XCOR Aerospace has conducted the first manned test flight of a rocket-powered aircraft as it continues development of reusable engines for commercial rockets. The EZ-Rocket testbed, a modified Rutan Long-EZ kitplane, flew on 24 July during a runway test at Mojave, California.
The EZ-Rocket is powered by two 400lb-thrust (1.8kN) regeneratively cooled rocket engines designed by Mojave-based XCOR. The engine uses anhydrous isopropyl alcohol fuel, stored in a composite tank carried under the fuselage, and liquid oxygen from an internal insulated aluminium tank. Further flights are planned to "fine tune the vehicle and engine for routine operations", says XCOR.
XCOR began ground tests of the engine in January, having previously tested a 15lb-thrust water cooled "briefcase motor", 50lb regeneratively cooled thruster for spacecraft manoeuvring and a 150lb-thrust prototype propulsion engine. Although the company is working towards development of resuable rocket vehicles, the company has proposed building replicas of the Messerschmidt Me163B Komet and Bell X-1 rocket-powered aircraft to raise funds and demonstrate its motors are safe and reliable.
Source: Flight International