Q: Status of X-37 program?

Pat Flannery wrote:
Reed Snellenberger wrote:
"to place small satellites into low earth orbit and to provide a
low-cost means of launching sub-orbital hypersonic technology vehicles."

Sounds like somebody is trying to develop a rocket-boosted scramjet
cruise missile.

Yes, but not with the FALCON launch vehicle/CICBM.

The sub-orbital hypersonic technology vehicle in question
is a family that starts with a lifting body guided carrier
vehicle which handles reentry and then deposits a conventional
weapon at some high altitude (such as a GPS guided JDAM bomb
or some such).

There is a roadmap under consideration for a scramjet booster
carrier, for crossrange and for additional range. Also another
separate project for a purely atmospheric hypersonic scramjet
cruise missile. But they're separate projects, not the same thing.


-george william herbert

George William Herbert wrote:

The sub-orbital hypersonic technology vehicle in question
is a family that starts with a lifting body guided carrier
vehicle which handles reentry and then deposits a conventional
weapon at some high altitude (such as a GPS guided JDAM bomb
or some such).

OK, so the hypersonics component is just another re-entry vehicle.

Yawn!

Nothing to see here, move along...

--
Malcolm Street
Canberra, Australia
The nation's capital