racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...
league that planned to use
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
-powered
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. Founded in 2005, the league made its first public flights in 2010 and was working to begin regular racing seasons. The "Rocket Racers" were slated to compete in the air and on a virtual racetrack easily viewed by a live audience as well as projected on large screen and handheld electronic displays.
Three prototype canard-style ''Rocket Racer'' aircraft were built between 2006 and 2010.
The league had planned to hold its inaugural race season in 2008 with four races, but encountered financial difficulties that delayed fielding of ''Rocket Racers'' by the six teams that had been previously announced. With the addition of
venture capital
Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...
funding in mid-2009, technology development continued and one exhibition occurred in 2010, with another round of plans for an inaugural season of races in 2011. The 2011 races were, in the end, never scheduled, and by 2014, the league was defunct.
Background
Projected to be an hour and one half in length, the races were intended to be between Rocket Racer planes that used
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...
and either
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
or
ethanol
Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...
fuel with a burn time of four minutes. The rocketplanes were expected to cost less than US$1 million each. The planes were based on the fixed-gear
Velocity SE
The Velocity Model 173 SE (Standard Elite) is an entry level canard pusher aircraft from Velocity Aircraft.XCOR Aerospace
XCOR Aerospace was an American private spaceflight and rocket engine development company based at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, Midland International Air and Space Port, Midland International Air and Spaceport in Midland, T ...
and the retractible gear
Velocity XL
The Velocity XL (XL: Extra Large) is an American amateur-built aircraft, produced by Velocity, Inc. It is an enlarged version of their Velocity SE canard pusher design.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, V ...
modified by
Armadillo Aerospace
Armadillo Aerospace was an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal was to build a crewed suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, and it had also stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company ...
for the purpose of rocket racing. The Velocity airframe was derived from a commercially available kit plane that traced its design heritage to the
Rutan Long-EZ
The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Rutan Aircraft Factory. The Long-EZ has a canard layout, a swept wing with wingtip rudders, and a pusher engine and propeller. The tricycle landing ...
, which had been modified to accept rocket power and custom avionics. In order to provide the airframes, RRL purchased the aircraft's manufacturer,
Velocity Aircraft
Velocity, Inc. is an American kit aircraft manufacturer.
The company was founded in 1984 by Danny Maher, marketing a four-seat homebuilt aircraft based on the Long-EZ design. The first prototype flew in 1985. The company was sold to Scott and ...
, in April 2008.
The RRL had been called "
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
with rockets", XCOR Aerospace flew the Rocket Racer for a public audience at the 2008 EAA AirVenture Airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. If league competition were to begin, Whitelaw indicated tournament semifinals would be held each September in Nevada, with finals each October in New Mexico at the X Prize Cup competing for a $2 million championship purse.
Races were to have taken place on a
race course
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also ...
two miles (3 km) long, one mile (1.6 km) wide, and in the air. A typical race would take about one hour, and fans would be able to see multiple camera views, including cockpit, "on-track," "side-by-side" and wing-angle views.
Additionally, a computer game had been planned which was to have interfaced with racer positional data in real time over the internet, allowing players to virtually compete with the rocket pilots.
The Track
The proposed "track" for a typical Rocket Race was to have begun with a staggered start. Pilots were to take off in pairs a few minutes apart, they would be competing against the clock but would maneuver around each other much like NASCAR. The pilots would be guided by a virtual three-dimensional "track" projected in their
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
. Each racer was to have a separate track to follow but the courses were planned to be close together to build excitement.
Teams
, there were six teams registered to compete in the inaugural 2008 race season, Rocket Star Racing, Team Extreme Rocket Racing, Canada-based Beyond Gravity Rocket Racing, Bridenstine Rocket Racing, Santa Fe Racing and Thunderhawk Rocket Racing.
