Lockheed - Martin X-33 Venture Star

NASA X-33 Venture Star display model. On July 2, 1996, NASA competitively selected Lockheed Martin for a government-industry partnership to design, build and fly the experimental X-33 rocket plane. The X-33 vehicle will demonstrate advanced technologies to dramatically increase launch vehicle safety, reliability and lower the cost of putting a pound of payload into space from $10,000 to $1,000. The X-33 is a half-scale prototype of a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) Lockheed Martin calls the "VentureStarTM." The goal of the program is to demonstrate in flight the technologies needed for a full-size RLV, and thus enable private industry to build and operate the RLVin the first decade of this century. Scale: 1/50. Wingspan 18 inches, Length 17 inches.