Skylon is never going to fly. The system design doesn't close with any reasonable set of engineering assumptions. This the the kind of thing the press is horr

Skylon is never going to fly. The system design doesn't close with any reasonable set of engineering assumptions. This the the kind of thing the press is horrible at reporting about because they lack any technical capability to vet wild claims like what Reaction Engines (REL) is making, and they effectively just serve as a mouthpiece for REL. Real decision-makers with budgetary authority are mislead by this kind of crap. Even the SABRE cycle is overly complex and unlikely to ever be realized as envisioned. The real interesting piece of technology REL has is their precooler. That could potentially see multiple applications. SpaceX is an interesting case not because of their absolute engineering prowess/awesomeness, but because their competition and preceding Government efforts have failed (or not bothered) so many times to accomplish even what SpaceX is doing. It didn't require new technology that SpaceX invented, for example, to land a first stage after launch. But SpaceX definitely deserves plaudits for their doggedness, willingness to be unconventional, and lack of fear about failing publicly along the way.