, RRL claimed that "official team recruitment will commence as the production-level Rocket Racers near completion", listing five "candidate teams of the RRL franchise": Bridenstine Rocket Racing, Santa Fe Racing, Rocket Star Racing, Team Extreme Rocket Racing, and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
-based Beyond Gravity Rocket Racing.
History
The formation of the league was announced by Granger Whitelaw, and
Peter Diamandis
Peter H. Diamandis (; born May 20, 1961) is a Greek-American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur best known for being founder and chairman of the X Prize Foundation, cofounder and executive chairman of Singularity University and coauthor of ' ...
NBC News
NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
'', 2005-10-03, accessed 2010-09-02. in partnership with the
Reno Air Races
The Reno Air Races, officially known as the STIHL National Championship Air Races from 2016, is a multi-day event tailored to the aviation community that takes place each September at the Reno Stead Airport a few miles north of Reno, Nevada. ...
. According to Diamandis, the purpose of the league was to "inspire people of all ages to once again look up into the sky and find inspiration and excitement."
Initial plans called for a four-team league finals in 2006, to be followed by 10 teams competing in 2007, with video games based on the competition also out in 2007.
In 2006, analysts identified doubts about the economics of the venture, and especially of the ability of RRL to attract a large fanbase similar to IndyCar and
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
. X-Racers, Start Your Rockets! : The creators of the X prize offer a sensational vision of rocket-powered airplanes speeding through the sky. But can their new racing league steal a bit of Nascar's thunder? Michael Belfiore, '' Popular Science'' (feature cover story), 2006-02-15, accessed 2010-09-02.
In the event, no races occurred in either 2006 or 2007.
In April 2008, the league stated that it was "ready for competition nnouncingfour exhibition races will be held later n theyear, one in Las Cruces."
On April 14, 2008, the Racing Rocket Racing Composite Corporation, a subsidiary of the Rocket Racing League, acquired Velocity Aircraft. The RRL announced their goal was to "produce an airframe that will be consistent for all competing Rocket Racers."Rocket Racing Composite Corp. Acquires Velocity Aircraft ''Parabolic Arc'', 2008-04-14, accessed 2011-01-03.
On May 26, 2010, a Velocity employee posted to the builder's email-list a note from Scott and Duane Swing that stated that they had bought back full ownership of Velocity Inc from Rocket Racing League. The RRL now owns no share of Velocity Inc.Swing Family Repurchase of Velocity Inc. from Rocket Racing League, Velocity Aircraft Listserve, text copy from tvbf.org archives, 2010-05-26. ''"For those of you wondering just what influence Rocket Racing has with Velocity, let me assure you that they have none. As I write this, the sole ownership of Velocity Inc. is now totally and completely in the hands of Scott Swing and myself. Through a stock exchange, Scott and I returned our Rocket Racing stock for 100% return of the stock they held in Velocity Inc. Rocket Racing now has 0% ownership in this company. ... Scott and Duane Swing"''
League financial difficulties
None of the four planned 2008 races were actually run. The Rocket Racing League had difficulty in attracting and retaining sufficient financial backing, from both investors and sponsors, in order to get an initial racing season firmly scheduled in 2008, 2009, or 2010. Some progress with the rocket and aircraft technology continued however, but by 2014, the league had gone defunct.
The league twice failed to complete construction of six hangars contracted to be built on land adjacent to Spaceport America near Las Cruces,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
. As of January 2009, the league was at risk of having their leases with the City of Las Cruces terminated.
In July 2009, the league announced the closing of a
venture capital financing
Venture capital financing is a type of funding by venture capital. It is private equity capital that can be provided at various stages or funding rounds. Common funding rounds include early-stage seed funding in high-potential, growth companies ...
round of US$5.5 million. The funds were to be used for ongoing operations and for the development of a next-generation Rocket Racer.
