SSTO status?

[neutrino78x]

Hey guys,

So, what is the current status of private SSTO vehicles? Reusable Single Stage to Orbit, like the X-33. Can anybody name companies that I should be following with regard to that?

--Brian

 

[SpaceForAReason]

I don't think anyone is actively pursuing that anymore. It's a shame too. The linear aerospike engine developed for the X-33 easily outclasses any other engine of similar size. It is a technology that was developed with NASA dollars and abandoned by NASA. It seems to be a habit for NASA to abandon promising technologies.

Other orphans of NASA include SpaceHab (now being developed by Bigelow Aerospace), The X-38 Crew Return Vehicle, The X-37 (Under minimal funding by the U.S. Air Force), and the X-30 (Which could have resulted in an orbital vehicle after further development). Many of these projects were nearly completed and were cut before the technology could be proven. There are others as well.

 

[annodomini2]

Skylon is the only one I am aware of that is ongoing.

The X33 program was scrapped as you should be aware and the vehicle was dismantled.