HL-20 Personnel Launch System

E520793

The HL-20 Personnel Launch System was a NASA-designed lifting-body spaceplane concept from the late 20th century intended to provide a reusable, crewed vehicle for low Earth orbit missions and runway landings.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA spaceplane design
crewed spacecraft concept
lifting-body spaceplane concept
abortCapability launch escape through separation from booster
basedOn BOR-4 NERFINISHED
cabinLayout two-deck crew cabin
category lifting-body spacecraft
unflown spaceplane project
configuration blunt-nosed lifting body with vertical tail
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
crewAccess side hatch
crewCapacity 8–10 astronauts
up to 10 people
crewEnvironment pressurized cabin
crewSeating reclined seats for launch and reentry
designer NASA NERFINISHED
developer NASA Langley Research Center NERFINISHED
developmentPeriod late 20th century
dimensionsApproximate about 9 meters long
entryMode gliding approach and landing
fullScaleMockup built for human-factors testing
heatShieldType thermal protection system tiles and blankets
influenced Sierra Nevada Corporation Dream Chaser NERFINISHED
inspiredBy Soviet BOR-4 lifting-body test vehicle NERFINISHED
intendedDestination space station in low Earth orbit
intendedOrbit low Earth orbit
intendedUse Space Station Freedom crew transport
routine access to low Earth orbit
landingMode runway landing
landingSite conventional runways
landingType unpowered horizontal landing
launchConfiguration launched atop expendable launch vehicle
launchVehicleType expendable booster
missionType crewed orbital transport
operatorPlanned NASA NERFINISHED
primaryRole crew transport to space station
programStartDate late 1980s
propulsionType no main orbital propulsion on vehicle
reentryProfile lifting reentry
reusability reusable
safetyGoal crew escape capability during ascent
improved crew survivability compared to Space Shuttle
shape lifting-body
spaceAgency NASA
status cancelled
never flown
studiedBy NASA Langley Research Center NERFINISHED
successorConcept Dream Chaser NERFINISHED
windTunnelTesting conducted at NASA Langley

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Dream Chaser spaceplane designHeritage HL-20 Personnel Launch System