Rotary Rocket, a creation of space visionary Gary Hudson, proposes to begin 1999 flight tests of a single stage to orbit (SSTO) wingless rocketship that uses a helicopter-style rotor to land from space. The proposed space machine would be capable of lifting 7,000 pounds to a low Earth orbit. Hudson announced that Clancy has not only favored Rotary with his wallet -the novelist has now joined the firm as a member of its Board of Directors. Clancy is not known as an easy sell, and has made headlines for mainly investing his millions made from books and movies in more lucrative projects such as baseball teams and big businesses. Thus the Clancy name -plus his bucks- give Hudson's firm a major leg up over other competitors trying to establish private space vehicle launch services. The Roton, Rotary's reusable vehicle with the propeller blades in its nose, will be launched and landed near Edwards Air Force Base in California, if the second round of financing about to begin is successful. Hudson says he will offer customers his launch service for about $1,000/per pound to deliver small satellites and research platforms to orbit- an order of magnitude cheaper than what the U.S. government charges today for space shuttle service, or what established rocket makers like McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed offers. But while the affiliation with Clancy will serve to give Hudson's company instant credibility on Wall Street, the company still faces the tough task of completing a business plan and finding both new investors as well as customers.

But one thing Rotary won't need is a builder for its Roton rocket. Hudson also announced yesterday that Scaled Composites will be the builder and integrating contractor for the ship. Scaled Composites is the company headed by Burt Rutan -who flew around the world without refueling in 1986, another task which the world once said was unlikely, if not impossible.

Motorola Satellites Key to RLVs

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