Rotary Rocket Roton Atmospheric Test
Vehicle (ATV)
The Roton is a reusable, single-stage-to-orbit
(SSTO) space vehicle designed by Rotary Rocket to transport
up to 7000 lbs to and from low earth orbit. The Roton is
conical in shape, 22 feet (6.7 meters) in diameter at the
base, and about 63 feet (19.2 meters) tall. The rounded
base of the Roton contains the vehicle's main propulsion
system. During reentry from orbit the base doubles as the
vehicle's heat shield. Located directly above the main engine
is the ellipsoidal kerosene tank. The cargo bay is located
above the kerosene tank. The cargo compartment shares space
inside the vehicle frame with the crew cabin. Access to
the cargo bay is provided through folding bay doors located
on the opposite side to the crew cabin. Above the cargo
bay is the LOX tank and attached to the top of it, on the
nose of the Roton, are the rotor blades, hub and assembly.
The Roton deploys the rotor system to provide a controlled
gliding approach to the landing site.
Scaled Composites worked with Rotary Rocket to develop the
Atmospheric Test Vehicle (ATV).
This full-scale vehicle incorporated all structure
and systems to evaluate the low-speed handling characteristics
and autorotative approach and landing tasks for the eventual
space vehicle. Scaled was responsible for structural design,
tooling, manufacturing, flight controls, system integration,
simulator development, and flight test support. The ATV
was successfully flown at the Mojave Airport in 1999.
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