The X‐34 Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) is currently under development by a team composed of Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC), Rockwell and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Program has the twin goals of reducing small satellite launch costs by approximately a factor of three and of providing a RLV test bed. The design team has encountered numerous early development issues. These include the number of stages, type of structure and thermal protection, engine manufacturer, redundancy, design for operations, basing and range safety. The paper summarizes how the Program is addressing each of these issues.