K-1 (reusable space vehicle)

K-1 on launchpad

Heading up

Second stage in orbit

Arrival at Internal Space Station

A two-stage, fully reusable aerospace vehicle designed to carry out a wide range of missions, including payload delivery to low-earth orbit (LEO), payload delivery to high-energy orbits with a K-1 Active Dispenser, technology demonstration flights, microgravity missions, and commercial cargo resupply, recovery, and reboost services for the International Space Station. It is being developed by Rocketplane Kistler, a company which has recently won an award from NASA of more than $200 million to help with work on the K-1, especially as it relates to the ISS.

The K-1 will be 121 feet (36.9 m) in overall length, 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter and weigh 841,000 pounds (382,300 kg) at liftoff. The vehicle, powered by liquid-propellant engines supplied by Aerojet Corporation, is designed to be reused 100 times.

Rocketplane Kistler plans to establish two launch sites for operating the K-1, at Woomera, Australia, and Spaceport Nevada. Test flights and initial commercial operations will be conducted from Woomera. Spaceport Nevada is the second launch site and is located at the Nevada Test Site, near Las Vegas.

K-1 stage specifications
	first stage	second stage
mass	551,000 lbm (250,500 kg)	290,000 lbm (131,800 kg)
engines	Three Aerojet AJ26-58/-59 LOX/kerosene engines with a total sea-level thrust of 1,020,000 lbf (4,540 kN)	One Aerojet AJ26-60 LOX/kerosene engine with a total vacuum thrust of 395,000 lbf (1,760 kN). One Aerojet LOX/ethanol Orbital Manuvering System (OMS) engine with a total vacume thrust of 870 lbf (3.9 kN)

Related categories

• MANNED SPACEFLIGHT
• LAUNCH VEHICLES

Source and illustrations: Rocketplane Kistler

Also on this site:

Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History

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