Questions about single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft or system designs, that don't dispose any of their hardware during flight and can be reused as a whole. They can be entirely self-propelled, or partially accelerated to initial velocity by systems that are not parts of the space vehicle.
Questions tagged [ssto]
35 questions
13
votes
4 answers
What are the advantages of SSTO craft over Multi-stage crafts?
I hear a lot of talk about SSTO, and it got me to wonder, what's so good about them?
Doesn't it make sense to get rid of parts that you no longer need for a mission?
The way I see it, if it emptied a tank of fuel, I don't want to be carrying it with…
Neowizard
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8
votes
1 answer
How many SSTO projects have ever existed with realistic goals and reliable designs?
Spaceplanes have always been thought to be a SSTO system with flight from ground to orbit and back, and while some concepts demonstrated suborbital capabilities, like the XCOR Lynx none ever made it. How many concepts were actually analysed and…
Rajath Pai
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5
votes
3 answers
What thrust-to-weight ratio would be required for a SSTO without any external boosters?
Assume we have a society that has sophisticated enough engineering to build a SSTO chassis that can survive the rigors of repeated launch (MaxQ) and re-entry (thermal stress). What thrust to weight ratio would they have to achieve from their…
Shalvenay