Spaceship dream revived

Posted: Thursday, September 28, 2006 12:01 AM by Alan Boyle

Lewis Geyer / Times-Call

Malcom Buckley, 4, plays underneath a full-scale mockup of the Dream Chaser
spaceship during a June unveiling in Colorado. SpaceDev's Jim Benson says he is
forming a new company to turn the Dream Chaser into a reality.

Once upon a time, back in the 1980s, NASA had a concept for a "lifting body" spaceship known as the HL-20, which could have been used as a smaller-scale backup for the space shuttle.

NASA ended up going in a different direction. But last year, Jim Benson - the founder of a California-based company called SpaceDev - updated the idea and called it the "Dream Chaser." This year, the Dream Chaser was a finalist in NASA's $500 million program to encourage new commercial spaceships capable of reaching the space station.

Unfortunately for SpaceDev, NASA went in a different direction again last month, awarding the money to SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler to demonstrate their own yet-to-be-developed spaceships. Nevertheless, Benson intends to keep chasing his dream, and now he's founded a new venture called Benson Space Co. for that purpose.

Benson's new venture was first reported online by The Wall Street Journal.

Even before SpaceDev failed to make the final cut for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, Benson had been talking privately about branching out to focus more squarely on using the Dream Chaser as a space tourism vehicle. SpaceDev was turning a profit - producing satellites for NASA as well as other private and government clients, and developing the hybrid rocket engine technology that was used in SpaceShipOne, the first private-sector spaceship.

That success buoyed Benson, but he was looking for new challenges - and today's Journal article signals that he has settled on the challenge he wants to take. "This is the most exciting thing I've ever done," Benson told the Journal.

He says he has quickly raised the first $1 million for what he expects will eventually be a $50 million development effort - resulting in a craft that could take up to six fliers on a suborbital space ride for somewhere between $200,000 and $300,000 each. The Dream Chaser could become a reality as early as 2009, Benson told the Journal. (You can sign up for a reservation even now via Benson Space's Web site, with a $25,000 deposit.)

If Benson's new plan follows the outlines of his previous plan, those suborbital trips would be powered by a SpaceShipOne-style hybrid rocket. The revenue could fuel more ambitious plans and bigger rockets, eventually leading to orbital flights.

But there are lots of questions still to be answered: How well will Benson's new venture mesh with his old venture at SpaceDev? Will he raise enough money to keep up with billionaire competitors such as Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and Blue Origin's Jeff Bezos? When you add in Rocketplane Kistler, XCOR Aerospace, PlanetSpace, Armadillo Aerospace and all the other players in the still-developing suborbital space tourism industry, it's starting to look like a crowded playing field. Is there room for one more?

On the other hand, Benson is one of the few entrepreneurs out there who's actually turned a profit in the commercial space race. For that reason alone, he shouldn't be written off as just another dream chaser.

Update for 1:45 a.m. PT Sept. 28: Benson e-mailed me to say that "Benson Space will become an important customer of SpaceDev, paying SpaceDev for the development of the Dream Chaser spaceships and for the rocket motors to power them on each flight. ... The $1 million was Phase 1 money, successfully completed, and I am currently raising Phase 2 money - up to $50 million."

He also sent along this news release:

"Poway, CA (September 27, 2006) – Having earned a reputation as a successful technology innovator and entrepreneur for more than two decades, Jim Benson today announced that he has stepped down as chairman and chief technology officer of the company he founded nearly a decade ago, SpaceDev (OTCBB: SPDV), in order to launch an ambitious new venture focused on commercial space tourism, Benson Space Company (BSC).

"'I am dedicated to opening space for all of humanity and, with SpaceDev well-managed and growing, I plan to spend the next several years creating the possibility that anyone who wants to go to space will be able to, safely and affordably,' said Benson. SpaceDev owns many of the patents and intellectual property rights associated with hybrid rocket motors used for safe human spaceflight. Under Benson’s guidance, SpaceDev developed hybrid rocket motor technology and furnished all of the rocket motors for Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne, the craft that earned the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004.

"Benson Space Co. (www.bensonspace.com) has completed its first round of financing and submitted a request for proposal to SpaceDev for the design and development of its SpaceDev Dream Chaser™ spaceships. BSC expects to be one of SpaceDev’s largest customers, purchasing multiple spaceships and safe hybrid rocket motors for use in personal spaceflight.

"'My biggest challenges over the next few months will be evaluating SpaceDev’s response to our proposal request, negotiating the contract for the development of our first spaceships, and completing second-round financing for this new venture,' explains Benson. With the expectation that personal spaceflight will grow into a multibillion-dollar industry, Benson intends for BSC to be first-to-market with a spaceship designed for suborbital, and eventually orbital, flights. He predicts it will also be used to transport people and cargo to the International Space Station and to a variety of emerging private sector orbital destinations.

