Interorbital Marks Major Milestone withRocket Engine Firing! 

MOJAVE-10.28.2012---
On a calm clear high-desert October evening, Interorbital Systems’ NEPTUNE
rocket series' main engine roared to life in its first hot-firing test. The
engine, the IOS GPRE 7.5KNTA (General Purpose Rocket Engine; 7,500lb-thrust;
Nitric Acid; Turpentine; Ablative cooling), blasted a 22-foot (6.71-meter)
plume of fire across Interorbital’s Mojave Spaceport test area, scorching the
sand an additional 50 feet (15.24 meters) beyond the plume end. The
7.5K-pound (33,362-newton) thrust engine is the largest rocket engine in the
world utilizing high-density, storable nitric acid and turpentine. These
hypergolic propellants provide almost instantaneous chemical ignition. This
static firing marks a major milestone in the evolution of the company’s NEPTUNE
Modular Orbital Launch Vehicle series. Refining the engine operation paves the
way for the first flight test  of the CPM---Common Propulsion Module—the
stand-alone rocket that is the primary construction element of various bundled
configurations that yield launch vehicles specially designed to meet specific
mission requirements. IOS’ first orbital launcher is a seven-module rocket
designated the NEPTUNE 7 (N7)---powered by seven of the GPRE 7.5KNTA
engines---and purposed to lift a mixed-manifest of some 24 TubeSats and
CubeSats on each launch. Interorbital recently completed a NASA Phase I SBIR
contract, awarded to further the development of the NEPTUNE Modular Rocket
series.  For photo go to:

http://interorbital.com/Main%20Engine%20Test%20Photo%20Large_1.htm