Starcraft Boosters is looking for industrial partners to develop its StarBooster 200 concept for the early low-risk introduction of a reusable launch vehicle.
Starcraft chairman and former Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin believes the technology for a single-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle is not ready. "I do not believe that a scaled-up commercial derivative of the X-33 will be built in the next decade, maybe two," says Aldrin.
Instead, he proposes a flyback booster assisting a fully reusable orbiter as a fully reusable two-stage- to-orbit system. This concept "will reduce the cost of space access by nearly half", he says.
The StarBooster 200 is a hollowed-out, jet-powered aircraft which can accommodate a Zenit or Atlas 3 first stage. While the external airframe would weigh about 31,800kg (70,000lb), Aldrin claims it would make only 5%difference to the useful payload of the booster/orbiter system.
Source: Flight International
