{"id":123044,"date":"1999-11-11T13:19:18","date_gmt":"1999-11-11T18:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?p=123044"},"modified":"2023-01-23T17:00:56","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T22:00:56","slug":"x-33-faces-lengthy-delays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","title":{"rendered":"X-33 faces lengthy delays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 Damage to the X-33\u2019s two hydrogen fuel tanks could delay the program one to two years, government and industry officials told Space News<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrankly, there was very little chance of flying in 2000 prior to the damage,\u201d said an industry official. \u201cThis just drove a stake through that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The X-33 is a joint project of NASA and Lockheed Martin Cory. to test technology that can be used on future reusable launch vehicles, including a commercial vehicle called VentureStar that Lockheed Martin is developing on its own. NASA hopes such a vehicle will be able to replace the agency\u2019s aging space shuttle fleet. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outer skin of the X-33\u2019s hydrogen tanks was fractured Nov. 3 during pressurization tests at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Ala.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Artist\u2019s concept of the NASA\/Lockheed Martin single-stage-to-orbit X-33\/VentureStar reusable launch vehicle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Senior officials from NASA and Lockheed Martin acknowledged that the damage is a major setback for the program, but would not speculate about the potential impact on the X-33\u2019s flight schedule. The initial launch had been tentatively set for mid-summer 2000.J<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Rising, president of Ven- tureStar LLC, Palmdale, Calif., and a former Lockheed Martin Skunk Works vice president for X-33, cautioned against putting too much weight on unofficial preliminary assessments of the damage. \u201cEngineers are prone to gossip and exaggeration,\u201d Rising said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned over the years working these kind of programs [that] you never want to speculate and go forward without solid facts.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some conflicting reports about the nature of the damage,\u201d Rising said. \u201cThe only thing we know for sure is [the engineers at Marshall] had seen some damage on the video monitors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising said a complete investigation of the damage could take weeks. When asked if X- 33 will fly in 2000, he said, \u201cI can\u2019t say at this point. I don\u2019t have enough information to really say.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe program is cutting-edge,\u201d said Gene Austin, NASA X-33 program manager. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t suspect we were going to have surprises along the way, we were foolish.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lightweight hydrogen tanks, made out of graphite-epoxy composites instead of traditional but heavier aluminum, have long been considered by program officials to be one of the riskiest elements of the $1.3 billion government and industry effort to build a half-scale prototype of the Ven tureStar single-stage-to-orbit reusable launcher. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it is clear the tank cannot be used in its current condition, Austin said it is too soon to say whether the tank will have to be repaired, remanufactured or redesigned. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil we understand what happened to this lobe skin, we don\u2019t know what our prospects are,\u201d said Austin. \u201cIt could be fairly simple or it could be we replace that tank with something different. We don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of press time Nov. 5, program officials were still assessing the damage. Marshall spokesman David Drachlis said multiple fractures were found on the outer skin of one of the tanks\u2019 four sections, which are called lobes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drachlis said engineers inspecting the damage found that the outer skin of one of the tank\u2019s lobes had peeled back from the core of the tank wall along the seam joining the four sections together. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin said in an interview with Space News that the damage apparently occurred Nov. 3 after an otherwise successful day of load and pressure tests at the Hunstville, Ala.-based NASA center.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the tanks had been purged of extremely cold liquid hydrogen and were warming to room temperature, the outer skin and inner core of one of the four lobes of the tank apparently separated, Austin said. An inspection of the tank revealed multiple fractures on the outer skin of the tank, he said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gary Payton, NASA deputy associate administrator for space transportation technology, said no spare hydrogen tanks were built because of a lack of money.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cIdeally, you want to have flight-quality spares all across the board,\u201d he said. \u201cNot knowing what pieces will give you a problem, you would have had to build enough extra parts to build a second vehicle.\u201d That option would have cost an extra \u201cseveral hundred million dollars,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payton said the situation is serious, but declined to cite the odds of X-33 being ready to fly in 2000. He said prior to the tank damage, he had described X-33\u2019s chance of flying in the summer of 2000 as \u201cbetter than 50-50.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payton said the White House has been notified of the problem with the tank. