Rocketplane Kistler

Rocketplane Kistler
Company type	Private
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	2006
Defunct	2010
Fate	Filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy
Headquarters	Oklahoma City, United States
Key people	George Mueller (CEO), George French (CEO at bankruptcy)
Products	K-1 reusable launch vehicle
Parent	Rocketplane Inc.

Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) was a company specializing in reusable launch system technology, originally headquartered in Oklahoma. Established in 2006 following the acquisition of Kistler Aerospace by Rocketplane Limited, Inc., it was chosen by NASA to provide crew and cargo transportation services. Nevertheless, after failing to meet key financial targets, NASA discontinued its funding, and the company filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010.

K-1 launch vehicle

The primary offering from Rocketplane Kistler was the K-1, a reusable launch vehicle engineered to deliver payloads to geosynchronous orbit. It was developed as a cost-effective alternative to expensive expendable rockets for servicing the International Space Station.

Corporate history

Founded in 1993 in Kirkland, Washington by entrepreneurs Walter Kistler and Bob Citron, Kistler Aerospace operated as a privately held enterprise focused on creating fully reusable orbital spacecraft with an emphasis on affordability. Among its notable personnel was Rob Meyerson, who served as Senior Manager from 1997 to 2003 before becoming President of Blue Origin. The company's CEO was George Mueller, renowned for his leadership role in NASA’s Apollo Program.

In February 2006, Rocketplane Limited's principal shareholder acquired Kistler Aerospace. Following this merger, Kistler Aerospace was rebranded as Rocketplane Kistler, while Rocketplane Limited changed its name to Rocketplane Global, Inc. Additionally, Rocketplane, Inc. was formed as the parent company overseeing both subsidiaries.

NASA launch partnership

In August 2006, NASA selected both Rocketplane Kistler and SpaceX to develop crew and cargo transport capabilities under the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) initiative aimed at servicing the International Space Station. The program envisioned demonstration flights between 2008 and 2010, with Rocketplane Kistler eligible for up to $207 million contingent upon meeting specific NASA milestones.

By November 2006, Rocketplane Kistler announced that Alliant Techsystems (ATK) would serve as the prime contractor for the development of its K-1 launch vehicle, enhancing its capacity to fulfill COTS program requirements.

Unmet financial milestones in 2006 and 2007

Beginning in September 2006, Rocketplane Kistler failed to achieve critical financial benchmarks outlined in the COTS agreement. The company requested and obtained a 30-day extension on its initial $40 million financing round. In February 2007, it renegotiated its contract with NASA, agreeing to secure $500 million in private investment by May.

Despite these efforts, by August 2007 Rocketplane Kistler was unable to raise the necessary funds and consequently reduced its workforce. On September 7, 2007, NASA informed the firm that its contract would be terminated within 30 days due to ongoing financial deficiencies. Official termination occurred in October 2007, prompting NASA to initiate a new procurement process for space transportation services.

Retrenchment

Amid mounting financial challenges, Rocketplane Kistler laid off the majority of its staff by February 2009 and centralized operations in Wisconsin, where its president resided. The parent company Rocketplane Inc., along with its subsidiaries Rocketplane Kistler and Rocketplane Global, failed to meet their obligations in Oklahoma, causing financial difficulties for the state during 2009. Although the company received $18 million in tax incentives from Oklahoma, the anticipated Rocketplane XP spacecraft never came to fruition. Subsequently, the firm closed its headquarters in Oklahoma City and surrendered its hangar facility located at Burns Flat.

Bankruptcy

On June 15, 2010, Rocketplane Inc., along with its subsidiaries and CEO George French, initiated Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings. After nearly two decades of development, the bankruptcy documentation for Rocketplane Kistler revealed assets valued at $108,250, which included hardware and tooling associated with the K-1 rocket, as well as numerous patents and trademarks without assigned valuations. The company reported secured debts amounting to $3.7 million, with unsecured obligations slightly less than that figure.

Kistler Space Systems

Space Assets LLC purchased all of Rocketplane Kistler's assets in December 2011 and subsequently founded Kistler Space Systems. By mid-2020, the company's website appeared to be inactive.

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