Future Heavy Spaceplane
Roadmap concept for a fully reusable heavy orbital spaceplane, evolving step-by-step toward a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle.
Technical specifications
- Target timeframe
- Early 2030s
- Configuration
- Semi-SSTO ('1.5-stage'), evolving toward full SSTO
- Applications
- Crew/cargo transport, satellite launch, debris removal, lunar/interplanetary payloads (with upper stage)
- TRL
- 2-3 (concept/roadmap stage)
About
POLARIS’s vision for the early 2030s is a fully reusable, heavy orbital spaceplane offering at least an order-of-magnitude reduction in launch cost compared to traditional rockets. Because a fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle with meaningful orbital payload is still at or beyond the boundary of feasibility with current technology, POLARIS’s approach targets an intermediate ‘semi-SSTO’ or ‘1.5-stage’ concept that can later be gradually matured into a full SSTO vehicle.
Intended applications include transporting passengers and astronauts to orbit and space stations and back, cargo transport to and from orbit, launch of satellites and other spacecraft, active debris removal, and (with an upper stage) sending payloads to the Moon and into the solar system.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
