No one is seriously challenging the need to radically reduce the cost of getting into low Earth orbit (LEO). Knowledgeable people are now looking critically at the way the US government has pursued and failed to achieve this goal.
While the defense budget may have some funds for RLV work under the heading “Operationally Responsive Spacelift” or elsewhere, the various initiatives supported by both DARPA and the Air Force are, for now, a scattered effort to raise some of the essential technology readiness levels (TRLs) from their current fairly low levels.
+ Read Editorial (The Space Review)
Posted by jburk at September 13, 2026 10:14 AM | TrackBackMore news on the x 37:
The X-37's body flap was made longer and narrower to better fit onto one of the (alternate) launch vehicles like the Delta IV rocket.
Arnold testing concludes on NASA's X-37 demonstrator
http://www.spacetoday.net/getarticle.php3?id=51568