June 2017
Spaceplane rationale - a new way of thinking
... will be a virtuous downward cost spiral until Spacebus, or something like it, is built and the lower cost limit of spaceplanes based on existing technology is approached. This cost can be estimated by comparison with airliners and works out at a few...
25 March 2016
Airbus Spaceplane May Be the Future of Space Tourism
... operate in between the standard airplane and satellite altitudes, and open up a whole new market segment. The spaceplane could be used as a transfer service or for experiments and work in a part of space not occupied by many other vehicles...
May 2024
Spaceflight revolution on a shoestring
... readily adapted to undertake suborbital missions without an upper stage, opening up potentially large new markets Building an orbital spaceplane along the lines of several proposed in the 1960s would enable the development of new markets and a large...
October 2019
Time to overcome the expendable rocket mindset
... new technology was not needed. An illustration of Spacebus and (right) a conceptual starting point for a rocket powered spaceplane. Historical perspectives The time is now ripe to finally overcome the “expendable rocket mindset” which is the biggest...
August 2020
Scorpion – a study of the possible
...for the first Salyut space stations. Reaction Engines’ Skylon spaceplane. So while we marvel at applications like GPS, gawp ...air-breathing engines to achieve a reusable single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane. In the subsequent third of a century, every one ...
31 December 2018
Spaceplane Hermes: Europe’s dream of independent manned spaceflight
... likely to associate the name Hermes with a European parcel delivery service or French scarf supplier than with a spaceplane… which is one good reason why this book is a welcome addition to the literature! As Europe’s Ariane 5 launch vehicle...
