Black Dart
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The X-41 Black Dart is a futuristic military spaceplane. It is currently under development.
Features
- Main engine can gimbal from +5° to -90°, allowing hover flight in combination with a thruster in the nose.
- Nozzle extension deploys depending on thrust level (~chamber pressure) and ambient pressure, optimizing ISP.
- Nozzle performance depends on ambient and chamber pressure.
- Ladder deploys automatically when landing gear down and Ventral Bay Doors open.
Specifications (X-41A)
| Empty mass | 12,000 kg |
|---|---|
| Main propellant mass | 10,000 kg |
| RCS/OMS propellant mass | 6,000 kg |
| MTOW | 32,000 kg |
Keyboard layout
| 1 | Enable Low Thrust Mode of the main engine |
|---|---|
| 2 | Enable High Thrust Mode of the main engine |
| 5 | Deploy antenna |
| 6 | Open/close Hatch |
| 7 | Open/Close main engine and hover doors. |
| 8 | Cycle through main engine nozzle extension modes (Retract, Automatic, Deploy) |
| 9 | Open/close canopy |
| 0 | Open/close fuel and oxidizer umbilical access doors |
| E | Begin EVA, using the last astronaut which entered the spacecraft. |
| G | Deploy/retract landing gear |
| K | Open/close dorsal bay doors |
| CTRL + K | Open/close ventral bay doors |