The online edition of Space News reported late Wednesday that Rocketplane Kistler missed its May milestone in NASA’s COTS program (subscription required). That milestone required RpK to have completed a second round of private financing by the end of the month; it has yet to complete that round, according to a NASA spokesperson contacted by Space News. NASA doesn’t plan to penalize the company for the missed milestone at the present time, instead choosing to work with the company “on a plan that would provide the company additional time to meet its goal while also meeting NASA’s needs.” RpK, by all accounts, has been making steady technical progress on the K-1 vehicle, announcing back in February that it achieved a systems requirement review for the vehicle three weeks ahead of schedule.
RpK’s missed milestone…
Rocketplane Kistler missed its May deadline to complete a second round of private financing in the COTS program….