Richardson Visits Mojave, Stops in on XCOR

New Mexico Govenor Bill Richardson fires the Lynx RCS thruster prototype during a visit at XCOR Aerospace. Photo Credit: XCOR Aerospace

XCOR NEWSLETTER ARTICLE

Former Energy Secretary, UN Ambassador and current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and a group of 160 prominent business leaders from his state visited XCOR Aerospace and the Mojave Air and Space Port in a bid to learn more about the top players in the new commercial space launch industry.

Richardson and his group arrived on a chartered 737 flight and were given a whirlwind tour of XCOR that included talks by key XCOR personnel, culminating in a live rocket engine demonstration.

“XCOR is the only sub-billion dollar aerospace company currently putting important development work into pump-fed rocket engine technology,” said XCOR Senior Engineer Mike Valant. “This is a key piece of technology that is essential to truly re-usable and cost-effective space travel.”

XCOR CEO Jeff Greason holds up a sample of XCOR's Nonburnite cryo-compatible composite material. Photo credit: XCOR Aerospace

The group learned about XCOR’s cryo-compatible composites program as XCOR CEO and Augustine Committee member Jeff Greason spoke in front of the Lynx cabin engineering model.

XCOR Chief Engineer Dan DeLong told the group about XCOR’s design and test philosophy as people viewed the Lynx main engine mounted on XCOR’s mobile test stand, as well as the sub-sonic wind tunnel model for Lynx.

Outside of the hangar, XCOR chief test pilot and former NASA Astronaut Richard Searfoss gave an engaging talk about rocket flight test in front of XCOR’s prototype X-Racer and EZ-Rocket flight vehicles. The two vehicles have more than 60 rocket powered flights between them.

Towards the end of the visit, the group gathered around XCOR’s smallest engine test stand to witness a live rocket engine run. The engine, a forerunner to XCOR’s Lynx reaction control thruster, was operated first by XCOR personel, then the control console was turned over to Governor Richardson who fired the engine for a 1.5 second duration run.

New Mexico is well along the path of constructing a $200 Million Spaceport near Las Cruces, NM. A study conducted by New Mexico State University projects that by Spaceport America’s fifth year of operation, it will employ 2,300 people with an annual payroll of $300 million.