Editing Canadian Arrow

{{Short description|Canadian space tourism company}}
{{about|the Canadian suborbital tourist space rocket project|the Canadian fighter plane project|Avro Arrow|the Canadian electric vehicle project|Project Arrow|the Canadian music band|The Arrows (Canadian band)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2008}}
{{Infobox company
|name             = Canadian Arrow
|logo             = Canadian Arrow.jpg
|logo_size        = 
|type             = Corporation
|foundation       = 1999
|location_city    = [[Corunna, Ontario]]
|location_country = Canada
|location         =   <!--modifies "Headquarters" entry-->
|locations        =   <!--# of locations-->
|key_people       =
|area_served      = North America
|industry         = Aerospace
|products         = Rocket, spacecraft
|services         = Tourism
|revenue          =
|operating_income =
|net_income       =
|num_employees    =
|parent           =
|divisions        =
|subsid           =
|caption          =
|homepage         =
|dissolved        =
|footnotes        =
|intl             =   <!--Enter ''yes'' to change labels to international instead of US terminology-->
}}

The '''Canadian Arrow''' was a privately funded, early-2000s [[rocket]] and [[space tourism]] project concept founded by [[London, Ontario]], Canada [[entrepreneurs]] Geoff Sheerin, Dan McKibbon and Chris Corke. The project's objective was to take the first civilians into [[space]], on a vertical [[sub-orbital spaceflight]] reaching an altitude of 112&nbsp;km.

Canadian Arrow was considered one of the top three candidates for the [[Ansari X Prize|X-Prize]] competition{{Citation needed|date=May 2008}}, along with [[Scaled Composites]] ([[Burt Rutan]]), and [[Armadillo Aerospace]] ([[John D. Carmack|John Carmack]]). Scaled Composites won the competition on October 4, 2004.

The Canadian Arrow team's motto was "making SPACE for you". They completed the first series of tests on their 57,000&nbsp;lbf (254&nbsp;kN) thrust engine and built a space training centre and a full-scale mock-up of their rocket. After an open nomination process, they also recruited a team of six astronauts from around the world, including several seasoned military pilots and a [[NASA]]-trained [[astronaut]] from [[Ukraine]]. Astronaut candidates – the group "Arrow Six" included David Ballinger, Ted Gow, Terry Wong, Jason Dyer, Larry Clark and [[Yaroslav Pustovyi|Yaroslav "Yarko" Pustovyi]], the only member of the team with actual space training.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=fde1ebe9-d043-4449-b7f6-4550a721b4c9 | title=Canadian X-Prize Team Picks First Six Astronauts &#124; Aero-News Network }}</ref>

In November 2010 Geoff Sheerin, the president of Canadian Arrow stated the company was unlikely to fly a Canadian Arrow rocket as a space tourism vehicle.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/canadian-space-flight-dreams-live-on-1.895322 CBC News - Canadian space flight dreams live on]</ref>

The Canadian Arrow never flew a crewed or uncrewed flight.

==Design==
[[File:Canadian arrow.jpg|thumb|A rendering of a Canadian Arrow vehicle in flight]]
The Canadian Arrow was a 16.5 m tall two-stage rocket, where the second stage was a three-person space capsule. The Canadian Arrow team's somewhat conservative approach was to base the design of their rocket engine and aerodynamics on the well proven [[V-2 rocket|V-2]] design from [[World War II]].

===First stage===
The rocket's first stage was 10.2 m long and 1.7 m in diameter. It was propelled by a single liquid fuel rocket engine. It produced a thrust of 254 [[kilonewton|kN]]. Graphite jet vanes were used for stabilisation before the rocket has reached a velocity high enough for the four fins to be effective. About one minute after ignition, the fuel was depleted and the engine shut off.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

===Second stage===
The rocket's second stage was 6 m long and 1.7 m in diameter at the base. It carried three astronauts and was propelled by four [[JATO]]-type solid rocket engines. These were ignited immediately after stage separation, and carried the capsule to an altitude of ~112&nbsp;km. Cold gas jets were planned to be used for attitude control.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

===Crew Cabin Escape System===
The design proposed four solid rocket engines in the second stage that could be fired at any time, even when the rocket stands on its launch pad. This constituted an escape system, which could, in a case of an emergency, quickly separate the second stage from the rocket and propel it to an altitude of 1.5&nbsp;km, where its parachutes could be deployed.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

