completed a milestone in early September 1998 by completing a full internal systems design review with its subcontractors. The system design review revealed a very well constructed, consistent, "closed" design for Pioneer Rocketplane’s Pathfinder Launch system. A "closed" design represents a good engineering solution we are sure will work when the hardware is actually built.

RASCAL Program

In March 2002, Pioneer Rocketplane was awarded a phase one contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's RASCAL program. RASCAL stands for "Responsive Access, Small Cargo, Affordable Launch." This capability would provide a means for rapid launch of orbital assets for changing national security needs. In many respects, the mission requirements are similar to the Bantam effort of several years prior.

Pioneer XP

The Pioneer XP (X-Prize) was a concept for a four-seat fighter-sized vehicle powered by two jet engines and two rocket engines, enabling it to reach altitudes of 350,000 feet. This concept was developed initially as a contender for the Ansari X Prize. It has applications for passenger travel, as a research and observation platform, and as a promotional and sponsorship opportunity. The XP would operate from ordinary airfields within the well-established rules and practices for aircraft. This concept has evolved into the Rocketplane XP program.

Rocketplane Limited

In 2001, Rocketplane Limited, Inc. was formed. Pioneer Rocketplane is a part owner of Rocketplane Limited, but ceased operations as an independent company. Rocketplane Limited purchased the intellectual property of Pioneer and put in place an all new management and engineering team to push the development of the Rocketplane XP. In 2006, it acquired Kistler Aerospace.

References

The following references have been consulted:
* [http://www.risacher.org/bh/analog.html Black Horse: One Stop to Orbit] , article from June 1995 issue of Analog Magazine.
* [http://www.risacher.org/bh/bh-paper1.html In-flight Propellant Transfer Spaceplane Design and Testing Considerations] , AIAA technical paper 95-2955.