Pioneer Rocketplane alive and well

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

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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.

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