"'I am very proud of what has been accomplished at SpaceDev,' said Benson. 'The SpaceDev team has grown to over 200 employees in three states. SpaceDev designed and built a satellite for NASA, its rocket motor technology propelled civilians to suborbital space, and SpaceDev has provided mechanisms to over 200 space missions. The company continues to secure exciting new contracts for the design and development of high-performance, lower-cost, advanced space technologies. I have total faith in the management team and engineers at SpaceDev and am looking forward to working with SpaceDev’s CEO, Mark Sirangelo, to bring the SpaceDev Dream Chaser to market. The "Second Space Age" is here, and a new race to space is on!'

"Benson will remain a member of SpaceDev’s board of directors. He and his family continue to own the largest amount of SpaceDev stock, approximately one-third of the issued and outstanding shares.

"Benson invented modern text indexing and searching in 1984, founded and ran Compusearch for eleven years, and sold the company in 1995. Benson founded SpaceDev in 1997. He is a founding director of the Personal Spaceflight Federation, a trade association representing the emerging new personal spaceflight industry. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Missouri in 1971 and was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 2005.

"Benson Space Company is incorporated in the state of Nevada."

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Comments

Thank God for private enterprise. NASA took a wrong turn three decades ago. The only hope for the future of manned flight is Benson and his fellow entrepreneurs. If they had had one-tenth the funds that NASA wasted on the shuttle, we would probably be making commercial flights to Mars and beyond.

Fred Dungan, Riverside, California (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 7:20 AM)

Space tourism may be a nice way to make money, but the real adventure lies in space exploration. Taking some rich gawkers up to 62 miles above the earth is small potatoes compared to sending humans to Mars, or even farther. I hope that Mr. Benson decides, after he's turned a tidy profit with sub-orbital tours, to turn his attention toward the exploration (and potential colonization) of other worlds. Hopefully the private sector will spur the government and NASA to develop new, safer, more efficient technologies to get us out in space on a permanent basis.

Dan, Fort Worth, TX (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:24 AM)

The guestion of the day is, when will Benson new company Bensonspace issued shares on the New York Exchange?

J.C. Matlock,Marble Falls,Tx. (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 10:34 AM)

A "Space Plane" such as the one Mr. Benson is developing is the only way to go IMHO. The fact that NASA disagrees tells me I'm right. For them to go back to 40 year old ideas and technology is ridiculous.

Karl Balk, Farmingville, NY (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 2:56 PM)

For guys like Elon Musk, colonization and other permanent human presence beyond Earth has always been their goal. But adventure costs money. They know the only way to make it affordable, is with support of technologies that *do* make money. As the 'space tourist' guys go on to develop economical and safe means to get people into low Earth orbit, it only simplifies and reduces the cost of pure exploration farther out. Think of it like commercial aircraft. 'Tourists' may be a large part of an airline's passenger load, but a commercial doesn't care if it's carrying tourists, businesspeople or cargo (possibly in the form of support for an Earthly research expedition), at the same cost. Or the C-130 cargo planes used in support of Antarctic bases. They wern't developed specifically for this purpose, but they're a rugged, effective carrier of people and material that happens to be able to serve this purpose as well. We need the space-going equivalent of these. Tourism may end up being the primary driver to getting them, but anything that reduces the cost of putting both people and cargo into Earth orbit is something anyone, with any goal, anywhere in space should get behind.

Frank Glover (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 5:32 PM)

. a new, smaller, safer and low cost Shuttle is the ONLY way to have a REAL future in space (for science, business, tourism, etc.) as I've explained/suggested in my article [ www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/008visual.html ] about a VISUAL Shuttle vs. Capsule comparison, but, unfortunately, the Shuttles are complex to design and have high R&D costs, so, I don't think we will see soon a "private Shuttle mockup" that really fly (and the HL-20 derived "Dream Chaser" doesn't appear the best choice since it has an old design and is too little) .