===Rocket engine===
The rocket engine was to use alcohol and liquid oxygen as propellants, and produces a maximum thrust of 254 [[Kilonewton|kN]], and burns for 55s. It was constructed of low carbon steel, with propellant injectors made out of [[brass]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2016}}

===Flight profile===
The Canadian Arrow rocket was to launch vertically from the ground. Initial thrust was ~75.5&nbsp;kN, but the rocket quickly reached maximum thrust. After 55s, the propellant was depleted and stage separation occurred. The solid fuel rockets in the second stage were ignited and boosted it up to an altitude of ~112&nbsp;km, where the crew and passengers would have experienced a few minutes of "zero-G", or weightlessness.

After stage separation the first stage reached an apogee of over 80&nbsp;km before descent begun. Four parachutes slow the Canadian Arrow's first stage down before splashdown occurred at a speed of ~9&nbsp;m/s, after which recovery of the spacecraft could take place.

During descent, the crew cabin (the second stage) was planned to use a [[ballute]] to reduce its speed. When its velocity became subsonic, the second stage's ballute was to be released and pull out the three parachutes before splashdown.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

===Testing===

*Summer, 2002: Single burner cup engine test.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
*October 5, 2002: The rocket test stand complete.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
*November 7, 2003: First engine tests conducted.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
*August 14, 2004: Canadian Arrow carried out a successful drop test of the crew cabin, to test the parachutes and recovery routines.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

==Funding, commercial aspects and the future==
Canadian Arrow started as a team competing in the international X-Prize competition, with the ultimate goal of continuing past the X-Prize into the commercial sector providing private access to space. Funding during the X-Prize was provided by sponsorship and private investment.

In early 2003 the company would receive a major infusion of financial support by Canadian Arrow partner and Director of Spacecraft Development - Lou van Amelsvoort. As a result, during the next two years the company would also proceed to open the world's first private Astronaut training facility, continue vehicle development, and test propulsion and recovery systems.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

[[Image:Canadian Arrow Founders.jpg|thumb|right|Canadian Arrow founders from left to right: Dan McKibbon, Chris Corke, Geoff Sheerin.]]

Geoff Sheerin, president and CEO of Canadian Arrow, and Dr. [[Chirinjeev Kathuria]] announced on May 17, 2005, the creation of [[PlanetSpace|PlanetSpace Corporation]]. It was through this enterprise that Canadian Arrow would complete the construction of their spacecraft, and within 24 months offer suborbital space flight to aspiring space tourists. Planetspace expected to fly about 2,000 new astronauts within five years of operation. The price was expected to be $250,000 for each flight, including fourteen days of training. [[Cape Breton Island]], in [[Nova Scotia]] was being considered as a launch site, and a contract was signed with the government of Nova Scotia to provide {{convert|120|acre|km2}} of land for the project.<ref>{{cite news
 |last=Macdonald 
 |first=Randy 
 |author2=Canadian Press 
 |title=Cape Breton eyed for space launch site 
 |work=CTV National 
 |publisher=[[CTV Television Network|CTV]]News 
 |date=2006-08-16 
 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060816/cape_breton_space_060816/20060816?hub=CTVNewsAt11 
 |accessdate=2007-07-10  |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629071758/http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20060816/cape_breton_space_060816/
 |archivedate=2011-06-29
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref>

A requirement of the X-Prize for each participating company was to propose other possible markets for their spacecraft.  Canadian Arrow coined the term [[space diving|"Spacediving"]], while investigating the possible use of Canadian Arrow spacecraft for a high altitude version of [[skydiving]].

