Pegasus - Winged workhorse
Abstract
DARPA has initiated the development of a three-stage, solid-propellant air-launched booster for the lofting of small military satellites, or 'lightsats'. This vehicle, designated 'Pegasus', will because of its substantial endoatmospheric mission segment serve as a testbed for the validation of the CFD codes used by NASA as analytical tools in the design of the National Aerospace Plane. The three rocket stages are novel designs, incorporating such features as three-dimensionally woven carbon-carbon integral throat inserts and carbon-phenolic nozzles. The aircraft that will take Pegasus to launch altitude will be the B-52 previously used to launch the X-15.
- Publication:
-
Flight International
- Pub Date:
- August 1988
- Bibcode:
- 1988FlInt.134...29F
- Keywords:
-
- Solid Propellant Rocket Engines;
- Spacecraft Design;
- Spacecraft Launching;
- Unmanned Spacecraft;
- Computer Aided Design;
- Inertial Guidance;
- Spacecraft Trajectories;
- Launch Vehicles and Space Vehicles