List of McDonnell Douglas DC-X launches

The DC-XA Clipper Graham

Between 1993 and 1996, the McDonnell Douglas DC-X, also known as the "Delta Clipper", conducted twelve low-altitude suborbital test launches to verify the configuration and handling of the uncrewed single-stage-to-orbit Delta Clipper design, which was proposed to the United States Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use as a reuseable launch vehicle.[1] Claimed as the first rocket to conduct a vertical landing on Earth, the DC-X was a one-third scale demonstrator for the proposed operational Delta Clipper vehicle.[2]

After the first three flights Strategic Defense Initiative Organization funding for the test project was cancelled;[3] the remaining test program was conducted by NASA and the Advanced Research Projects Agency.[4] Following the eighth test flight, the vehicle was transferred fully to NASA and the vehicle was modified to DC-XA configuration,[5] also known as "Clipper Graham" after General Daniel O. Graham who had died in 1995 after supporting the Delta Clipper project.[6]

Of the overall test program, ten of the vehicle's launches were fully successful; the fifth test flight was aborted early in the flight following an on-board explosion but the vehicle was successfully recovered. The twelfth and final flight saw one of the vehicle's landing legs fail to extend; on landing, when the vehicle tipped over onto its unsupported corner, a liquid oxygen tank ruptured and exploded, the ensuing fire destroying the modified DC-XA vehicle and ending the program. Despite the loss the program was considered overall to have been a success.[1]

Launch history

Flight No. Date and time of takeoff (UTC) Vehicle Launch site Suborbital apogee Outcome Duration Reference
1 18 August 1993
23:43 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 46 m (151 ft) Success 59 sec [7]
Control system and vertical landing capability test.[7] Demonstrated hovering ability and 350 foot (110 m) horizontal translation.[6]
2 11 September 1993
18:12 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 92 m (302 ft) Success 66 sec [7]
Ground effects and ascent-and-landing mode control test.[7]
3 30 September 1993
17:30 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 370 m (1,210 ft) Success 72 sec [7]
Aerostability test; vehicle conducted 180° roll.[7]
4 20 June 1994
15:42 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 870 m (2,850 ft) Success 2 min 16 sec [7]
First flight with fully loaded propellant tanks and operational radar altimeter.[7]
5 27 June 1994
15:37 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 790 m (2,590 ft) Partial failure 78 sec [7]
Flight aborted after hydrogen explosion on launch; autoland capabilities demonstrated.[7]
6 16 May 1995
16:40 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 1.33 km (0.83 mi; 4,400 ft) Success 2 min 4 sec [7]
Flight envelope expansion test.[7]
7 12 June 1995
15:38 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 1.74 km (1.08 mi; 5,700 ft) Success 2 min 12 sec [7]
AOA envelope expansion, first reaction control system usage.[7]
8 7 July 1995
14:02 		DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 2 km (1.2 mi; 6,600 ft) Success 2 min 4 sec [7]
Turnaround maneuver demonstrated; hard landing resulted in damage to the aeroshell.[7]
9 18 May 1996
15:14 		DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 244 m (801 ft) Success 62 sec [7]
First flight following modification to DC-XA configuration; slow landing resulted in aeroshell fire.[7]
10 7 June 1996
17:15 		DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 590 m (1,940 ft) Success 64 sec [7]
Maximum structural stress test.[7]
11 8 June 1996
19:17 		DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 3.14 km (1.95 mi; 10,300 ft) Success 2 min 22 sec [7]
Demonstration of 26-hour rapid turnaround; altitude and duration record set.[7]
12 31 July 1996
20:15 		DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 1.25 km (0.78 mi; 4,100 ft) Partial success 2 min 20 sec [7]
Successful maneuvering test; vehicle destroyed on landing when landing strut failed to extend and LOX tank exploded.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b McLaughlin, Hailey Rose (29 October 2019). "DC-X: The NASA Rocket That Inspired SpaceX and Blue Origin". Discover. Kalmbach Publishing. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Rocket has good test flight". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa. 20 August 1993. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. ^ Burdick, Alan (7 November 1993). "Pie In The Sky?". The New York Times. New York. pp. 6–46. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. ^ "Delta Clipper Test Program Off To Flying Start". McDonnell Douglas via NASA. 20 June 1994. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Will The Delta Clipper Scuttle The Shuttle?". Bloomberg. New York. 8 July 1996. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b Lerner, Preston (August 2010). "Black Day at White Sands". Air & Space Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Sorensen, Kirk (26 December 2012). Andrew J. Butrica (ed.). "The Delta Clipper Experimental: Flight Testing Archive". NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  8. ^ Norris, Guy (6 August 1996). "Clipper flight ends in disaster". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 20 December 2020.