Alliant Techsystems and a unit of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) are joining forces to develop a 300ft rocket to be known as Liberty, which will blast US astronauts and scientific payloads into space at a price below $180m a launch.
The venture plans to combine proprietary technology from two different existing booster programmes which could minimise development costs.
The proposed two-stage rocket is designed to take more than 22t into low-earth orbit, with an initial test flight planned in 2013.
The Liberty rocket’s upper stage is based on liquid-propulsion technology from Europe’s Ariane 5, a commercial launcher, which is marketed by Arianespace, another EADS affiliate.
The venture will seek Nasa help to provide it with part of the $200m earmarked for spurring manned commercial-space ventures, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The rocket will operate from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center from 2015.
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