Industry has been invited to brief the USAir Force on concepts for a military "spaceplane" capable of being operated in the upper atmosphere and in low-Earth orbit.
An integrated concept team (ICT) formed by the USAF to evaluate spaceplane concepts invited interested companies to present their ideas on 10-12 December. The ICT is looking for a spaceplane system, which is "-capable of safe, reliable, routine and affordable 'aircraft-like' operations".
The spaceplane could be a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle or the final stage of a multi-stage system. New designs and derivatives of planned commercial launchers will be considered.
Source: Flight International
