A flight test on Thursday 19 October will determine whether the US Federal Aviation Administration gives permission for Armadillo Aerospace’s attempt to win the Lunar Lander Challenge, a competition funded by NASA.
The Thursday flight will test Texas based Armadillo’s 284kg (596lb) liquid oxygen, ethanol powered vehicles, Texel and Pixel, that could attempt to win the Challenge at the X Prize Cup event, being held in Las Cruces, New Mexico this weekend.
Texel and Pixel have the same design, four spherical propellant tanks feeding one engine, with avionics boxes placed above the propulsion system.
The $2 million lander competition is one of NASA’s Centennial Challenges, which are cash prizes to encourage innovation.
The Lunar Lander Challenge, which is also sponsored by Northrop Grumman, seeks to motivate companies to develop concepts for vehicles that could ferry humans or cargo between the Moon’s orbit and its surface.
The FAA has awarded Armadillo a test flight permit but the US agency has the final decision on whether the actual Challenge flights can go ahead.
"The permit would allow a number of flights but we have to make a decision based on safety. There could be 10,000 people at the X Prize Cup this weekend," says the FAA, which will monitor the Thursday flight at Las Cruces airport. The X Prize Cup event is also at the airport.
Armadillo, funded by video games software legend John Carmack, is the only team attempting to win the prize this year.
The Challenge has two flight profiles that can be accomplished to win a proportion of the total prize money.
To win $350,000 a team’s vehicle should take off vertically from a designated launch area, climb to at least 50m (150ft), remain aloft for at least 90s while traveling horizontally to a landing pad 100m away, then land vertically.
A competitor could win $1 million if its vehicle ascends to 50m, hovers for 180s, then lands precisely on a simulated, rocky, lunar surface 100m away.
If the prize is not won this year it can be won in subsequent years. The competition would continue until all of the conditions of the challenge have been met.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
