Vanguard Advanced Systems wants to build the first single stage to orbit spaceplane

Students from the University of Manchester intend to build the world’s first successful spaceplane. These are reusable vehicles that can take off from conventional runways, enter orbit around the Earth, and return back to the ground. No spaceplane built so far can accomplish all of these. Some take off vertically, using rockets for achieving spaceflight, and others merely leave the atmosphere of the Earth, but not enter into orbit around it.

The single stage to orbit (SSTO) spaceplane, if built, will be the first of its kind. The vehicle will have the capability of spaceflight, but can operate as regular aircraft, and land on conventional runways in cities around the world. This will make access to space much cheaper. The students intend to use the spaceplane to launch nanosatellites, for conducting experiments that need the low gravity environment in space, and to collect debris in space for recycling.

Leading the team is Adriano Parisi, who says “We aim to make our spaceplane a dedicated CubeSat launcher, dramatically reducing the cost of launching a CubeSat into low Earth orbit (LEO). This will allow smaller organisations to launch their own satellites for a fraction of the current cost. This would make affordable space access a reality for the space industry, including universities, research institutions, government agencies, and commercial companies.”

The students have set up a start-up company known as  Vanguard Advanced Systems (VAS)  to build the spaceplane, and there is an ongoing Kickstarter to fund the project.