A SPACEPLANE of the future could whisk air travellers around the world in just 95 minutes.
That’s the vision of Radian Aerospace, which is developing a jet-style plane that can soar over Earth at 18,000mph.
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The vehicle is called Radian One and it’s a spaceplane built to travel in low-Earth orbit.
But rather than blasting off virtually like a rocket, the Radian One would take off from a runway.
Landing would also take place on a runway – instead of an oceanic splashdown.
“Radian One is a next-generation spaceplane planned to be the world’s first single-stage-to-orbit, truly reusable space vehicle operating in low-Earth orbit,” Radian Aerospace boasts.
The Radian One is built to take five crew members, so it’s hardly going to replace the Boeing 747.
But Radian Aerospace – which is based in Seattle, Washington – thinks that it could revolutionise air travel where speed is important.
In fact, the company is promising that Radian One will be able to deliver “anything” that weighs less than 2,267 kilos to anywhere on Earth “in under an hour”.
The weight capacity is doubled on the way back down from space – for instance, if it’s bringing back gear from a space station.
Radian hopes that its spaceplane will be able to deliver passengers and equipment to both public and private space stations of the future.
That could include floating space hotels where tourists pay massive sums of cash to holiday off-Earth.
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The spaceplane will take off using a rocket-powered rail sled, which is about two miles long.
This sled – which would sit on top of a runway – accelerates the Radian One to 537mph.
But the craft will eventually fly close to 18,000mph as it breaks into low-Earth orbit.
This ascent should feel a lot like the take-off from a regular airliner, like the ones you’d fly in for holiday.
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And Radian Aerospace is also promising “smooth re-entry”, which can take place “anywhere in the world” that has a compatible runway.
For Radian, compatible means any runway that is at least 10,000 feet long.
Runways are major commercial airports are typically anywhere from 8,000 to 13,000 feet long.
Radian says it’ll be able to get its spaceplane ready for a flight in just 90 minutes.
RADIAN ONE – BY THE NUMBERS
Here are the key stats for Radian One..
Capacity:
Crew – 2 to 5 people
Upmass – Up to 2,270 kilos (5,000 lbs)
Downmass – Up to 4,540 kilos (10,000 lbs)
Payload Bay Dimensions:
Length – 5.2 metres
Width – 3.8 metres (fwd), 5.6 metres (aft)
Height – 2.7 metres (fwd), 4.0 metres (aft)
Volume: ~93 cubic metres
Picture Credit: Radian Aerospace
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And it’s hoping to have a 48-hour turnaround between flights – which is long compared to a regular plane, but not bad for a vehicle taking you to space.
The current plan is that each Radian One spaceplane will be capable of re-use for up to 100 missions – and potentially more.
That’s not just for space tourism either: it can be for commercial deliveries, as well as “security of the nation”.
But it will almost certainly be used for cash-flush space fans who want to see a different view of Earth.
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“Passengers will be able to go up and stay in orbit,” said Radian chief Richard Humphrey, speaking to Robb Report.
“We can go around the planet in about 95 minutes, so a typical trip will probably be three laps.”
Sadly there’s no firm date for when Radian One will be available for commercial trips to space.
The latest Radian One spaceplane design was revealed in April 2024, and the company has now begun early tests of its PFV01 prototype, including taxiing.
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There’s also no word on pricing for tickets yet, but expect it to be very, very high.
