science

Rocketplane Kistler

Rocketplane Kistler is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Rocketplane Kistler rather than just read about it. In short: Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) was a reusable launch system firm originally based in Oklahoma. It was formed in 2006 after Rocketplane Limited, Inc. acquired Kistler Aerospace.

Key takeaways

Rocketplane Kistler belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Rocketplane Kistler to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Rocketplane Kistler from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) was a reusable launch system firm originally based in Oklahoma. It was formed in 2006 after Rocketplane Limited, Inc. acquired Kistler Aerospace. NASA announced that Rocketplane Kistler had been chosen to develop crew and cargo launch services. However, having missed financial milestones NASA terminated funding for the project. It filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010.

K-1 launch vehicle

Rocketplane Kistler's primary project was the K-1, a reusable launch vehicle which was intended to get as high as geosynchronous orbit, and was hoped to compete with relatively expensive, one-shot rockets for servicing of the International Space Station.

Corporate history Kistler Aerospace was founded in Kirkland, Washington by Walter Kistler and Bob Citron in 1993 as a private company attempting to develop fully reusable vehicles capable of earth orbit at a minimal price. Rob Meyerson, who later went on to become President of Blue Origin, was a Senior Manager at Kistler Aerospace from 1997 to 2003. The CEO was George Mueller, who previously had been a leader of NASA's Apollo Program. In February 2006, Kistler was purchased by the majority owner of Rocketplane Limited, Inc, a competing reusable, private spacecraft firm. Kistler Aerospace continued to operate until its closure under the name Rocketplane Kistler. Meanwhile, Rocketplane Limited, Inc. changed its name to Rocketplane Global, Inc., with a third company, Rocketplane, Inc. set up as a parent company for the two.

NASA launch partnership In August 2006, NASA announced that Rocketplane Kistler had been chosen, along with SpaceX, to develop crew and cargo launch services, aka Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), for the International Space Station. The plan called for demonstration flights between 2008 and 2010. Rocketplane Kistler would receive up to $207 million if they met all NASA milestones. In November 2006, Rocketplane Kistler and Alliant Techsystems announced that Alliant Techsystems would become the lead contractor for Rocketplane Kistler's K-1 launch vehicle.

Unmet financial milestones in 2006 and 2007 In September 2006, Rocketplane Kistler began to miss financial milestones associated with the COTS agreement, and requested and received from NASA a 30-day extension on the milestone for completing its $40 million initial financing round. In February 2007 RpK renegotiated its COTS agreement, agreeing to raise the $500 million of required private financing before the end of May. By August 2007, RpK had failed to obtain that financing, forcing them to cut their workforce. On September 7, 2007, NASA notified Rocketplane Kistler that the COTS agreement would be terminated in 30 days due to continued inability to meet its financial milestones. NASA announced in October 2007 that it had terminated funding for the project.

Retrenchment Due to financial difficulties, the company had laid off most of its employees by February 2009, and consolidated business operations in Wisconsin, the home state of the company president. Rocketplane Inc., along with its subsidiaries, Rocketplane Kistler and Rocketplane Global, failed to deliver on promises to Oklahomans and—financially broke—left the state in 2009. "The company collected $18 million in state tax breaks, but its Rocketplane XP spacecraft never materialized. [The] company closed its Oklahoma City headquarters and relinquished its hangar at Burns Flat."

Bankruptcy On June 15, 2010, Rocketplane Inc., as well as its subsidiaries and its CEO, George French, filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. After 17 years of attempted development, the bankruptcy paperwork for Rocketplane Kistler listed $108,250 in assets including hardware and tooling for the K-1 rocket, as well as many unvalued patents and trademarks pertaining to the rocket. Secured liabilities were claimed at $3.7 million, with unsecured liabilities listed at just under $3.7 million, as well.

Kistler Space Systems In December 2011 all of the assets of Rocketplane Kistler were acquired by Space Assets LLC, and a new company, Kistler Space Systems, was founded. As of mid-2020 the company's website seems to have been abandoned.

See also Rocketplane Global Inc. Rocketplane XP

References

External links Rocketplane Global Inc. official site Kistler Space Systems official site Rocketplane Kistler official site Appealing COTS: RpK’s Avenues for Relief Video Animation of the K-1 reusable rocket concept (YouTube)

Illustrations

Rocketplane Kistler: Computer rendering of K-1 launch vehicle (left) approaching the International Space Station (right) — Computer rendering of K-1 launch vehicle (left) approaching the International Space Station (right)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Rocketplane Kistler

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Rocketplane Kistler claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Rocketplane Kistler before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Rocketplane Kistler ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Rocketplane Kistler

In research: Rocketplane Kistler appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Rocketplane Kistler in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Rocketplane Kistler is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2006 establishments in Oklahoma, Aerospace companies of the United States, American companies established in 2006, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Rocketplane Kistler outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Rocketplane Kistler in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Rocketplane Kistler means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Rocketplane Kistler out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rocketplane Kistler in simple terms?

Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) was a reusable launch system firm originally based in Oklahoma. It was formed in 2006 after Rocketplane Limited, Inc. acquired Kistler Aerospace.

Why does Rocketplane Kistler matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Rocketplane Kistler?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Rocketplane Kistler.