Space Transport Corporation
Company Overview
August 5, 2004

Space Transport Corporation (STC) was founded in August of 2002, and is located in Forks, Washington. The company is run by Phil Storm and Eric Meier. They have had experience working in the aerospace industry with NASA and Aerojet Corporation. Phillip and Eric are, respectively, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering graduates from the University of Michigan and the University of Utah. They are young, energetic, and focused. STC has received valuable support from many people and groups within the Forks community, which is excited about fostering the growth of a rocket technology firm in the area.

Currently, STC is focused on competing for the ANSARI X PRIZE (see www.xprize.org, where an informative STC "team page" exists) by developing the Rubicon Suborbital Tourism Vehicle. In this pursuit, after the upcoming launch, two main challenges exist - licensing the full-altitude launches, and raising the required funds. STC is currently working on the application for a launch license and has a positive relationship with the FAA regulators. STC is privately funded, and has stock and sponsorships for sale. To date, fundraising has been adequate, but a significant up tick will be needed to provide stout competition for the Rutan/Allen team in the X PRIZE quest.

Space Transport Corporation (STC) has three vehicles planned for commercialization:
- a Three-Stage Rocket
- a Suborbital Tourism Vehicle (Rubicon) and
- a Nano-Satellite Orbital Launch Vehicle

[See the artwork for the three vehicles on the STC web site .]

Three-Stage Rocket

STC is currently in the final stages of development for the Three-Stage Rocket (TSR), a vehicle capable of taking a 1-kg payload above 100 kilometers (62.5 miles), the generally accepted border of space. This rocket could be marketed to several potential customers including microgravity researchers, the U.S. military (for surveillance, etc.), weather sensing, and memorial services.

This rocket is powered by three solid propellant rocket motors that are staged to facilitate the high-altitude flight (if the propellant of the three motors was burned at once, the resulting speed would be fantastic, but the energy would rapidly be wasted in drag). The length of each rocket motor is approximately 32 inches and the payload/nosecone length is about 18 inches. The overall rocket length is about 10 feet, rocket diameter is 4 inches and overall weight is around 70 lbs.

Suborbital Tourism Vehicle

The Suborbital Tourism Vehicle (STV), dubbed Rubicon, is designed to carry passengers to a 100-km (62-mile) altitude. The view from this height is similar to that seen by the orbiting astronauts of the International Space Station. Numerous studies have been performed showing that a significant percentage of wealthy US citizens would pay for the incomparable experience of suborbital space flight.

Rubicon was inspired by the ANSARI X PRIZE competition (see www.xprize.org). The design is capable of winning the $10M competition - it can launch three people to space (100 km), twice in a two-week period, and is 90% reusable by weight. The competition requires launching only one person and ballast equivalent to two other 90 kg (200 lb) people. Teams must be privately funded.

A complete description of Rubicon and its flight is provided separately.

Nano-Satellite Orbital Launch Vehicle

The Nano-Satellite Orbital Launch Vehicle (N-SOLV) is designed to deploy 10-kilogram satellites into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Demand for small satellites is projected to dramatically increase. N-SOLV will be marketed to the US military, amateur radio organizations, universities, and others interested in an inexpensive platform for delivering small payloads to LEO. N-SOLV can be operated as a quick-response launcher due to the ease of maintaining solid rocket engines for on-demand use. This quick-response feature could be of use for surveillance missions of all sorts.

N-SOLV components include:

• An Attitude Control System (ACS) that is essentially identical Rubicon's (except that it will have more accurate rotational rate sensors).
  
  
• Three stages of solid engines (the workhorse engines of N-SOLV will be the 12-inch engines initially designed for Rubicon)
  
  
• The payload assembly with orbit insertion engines.

Loaded and fueled, the vehicle will weigh approximately 6000 lbs and stand 26 feet high. N-SOLV's Attitude Control System (ACS) will guide the vehicle into the desired orbit at a speed of 17,000 mph.

STC is currently focused primarily on Rubicon development. In that process, critical N-SOLV components, including engines and ACS components, are developed indirectly.