It’s back to the drawing board for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as the research agency had to abandon a plan to use a F-15 to launch small satellites into space.
Boeing had secured a contract in March 2014 for the Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) system. To boost the rocket into space, it has to burn a fuel called NA-7.
During two tests in April and August, the nitrous oxide acetylene monopropellant exploded while being evaluated on how it would behave at different temperatures.
DARPA officials concluded that the propellant is too dangerous for use together with a manned aircraft. It had scrapped next year’s plan to start test flights of the ALASA, SpaceNews says.
“Instead DARPA will spend the next year studying how to harness the volatile nitrous oxide-acetylene propellant and, in parallel, modifications to existing small rockets that would enable the agency place small satellites on orbit on 24 hours notice at a cost of less than $1 million,” wrote SpaceNews.
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“It did not go as predicted” said a DARPA spokesman…
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