According to the publication Seeker, a well-known company-the manufacturer of aircraft Boeing together with DARPA in the framework of the programme for space exploration, XS-1 begin to create a supersonic space plane called Phantom Express. It will be the first reusable apparatus for military purposes with a similar design capable of delivering a payload weighing up to 1360 kg. In addition, the Phantom Express is able to perform regular flights with a frequency of 1 every 10 days, and the cost of maintenance of the apparatus is about $ 5 million, which is significantly cheaper than current rates for delivery.
Under the program XS-1, Boeing will have to produce the revision of ready-made designs Phantom Express as well as prepare the experimental sample and the tests by 2019. In the next phase of the program Phantom Express will have to perform a series of flying at a speed of 5 Mach. If successful, the speed will be increased to 10 Mach. The launch is planned to produce from its vertical position. Phantom Express is equipped with an engine that runs on liquid oxygen and hydrogen. As the state program Manager XS-1,
“Phantom Express is not a plane and a booster in the conventional sense of these words. It’s more of a hybrid. The purpose of this aircraft is a tenfold reduction in the cost per launch and minimization of the time interval between starts. The Boeing company has shown itself from the best side in the first phase of the program, so it was selected as the contractor to carry out the second and third stages, which involve the production of a prototype and first launch”.
Boeing started to create an experimental space plane Phantom Express
Vladimir Kuznetsov