🚀 go-pugleaf

In <1993Jan26.024338.10181@iti.org> aws@iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) writes:

>If Uncle Sam doesn't pay for the initial development of the Y vehicle
>(and possibly DC1) it won't happen. Period.

That is by no means certain.  Lockheed was ready to proceed with an 
SSTO using its own money, if the government was willing to get out
of the way.  Grumman was prepared to go ahead with the development
of a smaller, commercial SSTO (Frequent Flyer) using its own funds, 
if SDIO had selected its proposal for the suborbital demonstration 
phase.  Boeing is prepared to go ahead with an SSTO project, if it
can be shown what the markets are.  

McDonnell Douglas found that the Japanese were willing to finance
the development of DC-Y, provided they got access to the technology
as well as a piece of the action (something the US State Department
would probably never allow).


>One DC-1 would be enough for almost all of the current launch market.

That's because you're looking at the wrong market.  Any vehicle that
can reach orbit, single-staged, can reach Japan or Tokyo as well.  There
is a market for fast transportation, for people as well as cargo.  Beyond
that, space tourism is a major market -- much more so than the satellite
launch market, according to G. Harry Stine.


>BTW, it turns out that at least two other contractors have developed
>SSTO designs. 

Five that I'm aware of, if you include assisted (air-launched) single-
stage-to-orbit.  (I assume you're limiting yourself to designs produced
in the last couple years.)