News Boeing has signed a contract with the US government to design the XS-1 spaceplane

[Soheil_Esy]

07.08.2015

The US aerospace giant Boeing has signed a contract with the US government to design a spaceplane, the XS-1, for the fast delivery of satellites into orbit, reports Defense Blog.

US military strategists fully expect that in any future conflicts between the major world powers, Earth’s orbit will become a new battlefield.

Laser-armed satellites, long-range anti- aircraft missiles and other deadly weapons of destruction would attack and destroy enemy orbital forces.

The country that can recover fastest from the initial orbital massacre will dominate space, the ultimate high ground in any high-tech battle.

“In an era of declining budgets and adversaries’ evolving capabilities, quick, affordable, and routine access to space is increasingly critical for both national and economic security,” DARPA stated in a press release.

The new spaceplane XS-1 is designed to boost a two-ton satellite into space every day for 10 days straight for less than $5 million per flight.

Conceptually, the robotic XS-1 is basically just a high- and fast-flying drone that can lend a single-stage rocket speed and altitude, making it easier for the rocket to escape Earth’s gravity.

Russian air defense and aerospace defense can effectively track and destroy targets in near-Earth space. If the MiG-31 interceptor or S-400/500 anti-aircraft missile system can hit a satellite in orbit, the new spaceplane would also be an easy target for them.

http://sputniknews.com/military/20150807/1025508878.html

Pentagon Preps for Orbital War With New Spaceplane

7 AUG 2015

The XS-1 could replace satellites lost in battle—fast and cheap.
Aerospace giant Boeing just snagged a $6.6 million contract to design a cheap, reusable spaceplane for the U.S. military. The idea: to equip America’s space forces with an airplane-like vehicle that can fly to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere and quickly boost small satellites into orbit, and then land, refuel, load up another satellite, and take off again within 24 hours.

The so-called XS-1 program—short for “eXperimental Spaceplane 1”—isn’t a space weapon. Instead, it’s a sort of defense against space weapons—specifically, the growing fleets of killer spacecraft and satellite-destroying rockets that China and Russia are deploying.

U.S. military planners fully expect that, in any future conflict between major world powers, Earth’s orbit will become a battleground as laser-armed satellites stalk each other across orbital planes and ground- and ship-launched rockets lance into space to smash enemy spacecraft.

The country that can recover fastest from the initial orbital carnage stands to dominate space, the ultimate high ground in any high-tech battle. “In an era of declining budgets and adversaries’ evolving capabilities, quick, affordable, and routine access to space is increasingly critical for both national and economic security,” DARPA stated in a press release.

That’s where the XS-1 comes in. DARPA wants the new spaceplane to be able to boost a two-ton satellite into space every day for 10 days straight for less than $5 million per flight.

Video
https://youtu.be/k1PJ41PRvRM

http://defence-blog.com/?p=7178

 

[TachyonDriver]

the initial orbital massacre will dominate space,

I thought that was when you start up Orbiter Multiplayer :lol:

 

[N_Molson]

The XS-1 could replace satellites lost in battle

I don't see any use for this currently or in any medium-term future. When you resort to ASAT weapons, your pretty close from a global nuclear war. Would be better to have something like that to service existing satellites and bring them back to Earth for in-depht repairs. A drone (no human risks involved), lighter Shuttle.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

This also implies that we're going to have at least ten 2-ton satellites on standby somewhere, probably near the deployment site of this spacecraft. Seems to me that if we're in a shooting war taking out each other's satellites, targeting the warehouse and servicing facility for this spacecraft could easily be done concurrently with taking out the satellites in orbit.

The only way this could work at all is if the standby satellites, this spacecraft, and related launch facilities are located someplace super secret and the location can never be found, only seeing the light of day when ALL the bad guy's satellites are out of action. If the bad guy has ANY satellites still operational to detect this site, or ONE person snitches and gives away the location, the whole thing is for naught.

 

[Face]

I thought that was when you start up Orbiter Multiplayer :lol:

I can assure you that despite us having missiles since a long time now, all OMP orbital operations were peaceful. Well, except for that one-time ISS accident... :lol:

 

[fsci123]

This spaceplane is going to be awesome... Like the spaceshuttle remake we never had.

When you resort to ASAT weapons, your pretty close from a global nuclear war.

I always thought that shooting down enemy satellites was just another tier of conventional warfare. Basically a way of sabotaging the coordination and communication of the enemies forces... However, drones are beginning to fill in some of those roles.

 

[RisingFury]

6.6 million dollars? Yea, this thing isn't going very far

 

[Pipcard]

I always thought that shooting down enemy satellites was just another tier of conventional warfare. Basically a way of sabotaging the coordination and communication of the enemies forces...

And causing Kessler syndrome, ruining low Earth orbit for everyone.

 

[fsci123]

And causing Kessler syndrome, ruining low Earth orbit for everyone.

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

See my signature.