Phase roadmap
Ten non-overlapping phases spanning Day 1–730. Each has a single accountable lead and a hard exit gate.
| Phase | Days | Wks | Lead | Goal | Exit gate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundation & Setup | 1–45 | 6 | E5 | Stand up the company, facility, compliance, and tooling. | Entity, ITAR, facility, PLM, insurance all live. |
| 2. Mission & System Requirements | 46–105 | 9 | E1 | Lock the mission, vehicle architecture, and requirements. | System Requirements Review (SRR) signed off. |
| 3. Preliminary Design (→ PDR) | 106–195 | 13 | E3 | Mature every subsystem to a coherent preliminary design. | Preliminary Design Review (PDR) passed. |
| 4. Detailed Design (→ CDR) | 196–315 | 17 | E4 | Release build-ready drawings and commit long-lead buys. | Critical Design Review (CDR) passed; drawings released. |
| 5. Component Fab & Subsystem Test | 316–435 | 17 | E4 | Build and bench-qualify every subsystem. | All subsystems pass qualification & data sign-off. |
| 6. Propulsion Hot-Fire Campaign | 436–540 | 15 | E2 | Qualify the engine from ignition to full mission duration. | Engine qualified; flight engine accepted. |
| 7. Vehicle Integration & Stage Qual | 541–630 | 13 | E1 | Integrate the flight vehicle and qualify the full stage. | Integrated static fire passed; vehicle qualified. |
| 8. Launch Site Prep & FAA Licensing | 631–690 | 9 | E5 | Secure the license, range, and site; rehearse the launch. | FAA license granted; wet dress rehearsal complete. |
| 9. Launch Campaign & Flight | 691–715 | 4 | E1 | Fly the vehicle across the Kármán line (100 km). | Successful flight to space; vehicle & range safed. |
| 10. Post-Flight Analysis & Next Steps | 716–730 | 2 | E1 | Reduce the data, prove the result, and set the roadmap. | Flight report published; next-vehicle roadmap defined. |
Capital plan
Planned spend against the $200M envelope. Reserves ~$12M of contingency unspent at flight.
Cumulative spend vs $200M funding cap
X: program month (M1–M24). Y: planned cumulative spend ($M). Source: plan model (CUM_SPEND_M).
Budget allocation
- Propulsion dev & test $48M
- Tooling & mfg equipment $25M
- Structures & materials $22M
- Test facilities & stands $20M
- Avionics & GNC $14M
- Launch, range & FAA $9M
- Salaries (5 core, 24 mo) $7M
- Ground support equipment $6M
- Insurance & legal $6M
- Software / IT / PLM $3M
- Contingency reserve $40M
The 5-person crew
Lean core team; everything else is contracted or vendor-supplied.
| # | Role | Phase ownership |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | CEO & Chief Systems Engineer Program management, requirements, GNC oversight, launch director |
Requirements, Integration, Launch, Post-flight |
| E2 | Propulsion Lead Engine design, feed system, hot-fire test campaign |
Hot-fire campaign |
| E3 | Structures, Avionics & GNC Lead Airframe, flight computer, flight software, trajectory |
Preliminary design |
| E4 | Manufacturing & Test Lead Fabrication, tooling, vehicle integration, test stands |
Detailed design, Component fab |
| E5 | Operations, Regulatory & Supply Lead FAA/ITAR, procurement, range, finance, insurance |
Foundation, FAA licensing |
Milestones & gates
17 gates from kickoff to flight.
| Day | Date | Milestone | Lead | Gate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 1, 2026 | Company formation & program kickoff | E5 | Kickoff |
| 45 | Aug 14, 2026 | Foundation complete (facility, ITAR, banking, PLM) | E5 | Gate |
| 105 | Oct 13, 2026 | System Requirements Review (SRR) | E1 | Review |
| 195 | Jan 11, 2027 | Preliminary Design Review (PDR) | E3 | Review |
| 250 | Mar 7, 2027 | Long-lead procurement committed | E5 | Gate |
| 315 | May 11, 2027 | Critical Design Review (CDR) | E4 | Review |
| 380 | Jul 15, 2027 | First tank proof-pressure test | E4 | Test |
| 435 | Sep 8, 2027 | All subsystems bench-qualified | E4 | Gate |
| 470 | Oct 13, 2027 | First engine hot-fire (ignition → short burn) | E2 | Test |
| 520 | Dec 2, 2027 | Full-duration hot-fire / engine qualified | E2 | Test |
| 600 | Feb 20, 2028 | Integrated stage static fire | E1 | Test |
| 630 | Mar 21, 2028 | Vehicle qualification complete | E1 | Gate |
| 665 | Apr 25, 2028 | FAA launch license granted | E5 | Regulatory |
| 690 | May 20, 2028 | Wet dress rehearsal complete | E5 | Test |
| 705 | Jun 4, 2028 | Launch Readiness Review (LRR) | E1 | Review |
| 710 | Jun 9, 2028 | LAUNCH — cross the Kármán line (100 km) | E1 | FLIGHT |
| 730 | Jun 29, 2028 | Post-flight report & program review | E1 | Gate |
Risk register
The 24-month timeline and 5-person headcount are the top risks — disclosed, not hidden.
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Owner | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-month schedule too aggressive end-to-end | High | High | E1 | Suborbital scope, parallel tracks, contractor surge, fixed gates |
| Engine combustion instability | Med | High | E2 | Incremental hot-fire, injector iteration, stability aids |
| FAA Part 450 license slips past Day 665 | Med | High | E5 | Pre-application by Day 30; draft application by Day 400 |
| Long-lead supplier delay | High | High | E5 | Dual-source, order at CDR, buffer stock on critical parts |
| Key-person dependency (only 5 core staff) | High | High | E1 | Contractors, documentation, cross-training, on-call rota |
| Tank / structural qualification failure | Med | High | E4 | Coupon tests, early proof testing, design margin |
| Test-campaign cost overrun | Med | Med | E1 | $40M reserve, fixed-price test-stand lease, staged commit |
| Weather scrubs at launch window | Med | Low | E1 | Wide launch window, recycle procedures, backup dates |
Day-by-day planner
Pick any month, then any day. All 730 days have a plan.
| Day | Date | Phase | Primary focus | Lead | Spend |
|---|