Above is an image of Armadillo Aerospace’s planned SOST crew vehicle taken from a presentation that Armadillo Vice President Neil Milburn gave during the 14th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Additional slides on the vehicle and the company’s STIG rocket follow after the break.
Armadillo Aerospace's Super Mod vehicle. (Credit: Armadillo Aerospace)
NASA’s Office of Chief Technologist has published detailed information about suborbital vehicles that will be available beginning in 2011 for researchers to conduct microgravity experiments. The vehicles are being built by Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic and XCOR.
Today we will look at platforms being offered by Armadillo Aerospace. The Texas company expects to make the first flight under the NASA funded Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) program in January, begin commercial cargo operations in 2011, and start human spaceflight by the end of 2012.
