NASA Press Release 99-66
July 13, 1999

The first XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine arrived at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center this weekend and was officially handed over to center officials for testing today.

The aerospike engine was developed and assembled by Boeing Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power in Canoga Park, Calif. A 1970s version of the engine was last tested in 1972, at Santa Susana Field Laboratory in California. The test firing of this new engine marks the first time a linear aerospike engine will be tested at Stennis Space Center.

The engine will power the X-33, a half-scale technology demonstrator of a full-scale, commercially-developed, reusable launch vehicle, called VentureStarTM, that is scheduled for development early in the next century. The X-33 is being developed under a cooperative agreement between NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works of Palmdale, Calif. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. will manage the X-33 program for NASA.

A briefing was held to introduce the new engine to the media. Briefings were given by NASA's Steve Nunez, Stennis Space Center's X-33 project manager, and Rick Hilscher, Boeing Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power's program manager for the aerospike engine.

"The arrival of the X-33's linear aerospike engine for testing at Stennis Space Center signifies the Agency's and industry's recognition of Stennis' expertise in propulsion testing, " said NASA's Steve Nunez, X-33 project manager at Stennis. "We are proud to be part of such an important element of the program."

The engine is the first of four engines scheduled to be tested by Stennis personnel. Two flight engines will be mounted on the X-33 after successful testing of the flight and development engines. After initial testing is complete, two development engines will be tested together in the dual-engine configuration that the X-33 will use. The engine test program is scheduled to be completed prior to first launch of the X-33 in July 2000.