Virgin are working on a system where a high altitude aircraft will deploy a rocket, and a similar system was developed using an F-14 as a launch vehicle.

I'm not away of a single stage system doing this before now though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

I'm just a dummy - but one thing that puzzles me is how this is going to scale to actually transport stuff into space? Especially once it has to have materials on the vehicle to allow it to survive re-entry heat & forces.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago (1 children)

@Fizz Nazis had rocket planes 80 years ago.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Which plane? I don't remember them making rocket planes to fly to space.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

@Fizz No but they made a rocket plane. Fighter.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Heh, it was barely a plane though - basically wings on a rocket, very little fly time & wasn't landing it so problematic that more often than not it crashed or the pilot bailed?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

@TagMeInSkipIGotThis Sure, but 80 years ago… How much did it take from Orwille brothers to Sputnik? 40-50 years?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Things plateau as the "cost to result" ratio becomes more and more unfavorable.

I don't see what you're trying to say.