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Boeing is building DARPA's new hypersonic space plane
A few years ago, DARPA started work on a new experimental aircraft project called the XS-1, a vehicle designed to make launching satellites a faster, less expensive endeavor. Today, that project just took a huge leap forward: DARPA has announced that it's partnering with Boeing to build its next generation hypersonic space plane. Specifically, the aircraft manufacturer has been tapped to complete advanced design work on the XS-1 project, following up on the concept Boeing pitched to the agency during the project's early stages -- which it will now help build and test over the next several years.
DARPA picks the first companies that will work on its unmanned spaceplane
Slowly but surely, DARPA's XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane is becoming more than a bundle of nice ideas. The agency has just chosen the companies that will square off in the first phase of the unmanned craft's design program, most of which are recognizable names in the space business. Boeing is partnering with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on one version of the ship; Masten Space Systems is teaming up with XCOR on another, and Northrop Grumman is cooperating with Virgin Galactic. All three groups will have to submit initial designs before DARPA can move on to a second phase, so we're still far, far away from seeing an XS-1 in orbit. But hey, it's progress -- and the companies involved are skilled enough that a cheap, highly reusable spaceplane should become a practical reality.
DARPA's XS-1 program aims for an unmanned spaceship with aircraft-like costs
The reusable spacecraft we've seen so far haven't really lived up to their billing: vehicles like the Space Shuttle or SpaceShipTwo require elaborate, expensive launches. If DARPA succeeds with its just-announced XS-1 program, however, spaceflight could be an affordable, everyday occurrence. The agency plans to develop an unmanned spacecraft that requires a minimal ground crew, reaches speeds above Mach 10 and flies at least 10 times in as many days. Provided DARPA meets its goals, XS-1 would both speed up the deployment of small satellites and lower the cost per flight to an "aircraft-like" $5 million or less. Don't count on seeing a ship in action anytime soon, though. DARPA will only receive some of the first design proposals on October 7th, and someone still has to build the winning project -- it will likely be years before XS-1 slips the surly bonds of Earth.
