Comparing and contrasting NASA and private industry. I prefer the term “space transports” to RLVs, though.
3 thoughts on “Embracing The RLV Evolution”
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Comparing and contrasting NASA and private industry. I prefer the term “space transports” to RLVs, though.
Comments are closed.
A launch vehicle isn’t really a space transport, though. It just gets you to the starting point. A space transport would be something that never fires in the atmosphere, like a Nautilus-x or an EOD stage.
I suspect that Rand prefers “space transport” because unlike RLV, it doesn’t imply a priori that “reusable” is a special category. Time to get away from language connected to the “expended missile as launch system” era.
And a “space transport” can mean something that takes you into space, or a transport that takes you around space once you’re there.
Time to get away from language connected to the “expended missile as launch system” era.
While both are in existence (or until RLVs dominate), I think it is a useful distinction. I wonder if people had the same conversation about biplanes and monoplanes way back when. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Dr. Lurio.