{"id":20607,"date":"2019-03-30T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-30T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/?astx_entry=nexus"},"modified":"2026-10-22T18:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:43:50","slug":"nexus","status":"publish","type":"astx_entry","link":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/n\/nexus.html","title":{"rendered":"Nexus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>American SSTO VTOVL orbital launch vehicle. Early 1960's recoverable launch vehicle proposed by Krafft Ehricke at General Dynamics. Perhaps the largest conventionally-powered launch vehicle ever conceived, it was designed to deliver 900 metric tons to low earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Fully fueled, it would weigh as much as an ocean-going freighter. It would carry a 900 metric tons to orbit, allowing it to launch a spaceship bound for Mars. This behemoth would have a diameter of 50 m with its height approaching that of the Washington Monument. It would fly as a single-stage launch vehicle. Fully recoverable, it would touch down in the ocean following a return from orbit. Parachutes would slow its descent. Retro-rockets, firing during the last seconds, would assure a gentle landing.<\/p>\n<p><em>LEO Payload:<\/em> 450,000 kg (990,000 lb).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American SSTO VTOVL orbital launch vehicle. Early 1960's recoverable launch vehicle proposed by Krafft Ehricke at General Dynamics. Perhaps the largest conventionally-powered launch vehicle ever conceived, it was designed to deliver 900 metric tons to low earth orbit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"bs_cache_bypass_cache":0},"astx_kind":[49],"astx_nation":[5],"astx_family":[24,99],"class_list":["post-20607","astx_entry","type-astx_entry","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/astx_entry\/20607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/astx_entry"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/astx_entry"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"astx_kind","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/astx_kind?post=20607"},{"taxonomy":"astx_nation","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/astx_nation?post=20607"},{"taxonomy":"astx_family","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/astronautix.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/astx_family?post=20607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}