On November 11, 2005, Canadian Arrow teamed up with former X-Prize competitor Romanian aerospace company, [[ARCASPACE]], to develop privately built spacecraft.<ref>{{cite news
  | last =Malik
  | first = Tariq
  | title =Former X Prize Rivals Announce Partnership
  | work = Mission Launches
  | pages =
  | publisher =[[Space.com]]
  | date = November 11, 2005
  | url =http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/051111_planetspace_arca_partner.html
  | accessdate =  2007-07-10}}</ref>

On December 15, 2005 [[PlanetSpace|PlanetSpace Corporation]] unveiled plans for an orbital commercial vehicle capable of carrying eight passengers. This vehicle was to be called the [[Silver Dart (spacecraft)|Silver Dart]] and it was based on the [[U.S. Air Force]]'s [[Martin-Marietta X-24|Flight Dynamics Laboratory-7]] [[lifting body]] program from the 1970s.
PlanetSpace Corporation became defunct as of 6 February 2013.<ref>{{cite news
  | last =Malik
  | first =Tariq
  | title =Space Tourism Firm Unveils Orbital Spacecraft Concept
  | work =Spaceflight
  | pages =
  | publisher =[[Space.com]]
  | date =December 15, 2005
  | url =http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/051215_planetspace_silverdart.html
  | accessdate =  2007-07-10}}</ref>
<ref name="Dissolved Corp">
{{cite web
 |author1=Corporations Canada 
 |title=Federal Corporation Information - 6363253 
 |url=https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpDtls.html?corpId=6363253 
 |website=Industry Canada 
 |publisher=[[Government of Canada]] 
 |accessdate=2014-09-30 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102915/https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpDtls.html?corpId=6363253 
 |archivedate=2016-03-04 
 |location=Ottawa 
 |date=2014-09-14 
 |url-status=live 
}}</ref>

On June 21, 2013, Blackburn news reported that the full scale engineering mock-up of the Canadian Arrow rocket was purchased by Sarnia Ontario's Preferred Towing. Having spent several years at Chris Hadfield Airport in Sarnia, Ontario, Preferred Towing expressed interest in hopes of restoring the rocket for display in Sarnia. This plan has since been scrapped and the mock-up no longer exists.
<ref>{{cite news
 |last        = Irwin
 |first       = Melanie
 |title       = Canadian Arrow On Display
 |work        = BlackburnNews.com
 |date        = June 21, 2013
 |url         = http://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2013/06/21/canadian-arrow-on-display/
 |accessdate  = 2014-09-30
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006090115/http://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2013/06/21/canadian-arrow-on-display/
 |archivedate = October 6, 2014
}}</ref>

==Picture gallery==
<Gallery>
Image:Astronauts-sm.jpg|Canadian Arrow Astronauts.
Image:Canadian Arrow Drop3.jpg|Helicopter beginning  Canadian Arrow's crew cabin drop test on the [[Toronto Islands]], August 14, 2004.
Image:Canadian Arrow Drop8.jpg|Canadian Arrow's crew cabin drop test parachute landing, August 14, 2004.
Image:DropTest Toronto beach 003.jpg|Former Canadian Arrow Engineering Department members.
Image:Water lift off 2 Canadian Arrow.jpg|Canadian Arrow concept rendering of a water lift off.
</Gallery>

==See also==
* [[Armadillo Aerospace]]
* [[CORONA (SSTO)|CORONA]]
* [[Interorbital Systems]]
* [[Kankoh-maru]]
* [[List of private spaceflight companies]] - A compiled list of private spaceflight companies
* [[Lunar Lander Challenge]]
* [[Masten Space Systems]]
* [[McDonnell Douglas DC-X]]
* [[Project VR-190]] - Proposed crewed sub-orbital spaceflight
* [[Project Morpheus]] NASA program to continue developing ALHAT and Q&shy; landers
* [[Quad (rocket)]]
* [[Reusable Vehicle Testing]] program by [[JAXA]]
* [[SpaceX reusable launch system development program]]
* [[Terry Wong]], pilot
* [[Zarya (spacecraft)|Zarya]]

==References and notes==
{{commons category}}
{{Reflist}}
<br />
{{Space tourism}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081222095235/http://www.planetspace.org/lo/index.htm Planetspace Corporation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20031220171527/http://www.cantourglobal.com/spacehome.htm Canadian Arrow Space Centre Bus Tours]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161228043935/http://astronautix.com/c/canadianarrow.html Canadian Arrow at Astronautix.com]

{{Ansari X-Prize}}

[[Category:Private spaceflight companies]]
[[Category:Space launch vehicles of Canada]]
[[Category:Companies based in London, Ontario]]
[[Category:Former proposed space launch system concepts]]
[[Category:Ansari X Prize]]
[[Category:Defunct spaceflight companies]]
[[Category:Space industry companies of Canada]]