Gaetano Marano (Sent Thursday, September 28, 2006 8:11 PM)

Dear Alan, In response to a comment on your blog, I very much intend for the profitability of Benson Space, if it is indeed profitable, to result in an IPO which would then fund BSC´s development of an orbital human spaceflight capability. SpaceDev is currently doing a small study to determine if the orbital version of the SpaceDev Dream Chaser, which Benson Space Company intends to buy later, can make it to and around the Moon and back to Earth safely. From there BSC hopes to use continuing profitability to reach beyond the Moon to the enourmous natural resources in the Near Earth Objects, the original reason for starting SpaceDev in 1997. Utilizing those resources in near earth space will be the basis of sustainable space development and the foundation for human settlements (there is nothing to "colonize" in space, and that is a word with negative connotations). Sincerely, Jim Benson, Benson Space Company

Jim Benson (Sent Monday, October 02, 2006 10:13 AM)

Three ingredients to humans in space. First, there must be something we REALLY want to do or have, like solar power plants, or zero-g derived materials or divert an asteroid, maybe even a space hotel. Second, we need to be able to do the first item(s) for a price we are willing and able to pay. So we need to reduce costs everywhere we can. Perhaps a mag-rail mass driver for everything but biology to space. These first two are relatively easy. Third and hardest, is the combined will and opportunity to do the first two. The more people of the world that share the need/will for the goal the better. How many people would support energy beamed to all? Or diverting a (water)ice comet into near earth orbit for dispensing anywhere needed? Then there is the opportunity. As I look around the world at all the things we are doing, it seems to me that we are not likely to give ourselves the opportunity to do anything but dream. Much of the world pass every day without even the basic need of survival met. Others are busy reminding us about the threat from "them" you fill in the demon. Many are solely engaged in getting all they can for themselves. Let the others fend for themselves. Until we act for the benefit of all, space will be the province of very few. In the meantime (pun intended)keep thinking, keep planning and keep trying.

Bill Graff (Sent Tuesday, October 03, 2006 6:18 PM)

I think Dream Chaser is interesting - for a number of reasons. One, the combination of "old" - which one could also translate as "proven" - technology, with new. If you're going to entice civilians to fly into space, they will want to know that the tech works - and if Jim Benson is right about the multiple flights by the Russians, he's got that covered. It also avoids the investment in new structural design. Upgrade it with new systems - and he's been doing some of that, too, including open object oriented software for space systems - and you might have something that people will trust, and that at the same time will work around some out-dated technology.

Rahul Nayar, Chennai, India (Sent Thursday, October 05, 2006 4:29 AM)

Interesting concept for sure. This type of vehicle would be perfect for suborbital hops, but it can't be compared so readily to the Shuttle - it doesn't have the need for a rugged thermal protection system. That's a really good thing, as it makes the maintenance a LOT easier. Of course once you go orbital you're eiher going to need to add one, or leave a lot more space for delta-V on your deorbit burn fuel calculations. I've never done the numbers, so it may require far too much mass than would be practical - but I've always wondered why they didn't do a "full" burn and fall like a stone into the atmosphere completely eliminating the need for bulky thermal protection. Although that may be a LOT of fuel you need to send into orbit, if you can eliminate the whole "department of thermal tile minders" from your maintenance organization the added cost for fuel may be more than made up for by reduced costs and launch mass (no tiles).

Chris House, St. Paul, MN, US (Sent Monday, October 23, 2006 2:17 PM)

Riding a controlled explosion is NOT the future of travel into space. The Space Elevator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator) will consist of a base station in geosynchronous orbit above a point on the equator and a VERY long, nano-tube teather connecting the station and the earth. Cargo and personnel will be lifted up the teather in a safe and cheap process. I can't wait!

Jim Dotzler, Oceanside NY (Sent Friday, December 15, 2006 9:22 AM)

Concerning the previous two posts.

Dream Chaser is based on NASA's HL-20, designed for 10 people to orbit and back, safely. The HL-20 in turn was reverse engineered from the Soviet BOR-4 whch was successfully launched to orbit and successfully re-entered four times. Our suborbital version of Dream Chaser is the same shape and size as the HL-20, but far lighter because of the lack of thermal protection. The NASA Ames Research Center designed orbital thermal protection for our orbital version of Dream Chaser, and with modern equipment, the lighter thermal protection, etc, it too will be lighter and thereforee even easier to fly, far superior and simpler than the Shuttle.

As for controlled explosion for propulsion, that is all that is available today. I too am a dreamer, hence "Dream Chaser" but I pride myself on being practical. When science fiction technology like space elevators becomes available, and if I am still alive by then, I will be one of the first to use it. But in the meantiome, we will rely on our existing, proven, non-explosive hybrid rocket motor technology, like that we designed, developed and provided to Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne.

Onward and upward,

Jim Benson
Benson Space Company

Jim Benson (Sent Monday, December 25, 2006 5:15 PM)

DEAR SIR, I AM INTERESTED TO READ A PUBLISHED PAPER OF 'NANO ROCKET MOTOR TECHNOLOGY" KINDLY SEND ME THE SAME. WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF ROCKET MOTOR PRODUCTION. REGARDS PN TENGLI

PN TENGLI , JAGDALPUR, CHATTISGARH, INDIA (Sent Thursday, March 08, 2007 9:28 PM)

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