> Its pretty sad. I have yet to hear good news about Kistler. On the other hand SpaceX seems to be fairly upfront with news and updates.<br /><br />I've followed Kistler since their inception, here's my take. Especially in it's original incarnation, Kistler Aerospace featured a unique combination of talent, personalities, contacts and bad luck. The only big stumbling block (imho) was the collapse of the LEO telecom movement, everything else was solvable. They were able to go from zero to a 75% complete vehicle in only a few years. They've had deals for data sale post-flight for years, but can't seem to find the $500mil investment to finish the craft. The world has been Kistler's clam if not oyster: Australian and US launch sites, a warehouse full of Russian engines, successful chute-airbag tests. They just couldn't quite finish the K1. They had an extremely high financial burn rate.<br /><br />OSC dropping out could mean nothing. They probably have to much to do with Lockheed and other work. I had a concern that the K1 would be outfitted at Michoud - it's still in the flood zone. Kistler's new integrator of choice will be the make or break of the project. If nothing else, maybe they'll auction off the NK33s and 43s.<br /><br />Last Kistler note: IIRC, one of the major unfinished segments of the K1 is the avionics. So the "75% complete" statement is only partly true, mostly refering to structural, tankage and recovery hardware.<br /><br />You're right about SpaceX. Their burnrate through first flight will be less than Kistler's first few years. They are using very modern development practices, which has led to a first flight within a few years of founding. They could still fail - if the Falcon I somehow never works or the F9 fails. Their openness, confidence and obvious passion all lend SpaceX more credibility. This kind of news, in light of COTS contracts, puts RpK in direct comparison with SpaceX. <br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>