List of McDonnell Douglas DC-X launches

Between 1993 and 1996, the McDonnell Douglas DC-X, also known as the "Delta Clipper", conducted twelve low-altitude suborbital test launches to verify the configuration and handling of the uncrewed single-stage-to-orbit Delta Clipper design, which was proposed to the United States Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for use as a reuseable launch vehicle.[1] Claimed as the first rocket to conduct a vertical landing on Earth, the DC-X was a one-third scale demonstrator for the proposed operational Delta Clipper vehicle.[2]

The DC-XA Clipper Graham

After the first three flights Strategic Defense Initiative Organization funding for the test project was cancelled;[3] the remaining test program was conducted by NASA and the Advanced Research Projects Agency.[4] Following the eighth test flight, the vehicle was transferred fully to NASA and the vehicle was modified to DC-XA configuration,[5] also known as "Clipper Graham" after General Daniel O. Graham who had died in 1995 after supporting the Delta Clipper project.[6]

Of the overall test program, ten of the vehicle's launches were fully successful; the fifth test flight was aborted early in the flight following an on-board explosion but the vehicle was successfully recovered. The twelfth and final flight saw one of the vehicle's landing legs fail to extend; on landing, when the vehicle tipped over onto its unsupported corner, a liquid oxygen tank ruptured and exploded, the ensuing fire destroying the modified DC-XA vehicle and ending the program. Despite the loss the program was considered overall to have been a success.[1]

Launch history
Flight No. Date and time of takeoff (UTC) Vehicle Launch site Suborbital apogee Outcome Duration Reference
1 18 August 1993
23:43		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 46 m (151 ft) Success 59 sec [7]
Control system and vertical landing capability test.[7] Demonstrated hovering ability and 350 foot (110 m) horizontal translation.[6]
2 11 September 1993
18:12		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 92 m (302 ft) Success 66 sec [7]
Ground effects and ascent-and-landing mode control test.[7]
3 30 September 1993
17:30		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 370 m (1,210 ft) Success 72 sec [7]
Aerostability test; vehicle conducted 180° roll.[7]
4 20 June 1994
15:42		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 870 m (2,850 ft) Success 2 min 16 sec [7]
First flight with fully loaded propellant tanks and operational radar altimeter.[7]
5 27 June 1994
15:37		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 790 m (2,590 ft) Partial failure 78 sec [7]
Flight aborted after hydrogen explosion on launch; autoland capabilities demonstrated.[7]
6 16 May 1995
16:40		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 1.33 km (0.83 mi; 4,400 ft) Success 2 min 4 sec [7]
Flight envelope expansion test.[7]
7 12 June 1995
15:38		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 1.74 km (1.08 mi; 5,700 ft) Success 2 min 12 sec [7]
AOA envelope expansion, first reaction control system usage.[7]
8 7 July 1995
14:02		 DC-X White Sands Space Harbor 2 km (1.2 mi; 6,600 ft) Success 2 min 4 sec [7]
Turnaround maneuver demonstrated; hard landing resulted in damage to the aeroshell.[7]
9 18 May 1996
15:14		 DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 244 m (801 ft) Success 62 sec [7]
First flight following modification to DC-XA configuration; slow landing resulted in aeroshell fire.[7]
10 7 June 1996
17:15		 DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 590 m (1,940 ft) Success 64 sec [7]
Maximum structural stress test.[7]
11 8 June 1996
19:17		 DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 3.14 km (1.95 mi; 10,300 ft) Success 2 min 22 sec [7]
Demonstration of 26-hour rapid turnaround; altitude and duration record set.[7]
12 31 July 1996
20:15		 DC-XA White Sands Space Harbor 1.25 km (0.78 mi; 4,100 ft) Partial success 2 min 20 sec [7]
Successful maneuvering test; vehicle destroyed on landing when landing strut failed to extend and LOX tank exploded.[7][8]

    References
    1. McLaughlin, Hailey Rose (29 October 2019). "DC-X: The NASA Rocket That Inspired SpaceX and Blue Origin". Discover. Kalmbach Publishing. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    2. "Rocket has good test flight". Tampa Bay Times. Tampa. 20 August 1993. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    3. Burdick, Alan (7 November 1993). "Pie In The Sky?". The New York Times. New York. p. 6-46. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    4. "Delta Clipper Test Program Off To Flying Start". McDonnell Douglas via NASA. 20 June 1994. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    5. "Will The Delta Clipper Scuttle The Shuttle?". Bloomberg. New York. 8 July 1996. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
    6. Lerner, Preston (August 2010). "Black Day at White Sands". Air & Space Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
    7. Sorensen, Kirk (26 December 2012). Andrew J. Butrica (ed.). "The Delta Clipper Experimental: Flight Testing Archive". NASA. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
    8. Norris, Guy (6 August 1996). "Clipper flight ends in disaster". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
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