Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN): How to Do It and Use It as a Driver for Low-Cost Responsive Orbital Launch

Cheap, rapid orbital launch (Responsive Space) has been elusive. Three potential approaches, all with different policy and economic implications, are considered. The first, exemplified by Virgin Galactic’s SS-2, evolves current attempts at suborbital space tourism or human-tended science involving brief flights with apogees above 100 km into point to point suborbital transport and eventually into orbital transport. The second, exemplified by SpaceX’s Falcon series, evolves more traditional aerospace technology with improved management. This is intended to drive down launch costs on the margin and evolve eventually to the point where responsive and inexpensive space access is accomplished. The third, and in our opinion most viable short term approach, uses stated national security needs to accelerate development and to exploit currently existing or partially developed and demonstrated technology. We consider the potential synergism between the recently released US Air Force request for information on placing a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) anywhere in the world from the continental US within 2 hours and the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN) requirement defined by the US Marine Corps. SUSTAIN specifies a needed capability to place a squad of 13 marines and field supplies anywhere in the world from th