SHARP Spaceplane
Hypersonic Bomber & Transport
- PSAN-I Ammonium Nitrate & Propellants
- SHARP Spaceplane
- Small Launch Vehicle
- Sounding Rockets
- Liquid Oxygen Monopropellants
- Lunar Soil Propellant (LSP)
- Lunar Bases & Lunar Concrete
- Small Launch Vehicle
- Pintle Nozzle With Thrust Vector Control
Wickman Spacecraft & Propulsion Company (WSPC) is working on developing a Spaceplane based on NASA's SHARP thermal protection system, which enables sharp edges on reentry vehicles. The initial application of the SHARP Spaceplane will be a hypersonic bomber capable of rapid, high launch rates to orbit to deploy Common Aero Vehicles (CAVs) or put satellites into orbit. 
This hypersonic space bomber will evolve into a larger spaceplane capable of carrying passengers.
The SHARP thermal protection system and basic aerodynamic design originates from the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. The key to maintaining the sharp edges of the vehicle during reentry is the revolutionary SHARP thermal protection material. It can withstand heat and aerodynamic forces that will destroy Space Shuttle tiles. Click here to download and play the SHARP thermal protection demonstration video. (file size 739K). The advantages of WSPC's sharp edge spaceplanes over conventional blunt body vehicles are numerous.
- Reduction Of Aerodynamic Drag By 90%
- Mach 7 at Sea Level Without Ablation
- Mach 11 at 100,000 Feet Without Ablation
- No Ionization Layer During Reentry
- No Communications Blackout During Reentry
- Active and Passive Sensors During All Phases of Reentry
- Thermal Protection System Is In Pristine Condition After Reentry
- Hemispherical Cross Range - Can Land At Either Pole From Equatorial Orbit
- Rapid Response and Turn Around Between Missions
- Affordable Vehicle and Operational Costs
The flight test program for Wickman's SHARP spaceplane initially focuses on the ascent and descent phase of a typical mission. During the ascent flight testing, subscale SHARP spaceplanes will be fitted with rocket engines and control systems. These vehicles will be flown to a variety of altitudes and speeds to cover a typical full scale mission ascent. The descent phase of flight tests will also use subscale vehicles during the first few tests. These vehicles will be take to altitudes well over 200,000 ft and deployed so that they are free flying. The final test in the descent series will be to deploy the subscale SHARP spaceplane at 100 miles so that it can reenter the earth's atmosphere and land on an airport runway. The final phase of flight testing links the two initial phases with a full scale SHARP spaceplane vehicle flying under its own power during ascent and coming back into the earth's atmosphere to a runway landing. The last few flights of this vehicle will be into orbit and then reentry to a runway landing.
SHARP Spaceplane On Approach At Natrona County International Airport
The sounding rockets used in descent flight testing are at the cutting edge of sounding rocket technology. They use the latest "clean burning" solid rocket propellant developed by WSPC for the U.S. Air Force. A modified version of this propellant formulation is available to amateurs through our sister division, CP Technologies. The amateur formulation is PSAN-I, magnesium powder and R20LM binder. All of the sounding rockets have our proprietary guidance computer along with a state of the art inertial measurement unit (IMU) and WSPC's unique control system for precise trajectory control.