{"id":17170,"date":"2024-09-25T21:30:21","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/radian-aerospace-completes-its-first-round-of-ground-testing-for-prototype-space-plane\/"},"modified":"2024-09-25T21:30:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:30:21","slug":"radian-aerospace-completes-its-first-round-of-ground-testing-for-prototype-space-plane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/radian-aerospace-completes-its-first-round-of-ground-testing-for-prototype-space-plane\/","title":{"rendered":"Radian Aerospace completes its first round of ground testing for prototype space plane"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"382\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-630x382.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-840409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-630x382.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-1260x765.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-768x466.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-1536x932.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/240925-radian1-2048x1243.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Radian Aerospace\u2019s subscale prototype for its Radian One space plane sits on a runway in the United Arab Emirates. (Radian Aerospace Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Seattle-based Radian Aerospace has finished the first round of ground taxi testing for a prototype aircraft that\u2019s meant to blaze the trail for a first-of-its-kind, single-stage-to-orbit space plane.<\/p>\n<p>Radian said the low-speed runway tests were successfully completed this month in Abu Dhabi, with the aim of assessing the subscale prototype\u2019s flight characteristics in preparation for building its full-scale Radian One spaceship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese successful tests represent an early but significant step in our broader journey to bring Radian One to market,\u201d Richard Humphrey, co-founder and CEO of Radian, said today in a news release. \u201cWhile we know there is much work ahead, each step in our robust test program brings us closer to transforming access to space with rapid, reusable and cost-effective transport to low Earth orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Livingston Holder, Radian\u2019s co-founder and chief technology officer, said the uncrewed PFV01 prototype is a one-12th-scale version of Radian One, measuring roughly 15 feet (4.9 meters) long. \u201cIt\u2019s powered by two jet engines,\u201d he told GeekWire. \u201cSo, it\u2019s not a rocket-powered system, it\u2019s a jet-engine system.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>During the taxi tests, the prototype performed a series of pitch-up maneuvers and short hops, reaching speeds of around 50 knots (57.5 mph). \u201cWe have a lot of data that\u2019s come down, and so we really want to understand what that looks like before we move to the longer runway and start pushing higher speeds,\u201d Holder said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Introducing Radian One\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vRKXEt8N8yM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The design configuration for the prototype tested in Abu Dhabi is known internally as AV09. \u201cWe are currently on AV12 in the design team, and we\u2019re progressing to AV13 next week,\u201d Holder said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be the start of our next design cycle.\u201d After analyzing all the data from the taxi tests, Radian\u2019s engineers will tweak the prototype\u2019s design for the next round of real-world testing, Holder said.<\/p>\n<p>The full-size Radian One is being designed to accommodate two to five crew members and send 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms) or more to low Earth orbit. Radian says the plane could transport crew and cargo to and from the International Space Station or other orbital outposts, or deploy satellite payloads in orbit. The plane could also be used for point-to-point transportation, or for hypersonic flight applications \u2014 which are a high priority for the U.S. military.<\/p>\n<p>Radian One would use a rocket-propelled sled as well as its own methane-fueled rocket engines for launch. \u201cWe found that there was enough work going on a LOX-methane solution that we didn\u2019t need to do it ourselves,\u201d Holder said. \u201cWe could team up with somebody who was further down that road already, and that\u2019s where we\u2019re looking.\u201d He said the integration and testing of Radian One\u2019s propulsion system would be done at the company\u2019s test facility in Bremerton, Wash.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, wind tunnel testing is proceeding at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado, and Radian is continuing to work with NASA\u2019s Glenn Research Center in Ohio on the space plane\u2019s thermal protection system, Holden said. Radian is also developing carbon-composite tanks for the plane, in cooperation with the University of Washington\u2019s Advanced Composites Center and Sedro-Woolley, Wash.-based Janicki Industries.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1773379529634902466&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2024%2Fradian-aerospace-ground-testing-prototype-space-plane%2F&amp;sessionId=b063a70a6c7aac44e65674e5e0f7fb97237aa87d&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1773379529634902466\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782799099132719567=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udc40 Sneak peak of our prototype composite tank under construction! Stay tuned\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/cioSJT8gDb<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Radian Aerospace (@RadianSpace) March 28, 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Radian Aerospace\u2019s most recent funding round raised $27.5 million \u2014 which isn\u2019t enough to get the full-size Radian One off the ground. That need for additional capital may help explain why PFV01 was tested on a runway in Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s just put it this way,\u201d Holder said. \u201cThe interest in the program is global, and that\u2019s really, really good. The interest in UAE is very high, and I would say that spans from government to private concerns. There\u2019s benefit to being in this space, so people who are interested in maybe being potential users or investors can see some of the work firsthand.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"200\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240402-holder.jpg\" alt=\"Livingston Holder\" class=\"wp-image-817113\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Livingston Holder is co-founder and chief technology officer of Radian Aerospace. (Photo via Holder Aerospace)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Holder said \u201cthe interest is strong, both from an investment and a user standpoint, and so we\u2019re going to make sure that the folks in the region get exposed to what we\u2019re up to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, what\u2019s the development time frame? Radian Aerospace aims to have Radian One ready in time to provide transport services for the commercial space stations that are currently expected to take a handoff from the International Space Station as early as 2029 or 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Among the orbital outposts on the drawing board are Axiom Station, planned by Houston-based Axiom Space; Orbital Reef, a project led by Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture; and Starlab, which has Voyager Space and Airbus as leading partners. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve probably interacted with almost every commercial space station developer to date,\u201d Holder said. \u201cWe built some relationships with them, and I think there\u2019s going to be a lot of coordination before any of those discussions are made public, OK? But the discussions have been energetic and positive, so I think that we could provide a transportation option for them that is quite attractive \u2014 and will help them from not just an operational standpoint, but also from a cost management standpoint. Getting crew back and forth less expensively would be very, very valuable to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Could Radian Aerospace really hope to compete with the likes of, say, SpaceX?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, SpaceX is so well-known,\u201d said Holder, who was part of a Boeing team that worked on a single-stage-to-orbit space plane project in the 1990s. \u201cThey\u2019ve got lots of flights. They\u2019re doing lots of things. There\u2019s something in the news almost every day from SpaceX, and so we\u2019re not clearly a household name. Yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Holder said he and his teammates are working on that. \u201cWith the folks who\u2019ve been helping us and working with us, they seem to know enough about us to be supportive,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been pleased with all the interactions we\u2019ve had, in the commercial space, the civil space and the government space. So, it\u2019s been super-good. Super-good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Radian Aerospace\u2019s subscale prototype for its Radian One space plane sits on a runway in the United Arab Emirates. (Radian Aerospace Photo) Seattle-based Radian Aerospace has finished the first round of ground taxi testing for a prototype aircraft that\u2019s meant to blaze the trail for a first-of-its-kind, single-stage-to-orbit space plane. Radian said the low-speed runway [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4447,4329],"class_list":["post-17170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-radian-aerospace","tag-startups"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17170"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17170\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}