Airlaunch LLC starts on Phase 2C

http://www.airlaunchllc.com/News.htm

"The company’s upgraded Horizontal Test Stand (known as HTS-2) is now complete, with new hardware and additional sensors and instrumentation systems for the HTS and the HTS test article installed.

Phase 2C focuses on propulsion characterization of the company’s innovative liquid oxygen (LOX)/propane vapor pressurization (VaPak) propulsion system used on the second stage of its QuickReach™ SLV. Phase 2C Milestones include upgrades to hardware, instrumentation, and test stands; and a series of test fires on the HTS to gather data on engine performance and on the Vertical Test Stand (VTS) to more comprehensively characterize second stage performance."

[HappyMartian]

<p>http://www.airlaunchllc.com/News.htm</p><p>"The company’s upgraded Horizontal Test Stand (known as HTS-2) is now complete, with new hardware and additional sensors and instrumentation systems for the HTS and the HTS test article installed.</p><p>Phase 2C focuses on propulsion characterization of the company’s innovative liquid oxygen (LOX)/propane vapor pressurization (VaPak) propulsion system used on the second stage of its QuickReach™ SLV. Phase 2C Milestones include upgrades to hardware, instrumentation, and test stands; and a series of test fires on the HTS to gather data on engine performance and on the Vertical Test Stand (VTS) to more comprehensively characterize second stage performance."
</p>

Is anything happening with liquid oxygen (LOX)/subcooled liquid propane rocket engines?

From somewhere I downloaded a graph called 'Tank volume compare' that claims, "14.7 less volume than methane to achieve the same delta-v"

[Robotbeat]

14.7 percent, I can believe.

[RanulfC]

Sub-Cooled Propane (LOX temp) is supposed to gain a density increase to just about the same as RP1 according to Dunn:
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Nowicki/SPBI1LF.HTM
http://www.dunnspace.com/alternate_ssto_propellants.htm

But I don't think anyone is currently working with it...

(HM, IIRC you probably got the chart from one of the Methane propellant threads on here. I think I have the same one myself)

Randy

[Robotbeat]

Sub-Cooled Propane (LOX temp) is supposed to gain a density increase to just about the same as RP1 according to Dunn:
http://settlement.arc.nasa.gov/Nowicki/SPBI1LF.HTM
http://www.dunnspace.com/alternate_ssto_propellants.htm

But I don't think anyone is currently working with it...

(HM, IIRC you probably got the chart from one of the Methane propellant threads on here. I think I have the same one myself)

Randy

By the way, if you subcool the propane, you can't self-pressurize in quite the same way, unless you find a way to heat the propane during the launch. If you're going to go the subcooled propane route, might as well pick the best (stable, non-toxic, widely available) one on the list... Go with subcooled propylene. And there are some folks working with propylene (though not subcooled to my knowledge): http://www.garvspace.com/2009/P-13A.htm (well, in 2009, at least)