The Orbital Sciences X-34 was intended to be a low-cost testbed for demonstrating "key technologies" that could be integrated into the Reusable Launch Vehicle program. It was intended to be an autonomous pilotless craft powered by a "Fastrac" liquid-propellant rocket engine, capable of reaching Mach 8 and performing 25 test flights per year.

2014年2月28日 · NASA’s X-34 program began in 1996 to demonstrate a low-cost, advanced technology flight demonstration test bed for space access and to demonstrate a streamlined management approach with a rapid development schedule and limited testing.

2024年6月28日 · The X-34 was a single-engine rocket plane that was to be carried aloft and launched from an Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft. Captive-carry flights using the prototype of the X-34 were conducted in June and September 1999.

2016年2月18日 · The X-34 was a single-engine rocket that was to be carried aloft and launched from an Orbital Sciences L-1011 aircraft. On June 29, 1999, the prototype test version of the X-34 made its first captive-carry flight attached to the belly of its newly modified L-1011 carrier aircraft.

“轨道科技”X-34是一种专门用于验证“可重复使用航天器”计划“关键技术”的测试平台。X-34原计划由速度可达8马赫的'Fastrac'液体燃料火箭驱动，每年可进行25次试飞。2001年该计划由于成本问题被取消，“轨道科技”和罗克韦尔在与NASA签署协议后一年相继退出。

2023年1月14日 · The X-34 was originally conceived as a reusable two stage launch vehicle for small orbital payloads, powered by a Russian RD-120 engine. During development, the X-34 was descoped to a hypersonic text vehicle, eliminating the second stage.

2024年2月21日 · NASA’s X-34 technology demonstrator is a flying laboratory for technologies and operations applicable to future low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. It is one of a family of technology demonstrators aimed at lowering launch costs from $10,000 to $1,000 per pound.

Objectives of the X-34 program were to demonstrate new, efficient vehicle processing and launch operations and evaluate the performance of advanced reusable launch vehicle technologies. The program was to demonstrate a nominal two-week turnaround between flights, and a surge capability of two flights within 24 hours.

The Orbital Sciences X-34 was an experimental suborbital spaceplane developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation in partnership with NASA. It aimed to demonstrate advanced technologies for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) and pave the way for more cost-effective access to space.

The X-34 air-launched, hypersonic rocket plane is being developed for NASA's Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program. This low-cost testbed vehicle is designed specifically to demonstrate new operational approaches that will dramatically reduce the time, cost and number of personnel required to process and launch future reusable launch vehicles.