Star Raker

The Star Raker concept was a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spacecraft proposed by Rockwell International in 1979. It was designed to take off and land and fly to orbit like an airplane, using a combination of rocket engines and air-breathing engines. The vehicle was intended to be capable of carrying large payloads, such as Solar Power Satellites, into orbit. The Star Raker concept was proposed as part of a plan to build out a network of 60 Solar Power Satellites to provide electricity to Earth. The spacecraft would take off from a conventional runway and accelerate to supersonic speeds, at which point it would transition to rocket propulsion for the final ascent into orbit. The Star Raker was designed to be reusable and capable of carrying a payload of up to 50,000 pounds (22,680 kg) into low Earth orbit. The Star Raker concept was never realized due to the technological and economic challenges involved in building such a vehicle. The project was considered to be too ambitious and the technolog