| X-38 | |
|---|---|
 X-38, Vehicle 132 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Crew Return Vehicle |
| Designer | NASA, ESA, DLR, Dassault Aviation |
| Built by | Scaled Composites (prototypes) |
| Status | Canceled 29 April 2002 |
| Primary users | NASA |
| Number built | 2 atmospheric prototypes 1 orbital prototype (90 % complete) |
| History | |
| First flight | 1999 |
| Developed from | Martin-Marietta X-24 |
The X-38 is an experimental re-entry vehicle designed by NASA to research a possible emergency crew return vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station (ISS). The 1995–2002 program also developed concepts for a crew return vehicle design that could be modified for other uses, such as a possible joint U.S. and international human spacecraft that could be launched on the French Ariane 5 booster.[1]
The program would eventually develop a total of three test prototype flight demonstrators for the proposed Crew Return Vehicle, each having incremental improvements on its predecessor. All three were wingless lifting body vehicles used in drop tests. The X-38 program was canceled in 2002 due to budget cuts.[2]
- ^ "NASA X-38 Project Description". NASA. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
- ^ "X-38". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 2006-09-20.