Spaceplane

A Spaceplane is an Interfacecraft, a craft designed to operate well in both an atmosphere and in the vacuum.

• It is a kind of vehicle that is both an aircraft and spacecraft rolled into one.

Description (Specifications)

An Interfacecraft is a kind of vehicle or technological device, intended to convey sophonts from one location to another.

• It conveys its passengers and cargo between the mediums of a planetary atmosphere and the vacuum of near orbit.

Selected Spaceplanes

Some more noted spaceplanes used throughout Charted Space include:
Spaceplanes:

1. Daytona class Orbital Fighter/Interceptor
2. Melbourne class Hypersonic Suborbital Liner
3. Omicron class Heavy Lander
4. Reno class Hypersonic Fighter/Interceptor

History & Background (Dossier)

Many technologists do not consider spaceplanes viable until the TL:7-9 technological epoch, and even then it can be dicey. Other technologists claim that prototype spaceplanes may be possible within the TL:4-6 tech epoch.

Typical Spaceplane Development Sequence

• Rocket → Aircraft → Shuttle → Spaceplane → G-Carrier → Advanced G-Carrier

Technological Overview of Spaceplanes

TL:7-9:
Most sophont societies first reach space using multiple stage rockets and the idea of SSTO (Single Stage to Orbit or a Spaceplane) spaceflight remains an elusive goal for many TL:7-9 sophont societies. Early prototype gravcraft simply lack the performance to achieve orbital breakout on all but the smallest of planets. And the efficiencies of transatmospheric flight using multiple stage launches is hard to beat with period engineering.

TL:10-12:
By the TL:10-12 tech epoch, gravitics enables and complicates the spaceplane's construction. It also blurs the pictures as air/rafts and G-carriers can achieve the same thing (air-space performance) although often with lesser performance envelopes.

TL:13-15:
By the TL:13-15 tech epoch, the performance of Z-Drives, advanced speeders, high performance G-Carriers, and more capable technology effectively makes all craft capable spaceplanes. The difference between planetary atmospheric and orbital vacuum flight becomes moot and the term begins to disappear from vocabularies and textbooks.

TL:16-18:
It is projected that nearly all vehicles and crafts will have spaceplane capabilities in this technological epoch. Many estimate that Gravitic Control Technology will be relatively cheap and widely available by this time.

References & Contributors (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), TBD.
• Terrance McInnes. COACC (Game Designers Workshop, 1989), TBD.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science