Based on the X-33 experience shared with NASA, Lockheed Martin hoped to make the business case for a full-scale SSTO RLV, called VentureStar, that would be developed and operated through commercial means.

May 3, 2023 · Lockheed Martin's X-33 was a technology demonstrator of the VentureStar orbital spaceplane funded by NASA in the 1990s. Part of the Space Launch Initiative, the X-33's ultimate goal was to prove the feasibility of a completely reusable …

The X-33 is an integrated ground and flight operations demonstration of the critical technologies required for a SSTO RLV. The technology development and demonstration activities will be focused on flight demonstrations of the X-33, supported by appropriate ground test. The design of the X-33 and ground test articles will be based

Jul 26, 2023 · This artist's rendering depicts the NASA/Lockheed Martin X-33 technology demonstrator for a Single-Stage-To-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) at high...

The X-33 is a 1/2 scale prototype of a rocket based Single State to Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). The goal of the X-33 program is to reduce the business and technical risks by the end of the decade such that private industry can build and operate the next generation reusable launch vehicle.

Jan 4, 2006 · Taking shape at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility, the X-33 was intended to be a 1/3 scale prototype of a fully-operational RLV (Reusable Launch Vehicle) called the VentureStar, designed to...

NASA-sponsored suborbital unmanned prototype for a single-stage-to-orbit rocketplane. The Lockheed Martin vehicle would have used a linear aerospike engine, metallic insulation, and other features similar to their Starclipper shuttle proposal of 1971.

Jun 23, 2018 · The X-33 Venturestar demonstrator project could have heralded the age of cheap reusable space ships already in the beginning of the 2000's. It was a single stage to orbit system that would be reusable and inherently cheaper to use and reuse than both…

The linear aerospike engine is being developed for single-stage -to-orbit (SSTO) applications. The primary advantages of a linear aerospike engine over a conventional bell nozzle engine include altitude compensation, which provides enhanced performance, and lower vehicle weight resulting from the integration of the engine into the vehicle ...

What Was the X-33 VentureStar? The X-33 was an experimental prototype for a much larger spacecraft, the VentureStar. The goal was to create a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle, meaning the whole spacecraft would reach orbit without dropping any boosters or rocket parts.