Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) was a

reusable launch system A reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as fairings, boosters ...

firm originally based in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. 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 Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''re ...

in 2010.

K-1 launch vehicle

Rocketplane Kistler's primary project was the

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

, a

reusable launch vehicle A reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown, while carrying payloads from the surface to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle parts aimed for reuse. Smaller parts such as fairings, booster ...

which was intended to get as high as

geosynchronous orbit A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital ...

, and was hoped to compete with relatively expensive, one-shot rockets for servicing of the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

Corporate history

Kistler Aerospace was founded in

Kirkland, Washington Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. A suburb east of Seattle, its population was 92,175 in the 2020 U.S. census which made it the sixth largest city in King County and the twelfth largest city in the state of 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 Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P. is an American space technology company headquartered in Kent, Washington. The company operates the suborbital New Shepard rocket and the heavy-lift New Glenn rocket. In addition to producing engines for its own ...

, was a Senior Manager at Kistler Aerospace from 1997 to 2003. The CEO was George Mueller, who previously had been a leader of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Apollo Program The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which Moon landing, landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo followed Project Mercury that put the first Americans in sp ...

. 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 Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

, to develop crew and cargo launch services, aka

Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) was a NASA program to spur the development of Private spaceflight, private spacecraft and launch vehicles for deliveries to the International Space Station (ISS). Launched in 2006, COTS successful ...

(COTS), for the

. 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 Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) was an American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and arms industry, arms manufacturer headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. The company operated across 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally. ATK reven ...

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 Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, 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. hecompany closed its

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

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.Kistler Space Systems News & Info
/ref> As of mid-2020 the company's website seems to have been abandoned.

References

External links

Rocketplane Global Inc. official siteKistler Space Systems official siteRocketplane Kistler official siteAppealing COTS: RpK’s Avenues for ReliefVideo Animation of the K-1 reusable rocket concept (YouTube)
{{space tourism Private spaceflight companies Technology companies established in 2006 Aerospace companies of the United States Companies based in Oklahoma City Defunct spaceflight companies American companies established in 2006 2006 establishments in Oklahoma