Wednesday, March 27, 2013

XCOR Reports Rocket Milestone

XCOR Aerospace, one of the aerospace startups in Mojave, reported a win yesterday, saying it achieved a "significant" propulsion milestone on its Lynx Suborbital Vehicle. The company said it fired its full piston, pump-powered rocket engine, the foundation of its fully reusable spacecraft. The company said the next step in its testing it to run its engine for the full duration of a full, powered flight of its suborbital vehicle. The firm is looking to eliminate the need for heavy, high-pressure fuel and oxidizer tanks, which it says would allow its system to fly multiple times per day and for "tens of thousands" of flights. XCOR is among a number of firms in Mojave focused on commercial spaceflight, although the firm has yet to launch its vehicles into space.

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