Paper Session I-A - Creating Space Mobility: A Vision for Our Twenty-first Century Spacelift Architecture

The current national spacelift architecture remains largely unchanged from the 60’s, consisting mainly of expendable boosters, a small number of operating ranges populated with vehicle specific launch complexes, and ground-based tracking, telemetry and command (lTC Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV); an Orbital Transfer Vehicle; and a Space Based Range -will offer synergistic benefits over our current architecture that finally lead to the true aircraft-like access envisioned since before Sputnik. Only when such a system is in place, either nationally or internationally, can we truly consider ourselves to be spacefaring, fully exploiting the opportunities that occupying the high ground entails. This paper outlines this future vision for a fully functional space architecture, reviewing the current state of development and key technologies necessary to field the key components. It will outline how their operational interaction maximizes spacelift capability for minimum cost, thus expanding the space transportation market and providing new capabilities for the civil, commercial and military sectors. The resulting document serves as an important concept of operations definition, usable by planning, RD&A and operations communities during this period of transition.