From Dvice:
Switzerland will start testing this chubby spaceplane next year
Swiss Space
Systems (S3), a Swiss company that develops, er, space systems, has
managed to pull together $265 million to build a prototype of a small,
autonomous spaceplane that would be able to quickly and efficiently
launch satellites into orbit. For
just $10.5 million, you'd be able to
send a 250kg satellite payload into a 700km orbit, which is about four
times cheaper than it costs right now.
To make this work, S3 is relying on the recently popular first-stage aircraft, using an Airbus A300
to hoist the spaceplane up to 33,000 feet. The spaceplane then pops
off, and fires up its rocket engine to make it up to 260,000 feet (80km)
or so....MORE
Here's
www.s-3.ch.
