And while others dream of fast airplanes, a test bed for future innovations in that direction took flight in a unique collaboration between government and the private sector in Mojave, Calif., Tuesday. As AVweb told you last month, NASA and one of its most high-profile critics, Burt Rutan, have teamed up (along with the Defense Department and Boeing) to test the X-37 space drone. Those tests took flight on Tuesday as Rutan’s White Knight, the mothership for SpaceShipOne in last October’s successful completion of the Ansari X Prize competition, carried the X-37 aloft for the first time. The mated pair had been running up and down the runways at Mojave for weeks in preparation for the first flight, which appears to have gone off without a hitch. Drop tests of the unpiloted plane are expected later this summer. The X-37 is to be used to study re-entry and approach of suborbital and orbital spacecraft and the data will help in the design of vehicles that could be used to repair satellites and do other odd jobs in space as well as for the creation of future reusable spacecraft. There will be a break in the test schedule, however. White Knight and SpaceShipOne are due at EAA AirVenture the week of July 25.
…While NASA And Rutan Test Space Drone
Key Takeaways:
- The X-37 space drone completed its first test flight on Tuesday, a collaboration between NASA, Burt Rutan (through his White Knight mothership), the Defense Department, and Boeing.
- Burt Rutan's White Knight, known for carrying SpaceShipOne, successfully carried the X-37 aloft for this initial flight after weeks of runway preparations.
- The X-37 is designed to study re-entry and approach of suborbital and orbital spacecraft, with collected data intended to aid in the design of future reusable vehicles and satellite repair craft.
- Future plans include drop tests later this summer, though the test schedule will pause when White Knight and SpaceShipOne appear at EAA AirVenture in late July.
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