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A big advantage of space planes is the ability to change orbit very quickly, could be used for reconnoissance or as a weapons delivery vehicle.
by cjbgkagh 4y ago
A big advantage of space planes is the ability to change orbit very quickly, could be used for reconnoissance or as a weapons delivery vehicle.
- the_third_wave 4y agoOnly if they're in low enough orbits to make use of atmospheric drag. Such orbits decay quickly if the vehicle does not have boost capacity. Given the extremely long missions this thing flies - several missions over 700 days - it seems unlikely for it to make use of atmospheric drag. It might do so when in a highly elliptical orbit but even then it needs to perform a burn at apogee to keep it from re-entering before long.
- cjbgkagh 4y agoThere is value from the optionality of having a capability even if it isn’t regularly used.