Experimental Space Plane Designs Wanted by US Military

[kodemunkey]

http://www.space.com/26529-experimental-military-space-plane-designs.html?cmpid=514630_20140719_28084816

The U.S. military is moving ahead in its plan to develop a robotic space plane capable of launching payloads to orbit cheaply and efficiently.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded initial design contracts for its Experimental Spaceplane project, known as XS-1, to three different companies: Boeing, Masten Space Systems and Northrop Grumman, DARPA officials announced today (July 15).

"We chose performers who could prudently integrate existing and up-and-coming technologies and operations, while making XS-1 as reliable, easy-to-use and cost-effective as possible," DARPA program manager Jess Sponable said in a statement. "We're eager to see how their initial designs envision making spaceflight commonplace  with all the potential military, civilian and commercial benefits that capability would provide."

So basically...what the community does all the time anyway.

[Guest]

What do they plan to carry? *cough* weapons *cough*

Interesting to see these things, unfortunately they don't really progress past paper.

[sojourner]

Already a thread on this:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86159-XS-1-DARPA-s-concept-reusable-manned-SSTO