Author Topic: XCOR and the Lynx rocket  (Read 610746 times)

Offline meekGee

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 14159
  • N. California
  • Liked: 14046
  • Likes Given: 1392
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1100 on: 04/07/2017 04:13 am »
ULA has the 5H25 engine and hydrogen pump on display at their Space Symposium booth:

All that hard work developing the engine and piston pump and they end up a permanent part of a ULA static display?!??  That can't be a good thing for the Lynx program..  :(

The Lynx didn't use Hydrogen - it had Kerosene and LOX pumps IIRC.

EDIT:
You know what, that was bad form.   The Lynx DOESN'T use Hydrogen.
« Last Edit: 04/07/2017 04:15 am by meekGee »
ABCD - Always Be Counting Down

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1101 on: 04/07/2017 04:36 am »
ULA has the 5H25 engine and hydrogen pump on display at their Space Symposium booth:

All that hard work developing the engine and piston pump and they end up a permanent part of a ULA static display?!??  That can't be a good thing for the Lynx program..  :(
Easy on the doom and gloom ;). The 5H25 was a development engine that we tested in 2015, and while the technology is similar, it isn't part of the Lynx program. This engine and pump were built for ULA as a subscale demonstrator for the 8H21. Also, as I understand it, the hardware isn't a permanent display and we sent it to them just for the conference.
How's it going with 8H21, are you making good progress?. Any ETA of test firing?


Offline Gliderflyer

Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1102 on: 04/07/2017 02:58 pm »
How's it going with 8H21, are you making good progress?. Any ETA of test firing?
We are making progress, but I can't give out any specific details or dates.
I tried it at home

Offline baldusi

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8356
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Liked: 2539
  • Likes Given: 8273
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1103 on: 04/07/2017 08:50 pm »
How's it going with 8H21, are you making good progress?. Any ETA of test firing?
We are making progress, but I can't give out any specific details or dates.
Why 5H and 8H?

Offline Gliderflyer

Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1104 on: 04/08/2017 06:26 pm »
Why 5H and 8H?
XCOR uses a number/letter/number format for engine designations. The first number is the thrust class of the engine, the letter is the propellant combination (LOX/hydrogen in this case), and the second number is the design number.
I tried it at home

Offline ChrisWilson68

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5266
  • Sunnyvale, CA
  • Liked: 4992
  • Likes Given: 6459
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1105 on: 06/15/2017 05:06 am »
An article in SpaceNews yesterday about the state of suborbital space tourism had some tidbits about Lynx, and none of it is good:

Quote
The company, however, claims it has not abandoned the Lynx. The hardware built for the Mark 1 prototype vehicle remains in the company’s Mojave, California, facility, where a handful of employees are performing a “system review and documentation effort,” company spokesman Marco Martinez-Venturi said in March.

To me, that sounds like they're trying to make sure they preserve knowledge.  That's better than just losing it, but it means they're not making any forward progress, just trying not to move backwards.

Quote
Martinez-Venturi acknowledged that additional progress would depend on the company’s ability to raise more money. “Although we have advanced the program with much of our recent efforts, completion of the prototype is funding dependent,” he said. “The start of the test flight program, like the vehicle completion, is dependent on funding.”

So nothing is going to change unless they find someone to fund it, which they don't have now.

Quote
He did not respond to a request for an update on Lynx in May.

To me, that's the most ominous thing in the article.  They're not even responding to press inquires about it any more.

http://spacenews.com/what-the-hell-happened-the-rise-and-fall-of-suborbital-space-tourism-companies/

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48174
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81684
  • Likes Given: 36941
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1106 on: 06/17/2017 05:23 pm »
Looks like more change may be coming at XCOR if CEO departs:

Quote
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate [Jay] Gibson to be deputy chief management officer of the Department of Defense.

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2017/06/17/jay-gibson-xcor-trump-administration/

Offline QuantumG

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9238
  • Australia
  • Liked: 4477
  • Likes Given: 1108
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1107 on: 06/17/2017 11:37 pm »
I don't even know how to feel about that... umm, good? I find it hard to summon up any hope for Lynx.
Human spaceflight is basically just LARPing now.

Offline docmordrid

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6334
  • Michigan
  • Liked: 4207
  • Likes Given: 2
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1108 on: 06/18/2017 03:24 am »
John H. Gibson II. He served as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Management Reform and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Financial Management and Comptroller under Bush II.

Sounds like DoD may be in for a house-cleaning.
DM

Offline john smith 19

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10351
  • Everyplaceelse
  • Liked: 2431
  • Likes Given: 13606
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1109 on: 06/21/2017 12:06 pm »
Why 5H and 8H?
XCOR uses a number/letter/number format for engine designations. The first number is the thrust class of the engine, the letter is the propellant combination (LOX/hydrogen in this case), and the second number is the design number.
So "8H21" is an 8000 lb thrust, Hydrogen fuel, design number 21 on the internal XCOR project index?

XCOR seems like the contender who would benefit most from winning the contest for the new Vulcan upper stage engine.  I also think they could deliver an engine that's meets all its specs at a price ULA would be happy with but would still be profitable for XCOR, something I think AJR will struggle with.

MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

Offline Gliderflyer

Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1110 on: 06/22/2017 04:25 am »
So "8H21" is an 8000 lb thrust, Hydrogen fuel, design number 21 on the internal XCOR project index?
Almost, the 8H21 is designed to be a 25,000 lb thrust engine. The 8 refers to the "thrust class", which is an internally designated range of thrust values. I don't think we have ever published the specific thrust ranges, but basically each successive number covers a higher range of thrust values.
I tried it at home

Offline john smith 19

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 10351
  • Everyplaceelse
  • Liked: 2431
  • Likes Given: 13606
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1111 on: 06/22/2017 05:56 pm »
So "8H21" is an 8000 lb thrust, Hydrogen fuel, design number 21 on the internal XCOR project index?
Almost, the 8H21 is designed to be a 25,000 lb thrust engine. The 8 refers to the "thrust class", which is an internally designated range of thrust values. I don't think we have ever published the specific thrust ranges, but basically each successive number covers a higher range of thrust values.
Got it. I'd assumed it was the first digit of the thrust, roughly in 1000s of lbs.

So this would be the full size RL10 class engine for ULA?
MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

Offline FutureSpaceTourist

  • Global Moderator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 48174
  • UK
    • Plan 28
  • Liked: 81684
  • Likes Given: 36941
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1112 on: 07/05/2017 06:22 pm »
Bad news I'm afraid, if not a big surprise:

Quote
XCOR Lays off Remaining Employees
July 5, 2017  Doug Messier

Struggling XCOR Aerospace has laid off its remaining employees in Mojave, Calif. and Midland, Texas.

“Due to adverse financial conditions XCOR had to terminate all employees as of 30 June 2017,” the company said in a statement. “XCOR management will retain critical employees on a contract basis to maintain the company’s intellectual property and is actively seeking other options that would allow it to resume full employment and activity.” [...]

http://www.parabolicarc.com/2017/07/05/xcor-lays-remaining-employees/
« Last Edit: 07/05/2017 06:22 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline Lars-J

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6809
  • California
  • Liked: 8485
  • Likes Given: 5384
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1113 on: 07/05/2017 06:28 pm »
Yikes!   :-\ They seemed to be in trouble, but I didn't think it was this bad.
« Last Edit: 07/05/2017 07:07 pm by Lars-J »

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1114 on: 07/05/2017 07:08 pm »
Gibson managed find himself a nice passing ship to jump to. So much for captain going down with the ship.

ULA may have to step up if they want their ACES engine. Either buy rights to it and bring it in house or pass it on to likes of Masten.


« Last Edit: 07/05/2017 07:14 pm by TrevorMonty »

Offline Jarnis

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1313
  • Liked: 830
  • Likes Given: 201
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1115 on: 07/05/2017 07:42 pm »
Gibson managed find himself a nice passing ship to jump to. So much for captain going down with the ship.

ULA may have to step up if they want their ACES engine. Either buy rights to it and bring it in house or pass it on to likes of Masten.

Or they wait until they can buy the whole thing cents on a dollar from bankruptcy.

Offline Zed_Noir

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5490
  • Canada
  • Liked: 1809
  • Likes Given: 1302
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1116 on: 07/06/2017 02:00 am »
Gibson managed find himself a nice passing ship to jump to. So much for captain going down with the ship.

ULA may have to step up if they want their ACES engine. Either buy rights to it and bring it in house or pass it on to likes of Masten.

Or they wait until they can buy the whole thing cents on a dollar from bankruptcy.

If ULA waits too long. One of the other US engine providers might snap up what is left of Xcor and put the IP on ice indefinitely.

Offline Lars-J

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6809
  • California
  • Liked: 8485
  • Likes Given: 5384
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1117 on: 07/06/2017 02:05 am »
Gibson managed find himself a nice passing ship to jump to. So much for captain going down with the ship.

ULA may have to step up if they want their ACES engine. Either buy rights to it and bring it in house or pass it on to likes of Masten.

ULA has other options, you know. (BE-3U and RL-10) Perhaps XCOR just wasn't very competitive with the alternatives.

Offline Space Ghost 1962

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2780
  • Whatcha gonna do when the Ghost zaps you?
  • Liked: 2925
  • Likes Given: 2247
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1118 on: 07/06/2017 02:06 am »
At this point much of the value of the engines is still in the heads of those who design, build, and test them.

Offline QuantumG

  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9238
  • Australia
  • Liked: 4477
  • Likes Given: 1108
Re: XCOR and the Lynx rocket
« Reply #1119 on: 07/06/2017 04:00 am »
Drunken conversations at Space Access last year told me all I needed to know. It was a nice attempt to give the squeaky wheel a chance at the grease, but in the end no amount of engineering genius can make a business case close. I hope the team goes on to better tended pastures.
Human spaceflight is basically just LARPing now.

Tags:
 

Advertisement NovaTech
Advertisement Northrop Grumman
Advertisement
Advertisement Margaritaville Beach Resort South Padre Island
Advertisement Brady Kenniston
Advertisement NextSpaceflight
Advertisement Nathan Barker Photography
0