Rocketplane Kistler
Encyclopedia
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
before moving to Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Formed in 2006 by Rocketplane Limited, Inc.
Rocketplane Limited, Inc.
Rocketplane Limited, Inc. is a defunct aerospace design and development company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with facilities in Guthrie, Oklahoma and Burns Flat, Oklahoma.- History :...
after it acquired Kistler Aerospace, it closed its doors and filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 2010.
K-1 launch vehicle
Rocketplane Kistler's primary project was the K-1 launch vehicle, a reusable launch systemReusable launch system
A reusable launch system is a launch system which is capable of launching a launch vehicle into space more than once. This contrasts with expendable launch systems, where each launch vehicle is launched once and then discarded.No true orbital reusable launch system is currently in use. The...
which was intended to get as high as geosynchronous orbit
Geosynchronous orbit
A geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
, and was hoped to compete with NASA's relatively expensive, one-shot rockets for servicing of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
Corporate history
Founded in Kirkland, WashingtonKirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
by Walter Kistler
Walter Kistler
Walter P. Kistler is a physicist, inventor, and philanthropist, born in 1918 in Biel, Switzerland. Kistler is a life member of the Swiss Physical Society and a member of AIAA and ISA, which presented him the Life Achievement Award in 2000. He is listed in American Men of Science, Who’s Who in...
and Bob Citron
Bob Citron
Bob Citron is an entrepreneur and aerospace engineer who was born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at the University of California and Northrop University . Citron helped establish and manage the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Moonwatch and Precision Optical Satellite Tracking Programs ...
in 1993, Kistler Aerospace was a private company attempting to develop fully reusable vehicles capable of earth orbit at a minimal price.
In February 2006, Kistler was purchased by the majority owner of Rocketplane Limited, Inc, a competing reusable, private spacecraft firm. Kistler Aerospace continued to operate until its closure under the name Rocketplane Kistler. Meanwhile Rocketplane Limited, Inc. changed its name to Rocketplane Global, Inc., with a third company, Rocketplane, Inc. set up as a parent company for the two.
NASA launch partnership
In August 2006, NASA announced that Rocketplane Kistler had been chosen, along with SpaceXSpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
, to develop crew and cargo launch services, aka Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services is a NASA program to coordinate the delivery of crew and cargo to the International Space Station by private companies. The program was announced on January 18, 2006...
(COTS), for the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. The plan calls for demonstration flights between 2008 and 2010. Rocketplane Kistler would receive up to $207 million if they met all NASA milestones.
In November 2006, Rocketplane Kistler and Alliant Techsystems announced that Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems
Alliant Techsystems Inc., most commonly known by its ticker symbol, ', is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the United States with more than 18,000 employees in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally, and 2010 revenues in excess of an estimated...
will become the lead contractor for Rocketplane Kistler’s K-1 launch vehicle.
Unmet financial milestones in 2006 and 2007
In September 2006, Rocketplane Kistler began to miss financial milestones associated with the COTS agreement, and requested and received from NASA a 30-day extension on the milestone for completing its $40 million initial financing round. In February 2007 RpK renegotiated its COTS agreement, agreeing to raise the $500 million of required private financing before the end of May.By August 2007, RpK had failed to obtain that financing, forcing them to cut their workforce.
On September 7, 2007, NASA notified Rocketplane Kistler that the COTS agreement would be terminated in 30 days due to continued inability to meet its financial milestones. NASA announced in October 2007 that it had terminated funding for the project.
Retrenchment
Due to financial difficulties, the company had laid off most of its employees by February 2009, and consolidated business operations in Wisconsin, the home state of the company president.Rocketplane Inc., along with its subsidiaries, Rocketplane Kistler and Rocketplane Global, failed to deliver on promises to Oklahomans and — financially broke — left the state in 2009. "The company collected $18 million in state tax breaks, but its Rocketplane XP spacecraft never materialized. [The] company closed its Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
headquarters and relinquished its hangar at Burns Flat
Burns Flat, Oklahoma
Burns Flat is a town in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,057 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Burns Flat is located at ....
."