Robert: Your note seemed to indicate that Pioneer Rocketplane was either
struggling or dead. But according to Mitchell Burnside Clapp, Pioneer is
doing well and in fact had a record sales year last year. What did you
mean when you said, "Pioneer found that there wasn't?"

Ron Menich

"Clements, Robert"
ssi_list@... ssi_list@...
03/28/01 09:09 PM
Please respond to
ssi_list

...
replacement of engines - even Pioneer only expected their engines to last 8
flights, if i remember rightly... never guaranteed); any continuing launch
infrastructure costs your booster may require; & of course the increased
flight insurance costs when your very expensive reueseable is the company's
only way of getting into space. Regular launch turn around makes these
numbers better; but even assuming Pioneer's goal - one launch every 14d -
the question of market elasticity looms large: are there really 26 payloads
out there to fly on a RLV which can't be booster cheaper on a exSoviet
rocket?

Pioneer found that there wasn't.

...

All the best,
Robert Clements Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>

>
> Robert: Your note seemed to indicate that Pioneer Rocketplane was
either
> struggling or dead. But according to Mitchell Burnside Clapp,
Pioneer is
> doing well and in fact had a record sales year last year. What
did you
> mean when you said, "Pioneer found that there wasn't?"
>
> Ron Menich

It's not hiring; it's not building - it is raising funds for more
technical & feasibility studies; & signing a few non binding
agreements with would be clients. It's a great launch concept which
deserves to succeed; but is no more active in any financially real
sense than Jim Benson's NEAP proposal.

I accept that Pioneer isn't financially kaput like Rotory is,
though....

Robert.