Rotary Rocket

Roton is the name of a rocket. It was designed as part of a project to develop a commercial, reusable, manned, single-stage carrier rocket from the California Rotary Rocket Inc.. Roton should take off vertically, settle the payload in orbit and then land with a rotor system similar to a helicopter again. It should be made a payload of up to 3,200 kg with an orbit of 300 km altitude and 50 ° orbital inclination and optionally also returned a payload from orbit. As fuel liquid oxygen and RP -1 was intended. The initial weight should be 180 tons. The rocket should be 19.5 m high and have a base diameter of 6.70 m.

The plan in 1998 was back in 2000 and commercial operations begin, with a price of only seven million dollars per launch.

With a 19.5 m high, Atmospheric Test Vehicle -called prototypes were made in 1999 some test flights at low altitude. Even the prototype had a crew of two men. The project was stopped for financial and technical reasons, dissolved the company in 2001.