DARPA has commissioned the development of reusable space drone

Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Ministry of Defense (DARPA) has entered into contracts for the development of experimental unmanned reusable space XS-1 with three companies. According to Space.com, the agreement on the initial design has been signed with the American aircraft manufacturing concern Boeing, companies Masten Space Systems and Northrop Grumman.

The cost of contracts signed military did not disclose. It clarifies the Space Daily, Concern, Boeing announced that the value of his contract was four million dollars. The company will carry out the basic design of the first stage of the space complex, which should be reusable. When it is planned to complete the project, is not specified.

Contracts for the development of reusable space drone were signed in the first phase of the XS-1. At this stage, it is assumed that American companies will create a mass-dimensional model of the machine, hold the calculations to reduce the risks in the creation and testing of the basic components, technologies and systems, and present a plan for technical improvements XS-1 for the first flight.

Contracts for the second phase of the program is planned to sign the contest in 2015. On stage will already be made test flights of the spacecraft, after which the winning company will receive a contract for the small-scale production. According to preliminary estimates, the flight tests XS-1 will begin in 2017 and the first scheduled flight into orbit XS-1 commits already in 2018.

The fact that DARPA intends to develop a reusable space drone, it became known in February 2014. Promising device will be used for delivery to low Earth orbit of various equipment. In this case, the cost of one launch vehicle shall not exceed five million dollars. In the course of a series of launches XS-1 should not need maintenance and repair.

For comparison, in the moment to deliver small satellites into orbit USAF use four-stage launch vehicles Minotaur IV, payload weight which is 1.73 tons. The cost of one launch a rocket today is about $ 55 million.

According to the requirements of the military, XS-1 should be able to reach speeds of more than ten Mach numbers (11.5 thousand kilometers per hour) and carry various payloads with a total mass of 1.36 to 2.27 tons. In this case, it was reported that the UAV will be equipped with the first stage of discharge, the cost of which shall not exceed one or two million dollars. This stage will be separated after the withdrawal of the device in the upper atmosphere.

For its size itself XS-1 must be comparable to the American F-15 fighter Eagle, whose length is 19.43 meters, height - 5.63 meters and a wingspan - 13.05 meters.