Small Unit Space Transport and INsertion or SUSTAIN is a concept first proposed in 2002 by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

to deploy Marines via

spaceflight Spaceflight (or space flight) is an application of astronautics to fly spacecraft into or through outer space, either with or without humans on board. Most spaceflight is uncrewed and conducted mainly with spacecraft such as satellites in o ...

to any location on Earth. Project Hot Eagle, launched by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...

, is an investigation into the development and use of suborbital

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

to fulfill this vision. Hot Eagle would use a craft based on a design similar to

Space Ship One SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (900 m/s, 3240 km/h), using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique "feathering" at ...

, which could launch a squad on a suborbital trajectory in two stages and deliver them anywhere on two hours' notice. Delivery of soldiers by rocket has been proposed before, including by General John B. Medaris, head of the

Army Ballistic Missile Agency The Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) was formed to develop the U.S. Army's first large ballistic missile. The agency was established at Redstone Arsenal on 1 February 1956, and commanded by Major General John B. Medaris with Wernher von ...

in the 1950s. The lander itself is designed to hold a 13-man squad and land in almost any terrain at any time, avoiding diplomatic concern for airspace rights.

References

* * *

External links

* {{Cite web , date=July 10, 2006 , title=Marines Want Spaceplane , url=http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,104739,00.html , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125110855/http://www.military.com/features/0%2C15240%2C104739%2C00.html , archive-date=25 Jan 2007 , website= Military.com
Future Launch - A few visionary Marines would take expeditionary warfare to new heights
Navy League of the United States, February 2006
Military space systems: the road ahead
The Space Review, February 27, 2006
Marines eyeing a ride in space: Trading Muddy Boots for Moon Boots
(subscription required)

Aviation Week ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'', often abbreviated ''Aviation Week'' or ''AW&ST'', is the flagship magazine of the Aviation Week Network. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aerospace, defense and aviatio ...

, September 12, 2005 Airborne warfare United States Marine Corps in the 21st century DARPA United States Air Force

See also

References

External links