Jane Edwards
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has ended its plans to use a modified version of F-15 fighter jet to launch satellite payloads into space after two unmanned tests of a pre-mixed propellant resulted in explosions, Space News reported Monday.
Tests on the NA-7 propellant were part of DARPA’s Airborne Launch Assist Space Access program that seeks to bring small satellites into low-Earth orbit for less than $1 million each on short notice, Mike Gruss writes.
The propellant is a combination of acetylene and nitrous oxide.
Boeing received a potential $104 million contract from DARPA in March 2014 to develop the ALASA platform in collaboration with subcontractor Orbital ATK.
Tim Fernholz also reported for Defense One that DARPA and researchers at both companies plan to continue research work and test the propellant for land-based launch missions in 2016.
Startup firm Rocket Labs also plans to test its turbopump-based rocket next year and launch small satellites into space by 2017, according to the report.
