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Black Horse

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Black Horse Profile
Mission profile for the proposed Black Horse air-refuelable launch vehicle. The Black Horse would, lightly loaded, take off horizontally from a runway and rendezvous with a tanker for in-flight fuelling of non-cryogenic lower specific impulse propellants. The Black Horse would then boost itself to suborbital velocity, releasing an upper stage for orbital insertion of its payload. The winged vehicle would then return to its base for a runway landing and reuse.

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Status: Study 1993. Payload: 450 kg (990 lb). Thrust: 443.19 kN (99,633 lbf). Gross mass: 84,100 kg (185,400 lb). Height: 69.00 m (226.00 ft). Diameter: 6.30 m (20.60 ft). Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).

Black Horse would take off from a runway at 22,000 kg gross weight; rendezvous with a tanker to load 66,760 kg oxidizer; then fly to orbit.

LEO Payload: 450 kg (990 lb) to a 200 km orbit.

Stage Data - Black Horse

• Stage 1. 1 x Black Horse. Gross Mass: 83,560 kg (184,210 lb). Empty Mass: 6,883 kg (15,174 lb). Thrust (vac): 443.191 kN (99,633 lbf). Isp: 335 sec. Burn time: 560 sec. Diameter: 6.30 m (20.60 ft). Span: 39.50 m (129.50 ft). Length: 57.50 m (188.60 ft). Propellants: H2O2/Kerosene. No Engines: 7. Engine: JP-5/H2O2. Status: Study, USAF, 1993. Comments: Winged, single stage to orbit launch vehicle using aerial refueling and lower performance, non-cryogenic propellants. Takes off from runway at 48,452 lbs gross weight; rendezvous with tanker to load 146,870 lbs oxidizer; then flies to orbit.

Photo Gallery

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Black Horse Credit: © Mark Wade

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Black Horse Black Horse Launch Vehicle 3 View Credit: © Mark Wade

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