GRYPHON: A FEASIBLE HORIZONTAL TAKEOFF NEXT GENERATION ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT

NASA’s Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program recently funded studies of the Gryphon launch architecture. Gryphon combines existing technologies with moderate propulsion advancements and a design for operations approach into a unique, aircraft-like architecture. A joint NASA/industry team was assembled by NGLT’s Systems Analysis Project to assess the Gryphon concept and produce a conceptual design to specific performance, reliability, safety, and life cycle cost goals while meeting NASA and DoD requirements. The effort demonstrated the fundamental feasibility of the architecture. This paper describes the study, outlines the architecture’s features and benefits, and highlights the critical issues identified for further study.