this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2023
30 points (89.5% liked)

Space

9422 readers
347 users here now

Share & discuss informative content on: Astrophysics, Cosmology, Space Exploration, Planetary Science and Astrobiology.

Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

Picture of the Day

The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula

Related Communities

๐Ÿ”ญ Science

๐Ÿš€ Engineering

๐ŸŒŒ Art and Photography

Other Cool Links

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L7ePvmEn
Bitswap
[email protected]
Agamemnon
otter
30
Do you think space planes will ever be a reality? (self.space)
submitted 1 year ago by ruford1976 to c/space
10 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

AVATAR

Skylon

X-37

X-30

Venture Star

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Do you think space planes will ever be a reality?

The Space Shuttle, Buran, X-37, and CCSHQ have all flown, so space planes are definitely a reality in the literal sense.

Will space planes be an economical design for transporting large quantities of cargo and crew to low Earth orbit? Maybe.

Dream Chaser is scheduled to launch sometime next year. It will be interesting to see how a modern space plane design stacks up against against traditional capsule designs (Soyuz, Dragon, and Starliner) and also to more innovative designs like Starship and SUSIE. The real test will be whether Dream Chaser can expand its market beyond the initial six CRS missions for NASA.