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under a cooperative agreement between NASA and the Lockheed Martin-led industry team, the U.S. space agency\u2019s contribution to the X-33 program is capped at $941 million. The cooperative agreement officially expires at the end of 2000, but Austin said the deadline is not a problem. \u201cWe\u2019ll let the cooperative agreement float to whatever dated needed to complete the program,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the second time the program has had a major problem with the hydrogen tanks. In December, two lobes were damaged during the manufacturing process, contributing to a 12-month delay in X-33\u2019s planned flight date. \ufffc<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damage to the X-33\u2019s two hydrogen fuel tanks could delay the program one to two years, government and industry officials told Space News. \u201cFrankly, there was very little chance of flying in 2000 prior to the damage,\u201d said an industry official. \u201cThis just drove a stake through that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":123033,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"newspack_pugpig_automated_push":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"Fuel tanks damaged after tests","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"fullscreen","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4152,4150,4161],"tags":[782,1529,3823],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[577],"class_list":["post-123044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-civil1","category-launch-archive","category-news-archive","tag-nasa","tag-single-stage-to-orbit","tag-x-33","post_format-post-format-link","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nX-33 faces lengthy delays - SpaceNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SpaceNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1966\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brian Berger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Brian_J_Berger\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SpaceNews_Inc\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Brian Berger\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/402825ed42fdacbc9cc27a6694b98cda\"},\"headline\":\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\",\"datePublished\":\"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":865,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"NASA\",\"Single-Stage-To-Orbit\",\"X-33\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Civil\",\"Launch\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\",\"name\":\"X-33 faces lengthy delays - SpaceNews\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1966,\"caption\":\"This is an artist's conception of the NASA\\\/Lockheed Martin Single-Stage-To-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) in orbit high above the Earth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"description\":\"Covering the business and politics of space\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"alternateName\":\"SN\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"SpaceNews\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SpaceNewsInc\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/spacenews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\"],\"description\":\"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.\",\"email\":\"support@spacenews.com\",\"legalName\":\"SpaceNews, Inc.\",\"foundingDate\":\"1990-12-01\",\"taxID\":\"45-5551942\",\"naics\":\"513110\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"11\",\"maxValue\":\"50\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/402825ed42fdacbc9cc27a6694b98cda\",\"name\":\"Brian Berger\",\"description\":\"Brian Berger is editor in chief of SpaceNews.com and the SpaceNews magazine. He joined SpaceNews.com in 1998, spending his first decade with the publication covering NASA. He was named senior staff writer in 2004, a position he held until being named SpaceNews deputy editor in 2008.\u00a0Brian earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, where he was active in student government.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Brian_J_Berger\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/author\\\/brian\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"X-33 faces lengthy delays - SpaceNews","description":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","og_description":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","og_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","og_site_name":"SpaceNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","article_published_time":"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1966,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brian Berger","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Brian_J_Berger","twitter_site":"@SpaceNews_Inc","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/"},"author":{"name":"Brian Berger","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/402825ed42fdacbc9cc27a6694b98cda"},"headline":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","datePublished":"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/"},"wordCount":865,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","keywords":["NASA","Single-Stage-To-Orbit","X-33"],"articleSection":["Civil","Launch","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","name":"X-33 faces lengthy delays - SpaceNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","datePublished":"1999-11-11T18:19:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-23T22:00:56+00:00","description":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1966,"caption":"This is an artist's conception of the NASA\/Lockheed Martin Single-Stage-To-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) in orbit high above the Earth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"X-33 faces lengthy delays"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","name":"SpaceNews","description":"Covering the business and politics of space","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization","name":"SpaceNews","alternateName":"SN","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","width":200,"height":200,"caption":"SpaceNews"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","https:\/\/x.com\/SpaceNews_Inc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/spacenews\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceNews_Inc"],"description":"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.","email":"support@spacenews.com","legalName":"SpaceNews, Inc.","foundingDate":"1990-12-01","taxID":"45-5551942","naics":"513110","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"11","maxValue":"50"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/402825ed42fdacbc9cc27a6694b98cda","name":"Brian Berger","description":"Brian Berger is editor in chief of SpaceNews.com and the SpaceNews magazine. He joined SpaceNews.com in 1998, spending his first decade with the publication covering NASA. He was named senior staff writer in 2004, a position he held until being named SpaceNews deputy editor in 2008.\u00a0Brian earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, where he was active in student government.