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Kistler K-1

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979: 423: 485:, who had previously been developing a competing concept. Both SpaceX and the new Rocketplane Kistler won COTS contracts in August 2006, but after failing to meet several financial milestones, NASA announced in October 2007 that it was terminating funding for the project. The company declared bankruptcy in 2010. 516:) to erase its horizontal velocity. Once the stage had coasted most of the way back near the launch site, it would deploy six parachutes to further scrub off speed. Moments before impact, airbags would inflate, bringing the stage to a soft landing from which it could be recovered and reused up to 100 times. 524:
The second stage was known as the Orbital Vehicle. It was to use one vacuum-optimized AJ26, also from Aerojet. One of two payload modules (the Standard and Extended varieties) could be attached to the second stage; as there was no payload fairing, both of these had a shallow dome on the front for
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In October 2007 Rocketplane Kistler, the company that was building the K-1, lost its contract with NASA for the COTS program over failure to meet funding targets. Subsequently, Kistler experienced financial trouble which necessitated widespread employee layoffs. The company filed for Chapter 7
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to deorbit. The vehicle would reenter nose-first, shielded by a thermal protection system at the tip of the payload module. From this point, the second stage would follow the same recovery profile as the first stage, deploying parachutes and making a soft impact with airbags.
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Design work on the K-1 began in 1994, and was complete enough for subcontracts by 1996. The vehicle was originally planned to be in operation by 2000, but delays resulted in the first vehicle only being 75% complete in August 2004.
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contract to fly supply missions to ISS. At the time, Kistler claimed that the design of the K-1 was 75% complete, and the $ 227 million NASA contract would be used to complete development and the first flights.
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bankruptcy in 2010, and though it was reconstituted as Kistler Space Systems, no progress on the K-1 vehicle (or, for that matter, any Kistler venture) has been reported since late December 2010.
1091: 506:, in a linear pattern. These were built as NK-33 engines in the Soviet Union; in the 1990s, Aerojet purchased 43 of them and refurbished them with American electronics. 528:
After delivering its payload to the target orbit, the second stage would wait in orbit until it was above the targeted landing site, at which point it would fire its
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with a K-1 Active Dispenser, technology demonstration flights, microgravity missions, and commercial cargo resupply, recovery, and reboost services for the
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protested, suggesting that the presence of well-known former NASA engineers biased the decision in favor of Kistler. The
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After stage separation, the first stage would perform a boostback burn (similar to that of the later
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The first stage was called the Launch Assist Platform (LAP). It was to use three
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Draper Laboratory: Guidance: Navigation and Control and Mission Control System
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Lacking funding to complete development, in 2006 Kistler was purchased by
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Comparison of Return to Launch Site Options for a Reusable Booster Stage
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ACCESS TO SPACE FOR EXPLORATION MISSIONS USING REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLES
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List of private spaceflight companies#Crew and cargo transport vehicles
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Kistler Web site for the K-1 Vehicle, incl. link to component diagram
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Includes mass of payload bay, heat shield, parachutes, and airbags
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Reynolds, Smith, and Hills/Leighton Contractors: Launch Facility
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Irvin Aerospace: Landing System (parachutes, and maybe airbags)
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A render of the K-1 in flight, produced by Rocketplane Kistler