,
Peter Diamandis
Peter H. Diamandis (; born May 20, 1961) is a Greek-American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur best known for being founder and chairman of the X Prize Foundation, cofounder and executive chairman of Singularity University and coauthor of ' ...
suggested that 2010 could be the year that we see "more than one racer in the air and possibly in exhibition races." Non-exhibition "live" races were to occur as early as 2011.Aero-TV: Rocket Racing League -- Diamandis Plans 2010 Exhibition Racing ''Aero-News Network'', 2010-02-15, retrieved 2010-02-15.
Also in February, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium (TASM) announced that it would partner with the Rocket Racing League to host an exhibition flight of a Rocket Racer at the QuikTrip Air and Rocket Show at
Tulsa International Airport
Tulsa International Airport is a civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929;TULSA AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ROCKET RACING LEAGUE AND INAUGURAL QUICKTRIP AIR & ROCKET RACING SHOW 2010-02-16, accessed 2010--4-01.
The Rocket Racing League announced a "2010 World Exhibition Tour" on April 24, 2010, when they unveiled their ''
Mark-III X-racer
The Rocket Racing League was a racing league that planned to use rocket-powered aircraft to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. Founded in 2005, the league made its first public flights in 2010 and was working to begin regular racing seasons. ...
'' rocket plane at the QuikTrip Air & Rocket Racing Show in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
. The RRL exhibition flights at Tulsa were the first simultaneous flights of two rocket-powered airplanes in the history of peacetime aviation. RRL duplicated this historic feat later that day. The league's intent in such exhibitions was to "build up the league's fan base, in addition to perfecting operations and technologies, before the league's official launch in 2012."Rocket Racing League Unveils New Flying Hot Rod by Denise Chow, ''
Space.com
Space.com is an online publication focused on space exploration, astronomy, skywatching and entertainment, with editorial teams based in the United States and United Kingdom. The website offers live coverage of space missions, astronomical discov ...
'', 2010-04-26, accessed 2010-04-27. The April event in Tulsa was the only RRL exhibition of 2010.
The league's financial difficulties continued in 2011 and no races were organized.
By 2014, persons formerly involved with the league had made public statements that the league had failed and was now defunct.
Rocket Racers
The Rocket Racing League had been developing prototype ''Rocket Racers'' since 2006, working with one airframe manufacturer and two rocket engine producers on three prototype aircraft to date. All three of the airframes have been of the canard configuration to more easily accommodate the
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
propulsion
Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived f ...
technology.
A fifth model was proposed, but not built, in 2011: the Mark-V X-Racer.
Predecessor aircraft
XCOR Aerospace
XCOR Aerospace was an American private spaceflight and rocket engine development company based at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, Midland International Air and Space Port, Midland International Air and Spaceport in Midland, T ...
developed the
XCOR EZ-Rocket
The XCOR EZ-Rocket was a test platform for the XCOR XR-4A3 rocket propulsion system. The airplane was a modified Rutan Long-EZ, with the propeller replaced by first one, then later a pair of pressure-fed regeneratively cooled liquid-fueled roc ...
, later flown under Rocket Racing League sponsorship as an X-Racer prototype rocketplane. First flight was July 21, 2001 at Mojave Airport in
Mojave, California
Mojave (formerly Mohave) is an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States. Mojave is located east of Bakersfield, and north of Los Angeles, at an elevation of . The town is located in the western region of the Mojave D ...
.First Flights - XCOR Aerospace , Mojave Transportation Museum, accessdate=2006-11-13
This XCOR technology demonstrator was a converted
Rutan Long-EZ
The Rutan Model 61 Long-EZ is a tandem 2-seater homebuilt aircraft designed by Burt Rutan's Rutan Aircraft Factory. The Long-EZ has a canard layout, a swept wing with wingtip rudders, and a pusher engine and propeller. The tricycle landing ...
and, in its final version, utilized two 400 lbf (1.8 kN) thrust XCOR Aerospace isopropyl-alcohol-powered
rocket engine
A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, in accorda ...
s of engine type XR-4A3.
