US firm plans Santa-like spaceplane launches with rocket-powered sled

A US aerospace company is planning to bring to life a spaceplane model that NASA has hoped to develop in the past.

In the 1990s, together with Boeing, NASA set out to develop the VentureStar, also known as the X-33, a single-stage reusable launch vehicle.

Unfortunately, around the turn of the millennium, the development had to be discontinued due to the immaturity of the composite material technology utilized for the vehicle.

Now, Radian Aerospace’s Radian One is intended to be the world’s first single-stage-to-orbit, truly reusable space vehicle operating in Low Earth orbit.

Single-stage breakthrough

A vertical takeoff has always been necessary to send a spacecraft into orbit. The X-33, an SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit) concept, aimed to revolutionize space travel by eliminating the multiple stages typical in traditional rockets. Instead of shedding parts during ascent, the X-33 was designed as a fully reusable spacecraft.

It would launch vertically like a rocket and land horizontally on a runway, with the objective of cutting the cost of sending a pound of payload into orbit from $10,000 to $1,000.

After the project was shelved, Livingston Holder, the project manager for X-33 at NASA at the time , revived the idea. Holder is one of the co-founders of Radian, and the company has successfully tested its first full-scale engine.

According to Radian, since 2001, enough has happened to make building a space plane a more feasible objective. “We’ve got composite materials that are lighter, tougher, and can take a larger thermal range than we had back then. And propulsion is better than anything we had, in terms of how efficiently it burns propellant and how much the systems weigh,” Holder told CNN .

Rockets, while effective, are costly and inefficient, relying on expensive, single-use stages. Companies like SpaceX have lowered costs with reusable rockets like Falcon 9. However, space planes, which need less fuel and no stages, could provide a more affordable and comfortable alternative for space travel.

Orbital revolution

Washington-based Radian’s approach involves a rocket-powered sled that travels along a two-mile track, reaching speeds of Mach 0.7 (537 mph or 864 km/h). Once the sled releases the spaceplane, the craft continues its journey into orbit using its own engines.

When it is finished being designed, Radian One, the team’s first spacecraft, will be able to carry up to five passengers and 5,000 pounds (2,267 kg) of cargo into orbit.

Radian One, propelled by three liquid-fuel engines, will launch from a standard runway, climb to a convenient altitude, and then ignite its rocket engines to enter orbit. According to the company’s website, it might remain there for as long as five days before returning to the atmosphere.

With its wings, the aircraft could land on any 10,000-foot (3,048-meter) runway, refuel and depart for another mission in less than 48 hours. The spaceplane is also designed for up to 100 reuses.

According to CNN, Radian is confident in overcoming the challenges of SSTO with three key technologies. First, their sled launch system powers both the spaceplane’s and its own engines, ensuring the aircraft has a full fuel tank at launch.

Second, the lightweight landing gear is designed solely for landing. Third, the wings, absent in vertical rockets, provide lift, reducing thrust requirements during ascent.

According to Radian, a scale model will be tested this year, with full-scale flight tests planned for 2028.