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/Brian_J_Berger"],"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/author\/brian\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"X-33 faces lengthy delays","url":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Civil","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Berger"}],"creator":["Brian Berger"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SpaceNews","logo":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spacenews_35.jpeg"},"keywords":["nasa","single-stage-to-orbit","x-33"],"dateCreated":"1999-11-11T18:19:18Z","datePublished":"1999-11-11T18:19:18Z","dateModified":"2023-01-23T22:00:56Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"X-33 faces lengthy delays\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/x-33-faces-lengthy-delays\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Civil\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Brian Berger\"}],\"creator\":[\"Brian Berger\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/spacenews_35.jpeg\"},\"keywords\":[\"nasa\",\"single-stage-to-orbit\",\"x-33\"],\"dateCreated\":\"1999-11-11T18:19:18Z\",\"datePublished\":\"1999-11-11T18:19:18Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-23T22:00:56Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/spacenews.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/X-33-artist-concept.-NASA-Lockheed-Martin-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1966&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":583341,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-fueling-underway\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":0},"title":"Artemis 2 fueling underway","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"April 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Fueling of the SLS is underway for an April 1 launch attempt of Artemis 2, the first mission to send humans toward the moon in more than 50 years.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Artemis 2 prelaunch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55180778421_2c85a8f5a8_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55180778421_2c85a8f5a8_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55180778421_2c85a8f5a8_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55180778421_2c85a8f5a8_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/55180778421_2c85a8f5a8_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":578723,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/report-criticizes-delays-in-artemis-lunar-lander-development\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":1},"title":"Report criticizes delays in Artemis lunar lander development","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 11, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA\u2019s approach to managing the development of crewed lunar landers for Artemis has successfully controlled costs but not schedule, raising questions about NASA\u2019s desire to accelerate those efforts.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"lunar landers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lunarlanders.jpeg?fit=1200%2C747&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lunarlanders.jpeg?fit=1200%2C747&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lunarlanders.jpeg?fit=1200%2C747&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lunarlanders.jpeg?fit=1200%2C747&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lunarlanders.jpeg?fit=1200%2C747&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":580687,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-returns-to-the-pad-for-april-launch-attempt\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":2},"title":"Artemis 2 returns to the pad for April launch attempt","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Artemis 2 launch vehicle and spacecraft have returned to the launch pad for a launch as soon as April 1.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SLS Artemis 2 rollout","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ20260320_admin_0005-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ20260320_admin_0005-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ20260320_admin_0005-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ20260320_admin_0005-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ20260320_admin_0005-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":582776,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/artemis-2-countdown-underway\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":3},"title":"Artemis 2 countdown underway","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The two-day countdown for the Artemis 2 mission around the moon started March 30 with NASA officials reporting no major issues for the launch.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SLS","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ202603270006-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ202603270006-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ202603270006-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ202603270006-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/NHQ202603270006-large.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":577929,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-selects-centaur-for-new-sls-upper-stage\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":4},"title":"NASA selects Centaur for new SLS upper stage","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA has selected the Centaur upper stage currently used on United Launch Alliance\u2019s Vulcan rocket for future flights of the Space Launch System.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54091767752_006ce7503a_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54091767752_006ce7503a_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54091767752_006ce7503a_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54091767752_006ce7503a_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54091767752_006ce7503a_k.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":579066,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/nasa-working-toward-april-1-launch-of-artemis-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":123044,"position":5},"title":"NASA working toward April 1 launch of Artemis 2","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA is pushing ahead with an Artemis 2 launch as soon as April 1 after completing repairs to a helium line that required rolling the rocket back from the pad.","rel":"","context":"In "Civil"","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SLS\/ICPS in VAB","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sls-icps-feb2026.jpeg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sls-icps-feb2026.jpeg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sls-icps-feb2026.jpeg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sls-icps-feb2026.jpeg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sls-icps-feb2026.jpeg?fit=1200%2C839&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123047,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123044\/revisions\/123047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123044"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=123044"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=123044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}