The New Space Race: A Case for Innovation

This article describes the current commercial space-race lead by companies like Scaled Composites and Space X. It considers how these are unlikely to provide mass-access to space without the development of air-breathing engines. The scramjet is discussed and its technical challenges outlined. It is pointed out that radical new propulsion technologies have been suggested, but not yet explored, and that these could potentially lead to working engines which could yet lead to a revolution in space travel.