XCOR flew the EZ-Rocket for several years in development and demonstration flights, including, in collaboration with the RRL, at the 2005 X-Prize Cup in New Mexico.
By 2006, the design-point for the RRL racer had become a single rocket engine utilizing
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
as the rocket fuel, carrying of
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...
in its flight oxidizer tank.
The first RRL prototype built, known as the Mark-I X-Racer, was built on a
Velocity SE
The Velocity Model 173 SE (Standard Elite) is an entry level canard pusher aircraft from Velocity Aircraft.pump-fed XR-4K14 rocket engine.Products Overview , ''
XCOR Aerospace
XCOR Aerospace was an American private spaceflight and rocket engine development company based at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California, Midland International Air and Space Port, Midland International Air and Spaceport in Midland, T ...
'', undated, accessed 2010-12-27. ''"Twin 400 lb-thrust XR-4A3 engines aboard the EZ-Rocket"'' (with in-flight photograph) ... ''"Another engine that we have developed in parallel is the XR-4K14, ... a 1,500 lb thrust regeneratively cooled LOX and pump-fed kerosene system ... used as the Rocket Racer aircraft's main engine."'' This rocket-powered aircraft flew several demonstration flights at the 2008
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsi ...
air show.XCOR X-Racer by Nancy Atkinson, '' Universe Today'', 2009-08-06, accessed 2010-04-26.
The total thrust for the single-engine Mark-I X-Racer was , approximately twice that of the EZ-Rocket.
Mark-II and Mark-III X-Racers
, the Rocket Racing League was utilizing a highly modified
Velocity XL
The Velocity XL (XL: Extra Large) is an American amateur-built aircraft, produced by Velocity, Inc. It is an enlarged version of their Velocity SE canard pusher design.Vandermeullen, Richard: ''2011 Kit Aircraft Buyer's Guide'', Kitplanes, V ...
fixed-gear airframe and an
Armadillo Aerospace
Armadillo Aerospace was an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal was to build a crewed suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, and it had also stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company ...
2,500 pound thrust
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...
(LOX) and
ethanol
Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...
rocket engine
A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, in accorda ...
in both its Mark-II X-Racer and Mark-III X-Racer demonstration vehicles.Rocket Racing League Announces Milestone Development in X-Racer , press release, 2010-03-10, accessed 2010-05-03.
The Mark-II and Mark-III racers could take off just 4 seconds after the rocket engine was ignited; both vehicles were limited to a top speed of .Flying inside the groove: the latest rocket-powered test aircraft take just four seconds to get into the air from ignition. The brink of take-off for the RRL ''Aerospace Testing International'', June 2010, pp. 50-54, accessed 2010-09-06.
The rocket engine was a LOX-Ethanol, film-cooled, pressure-fed, blow-down design with a 10 to -long exhaust plume. Plume-seeding technology allowed the plume color to vary from red to green to yellow to better facilitate race spectators in keeping track of specific racers while in the air.
The Mark-II (N205MB) racer utilized a standard fixed-gear XL airframe, modified for the addition of the Armadillo rocket propulsion. The Mark-III (N133XP) airframe was modified during manufacturing at
Velocity Aircraft
Velocity, Inc. is an American kit aircraft manufacturer.
The company was founded in 1984 by Danny Maher, marketing a four-seat homebuilt aircraft based on the Long-EZ design. The first prototype flew in 1985. The company was sold to Scott and ...
explicitly for use as a Rocket Racer, with canopy top, center seat and control stick, and other enhancements.
Mark V X-Racer
The Mark-V proposed design resembles "a sleek, rocket-powered sailplane" and may be built at
Velocity Aircraft
Velocity, Inc. is an American kit aircraft manufacturer.
The company was founded in 1984 by Danny Maher, marketing a four-seat homebuilt aircraft based on the Long-EZ design. The first prototype flew in 1985. The company was sold to Scott and ...
, although no firm contracts are in place to do so .