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168 seconds (plus additional 35 seconds for boostback burn)
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Kistler K-1 Program Status: First Vehicle 75% Complete
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Oceaneering Thermal Systems: Thermal Protection System
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Georgia Institute of Technology. 741:Mark, Hellman, Barry (2006-01-18). 600:List of space launch system designs 555:Northrop Grumman: Vehicle Structure 552:GenCorp Aerojet: Propulsion Systems 537:Progress on design and construction 24: 1187: 847:"News & Information Main Page" 25: 1833: 897: 731: 688: 525:aerodynamic and thermal reasons. 350:131,000 kg (289,000 lb) 262:250,000 kg (550,000 lb) 977: 472:Government Accountability Office 1822:Cancelled space launch vehicles 839: 815: 791:from the original on 2021-12-22 574: 519: 342:13,100 kg (28,900 lb) 254:20,500 kg (45,200 lb) 1550: 773: 706: 493: 13: 1: 610: 186:1,570 kg (3,460 lb) 154:3,200 kg (7,100 lb) 138:4,500 kg (9,900 lb) 827:www.personalspaceflight.info 698:Berger, Brian (2007-09-07). 161:Geostationary transfer orbit 7: 1707:Ya Guidao Gainian Feixingqi 583: 461:In 2004, the company won a 456:International Space Station 450:(LEO), payload delivery to 145:International Space Station 10: 1838: 530:reaction control thrusters 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72:United States 71: 67: 63: 59: 56: 53: 50: 46: 39: 34: 19: 1793:* indicates 1657:Dream Chaser 1623:SpaceShipTwo 1617:SpaceShipOne 1472: 1211:Falcon Heavy 1004:Dream Chaser 854:. 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Space.com. 682: 578: 575:Cancellation 544: 540: 527: 523: 520:Second stage 508: 497: 480: 460: 443: 435: 433: 318:Second stage 61:Manufacturer 1750:Silver Dart 1682:upper stage 1611:Gemini SC-2 1568:Boeing X-37 1529:VentureStar 1461:Hyperbola-2 1388:Kankoh-maru 1321:Orbex Prime 1290:Hyperbola-3 1269:Ariane Next 1248:* (booster) 1242:* (booster) 1217:New Shepard 1102:Kistler K-1 494:First stage 436:Kistler K-1 387:233 seconds 159:Payload to 143:Payload to 111:Payload to 31:Kistler K-1 27:Rocket type 1811:Categories 1795:suborbital 1551:Spacecraft 1514:Tianjiao-1 1509:Sea Dragon 1432:(boosters) 1365:Tianlong-3 1296:Long March 1176:spacecraft 856:2021-05-17 832:2021-05-17 795:2021-02-22 724:2021-02-22 611:References 392:Propellant 355:Powered by 347:Gross mass 339:Empty mass 304:Propellant 267:Powered by 259:Gross mass 251:Empty mass 200:Comparable 1760:X-30 NASP 1722:Cancelled 1690:Proposals 1676:(capsule) 1670:(capsule) 1664:(capsule) 1653:(capsule) 1607:(capsule) 1471:Hopper / 1446:Falcon 1e 1381:Proposals 1373:(engines) 1315:New Glenn 1080:Cancelled 1014:Soyuz GVK 999:Dragon XL 994:Blue Moon 761:cite book 753:806493663 718:SpaceNews 384:Burn time 296:Burn time 106:Capacity 1797:vehicles 1680:Starship 1662:Mengzhou 1584:Shenlong 1579:Dragon 2 1451:Falcon 5 1407:Canceled 1359:Terran R 1327:Pallas-1 1284:Electron 1274:CALLISTO 1205:Falcon 9 1064:Proposed 1045:Dragon 1 1019:Starship 969:Tianzhou 964:Progress 789:Archived 662:Archived 584:See also 514:Falcon 9 331:Diameter 243:Diameter 167:Altitude 119:Altitude 90:Diameter 48:Function 1745:Mustard 1593:Retired 1575:(CSSHQ) 1473:Phoenix 1414:Adeline 1309:Miura 5 1227:Retired 1097:Jupiter 1033:Retired 504:Aerojet 458:(ISS). 217:Antares 52:Orbital 1734:Kliper 1697:Avatar 1605:Dragon 1561:Active 1519:Spiral 1466:HOPE-X 1430:Ares V 1424:Ares I 1419:Angara 1393:SASSTO 1371:Vulcan 1344:Skylon 1333:RLV-TD 1279:CORONA 1240:Petrel 1198:Active 1092:ARCTUS 1071:TGK PG 954:Cygnus 947:Active 751:  511:SpaceX 489:Design 468:SpaceX 323:Height 235:Height 98:Stages 82:Height 1713:SUSIE 1674:Orion 1504:Roton 1479:HOTOL 1456:Nexus 1112:S-550 1107:Parom 1009:HTV-X 411:[ 360:NK-34 272:NK-33 1766:X-33 1755:SOAR 1739:Lynx 1634:X-15 1494:MAKS 1263:Amur 1246:Skua 1174:and 1024:Argo 767:link 749:OCLC 500:AJ26 463:NASA 434:The 396:RP-1 358:1 × 308:RP-1 270:3 × 207:GSLV 183:Mass 151:Mass 135:Mass 77:Size 1729:H-2 1524:V-2 1484:K-1 1117:OMV 1050:TKS 1040:ATV 428:ISS 400:LOX 312:LOX 178:60° 130:45° 1813:: 883:^ 871:^ 849:. 825:. 783:. 763:}} 759:{{ 733:^ 716:. 690:^ 672:^ 619:^ 398:/ 310:/ 1774:* 1768:* 1762:* 1741:* 1709:* 1636:* 1625:* 1619:* 1613:* 1219:* 1164:e 1157:t 1150:v 932:e 925:t 918:v 859:. 835:. 798:. 769:) 755:. 727:. 430:. 415:] 101:2 20:)

Index

K-1 launch vehicle

Orbital
launch vehicle
Low Earth orbit
International Space Station
Geostationary transfer orbit
GSLV
Long March 4B
Antares
NK-33
Specific impulse
RP-1
LOX
NK-34
Specific impulse
RP-1
LOX
edit on Wikidata

ISS
reusable launch vehicle
low Earth orbit
high-energy orbits
International Space Station
NASA
SpaceX
Government Accountability Office
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Rocketplane Limited, Inc

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