USA X-33

1. IDENTIFICATION

X-33

- Name: X-33, (1/2 VENTURE STAR) - Vehicle status: cancelled

- Classification: Suborbital vehicle - Reusable
- Development: 941 M$ NASA, 220 M$ LM (1999)
Technology demonstrator.
cost
Unpiloted
- Development: - NASA - Launch cost: 0.5 M$ or less per flight
manager - LOCKHEED MARTIN
P.O. Box 179, MS H 3400 - First launch: -
DENVER, COLORADO 80201
Tel.: (303) 977-9289 - Commercial: no
Fax: (303) 971-9144

2. PRESENTATION

Performance : suborbital flights - 12.1998: two lobes of

Configuration : Lifting body airframe. The X-33 is an experimental hydrogen tanks were
suborbital vehicle aimed at demonstrating SSTO damaged during the
technologies to make a reusable launcher manufacturing
commercially viable. It is half-scale model of next- process, contributing
generation reusable launch vehicle (VENTURE STAR to a 12 month delay
RLV).
- 02.11.1999: The outer
Structure : Mainly graphite-epoxy composite. The hydrogen tanks, skin of the X-33's
made out of graphite epoxy composites instead of hydrogen tanks was
traditional aluminium is to be the riskiest element (4) fractured during
pressurization tests at
Thermal protection : Metallic. Titanium and Inconel (both were tested on STS
Marshall Space Flight
77)
Center in Huntsville,
Gas generators : From the Saturn J-2 upper stage engine Ala. based NASA
centre.
Site : Flights from Edwards AFB, Calif. (4.5 km runway) Could delay the
programme 1 to 2
Landing Site : Landing at Bicycle Lake, Calif., the Utah Test Range, or years.
Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., depending on flight
speed - February, 2000:
NASA, Lockheed
Overall length : 20.4 m choose aluminium
Width : 20.7 m tanks for X-33.
Dry mass : 28.5 t

Maximum speed : Mach 15+ Payload bay size : 3 x 1.5 m Lift-off mass : 124 t
Planned flights : 15 flights, all in 1999, including at least one to Mach 15, a pair with a 48-hr
turnaround, and three consecutive one- week turnarounds. First launch VENTURE STAR: 2003

X -33 vehicle growth : X-33B is no more a concept. X-33B includes testing composite ramps for the
aerospike engines, different thermal protection, and new avionics.

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USA X-33

2.1 Launch system comparison

SYSTEM X-33 VENTURE STAR SPACE SHUTTLE

Designation 2001/2002 2003 1981

Manufacturer LOCKHEED MARTIN LOCKHEED MARTIN LOCKHEED MARTIN
Length (m) 20.4 38.7 56
Width (m) 20.7 39 23.8
Dry mass (t) 28.5 ~ 271 269
Vertical tall Top of the body Wingtips Top of the body
Engine J-2S Linear Aerospike RS 2200 Linear Aerospike 2 SRB 3 SSMEs
Manufacturer Rocketdyne Rocketdyne Rocketdyne
Number of engines 1x2 1 x 7 (2) 2+3
Chamber pressure
- 150 224
(bars)
Composite honeycomb
LH2 tank structure Aluminium Aluminum
(4)
LO2 tank structure Aluminium 2219 Aluminium Aluminum
Propellant
¾ Type Liquid Liquid Liquid + solid
¾ Fuel LH2 LH2 LH2
¾ Oxidizer LO2 LO2 LO2
¾ Mass (t) 95.6 ~ 1 224 1 722
Lift-off Thrust (kN)
¾ Sea level 910 x 2 1 920 x 7 29 000
¾ Vacuum - 2 200 x 7 -
Specific impulse (s)
- 455 453
vac.
Maximum speed Mach 15+ Orbital Orbital
Payload bay size (m) 1.5 x 3 4.47 x 13.7 (1) 4.47 x 18.3
Payload mass (t)
N/A 26 23
160 km, 28.5° orbit
TOTAL lift-off mass (t) 124 1 495 (3) 2 038

(1) The VENTURE STAR will also be able to ferry the X-38. The payload has been moved outside the
body into a modular "crayon" bay, increasing propellant volume
(2) The VENTURE STAR is designed to abort or go into orbit with five of its seven engines operating
(3) 1999 figures
(4) February 2000: X-33 programme officials will recommend a switch from experimental composite
tanks to aluminium tanks for the experimental launch vehicle.

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USA X-33

2.2 Reliability

¾ The X-33 is being designed to accommodate a failure of one of two powerpacks and still
complete its mission.
¾ The avionics are triplex and flight controls are dual redondant.
¾ The X-33 requirement for reliability is less than 1 failure in 100 flights.

The VENTURE STAR has evolved from X-33. X-33

Payload is external, tanks are aluminum,
wings have grown and verticals have
moved. Is X-33 still representative?

VENTURE STAR

3. DATA SOURCE REFERENCES

1 - Aviation week November 15, 1999, pages 28 to 30
2 - Aviation week July 8, 1996, page 20
3 - Air & cosmos n° 15475 12.07.96, page 46
4 - Air & cosmos n° 1712- 18.07.99, page 18, 2 pages

December 1999 Page 3