DARPA cancels ALASA small launch vehicle
Posted: Sun, Dec 6, 2015, 9:59 AM ET (1459 GMT)
DARPA has scrapped plans to launch small satellites from a fighter jet. The Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) program, under a contract with Boeing, planned to develop a rocket deployed from an F-15 for launching small satellites. The rocket used a unique propellant, a mixture of nitrous oxide and acetylene, but that propellant exploded in ground tests earlier this year, raising questions about its safety. DARPA has now dropped plans to perform up to a dozen launches of the ALASA vehicle, and will instead continue tests of the propellant and other technologies.
DARPA has scrapped plans to launch small satellites from a fighter jet. The Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) program, under a contract with Boeing, planned to develop a rocket deployed from an F-15 for launching small satellites. The rocket used a unique propellant, a mixture of nitrous oxide and acetylene, but that propellant exploded in ground tests earlier this year, raising questions about its safety. DARPA has now dropped plans to perform up to a dozen launches of the ALASA vehicle, and will instead continue tests of the propellant and other technologies.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, March 1
France, Cyprus and Greece Partner to Develop Next-Generation Satellite Optical Communications Technologies
Thales Alenia Space — 12:17 pm ET (1717 GMT) SDA Makes HALO Europa Award
Space Development Agency — 11:27 am ET (1627 GMT) Rogue Signs Satlyt to OTP-2 and 2B Missions to Demonstrate On-Orbit AI, Edge Computing, and In-Space Data Centers
Rogue Space Systems — 11:27 am ET (1627 GMT) Sceye Unveils First-of-Its-Kind Stratospheric Telecom Antenna, SceyeCELL, to Bridge the Gap Between Ground Towers and Satellites
Sceye — 11:24 am ET (1624 GMT) Young "Sun" Caught Blowing Bubbles by NASA's Chandra
Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center — 11:22 am ET (1622 GMT) |
