Reusable Space Planes Challenges And Control Problems

The possible directions of development of space launch technology, including space launch to suborbital trajectory, in order to reduce the specific cost of launch at the expense of the majority of reusable carrier components, are analyzed. Opportunities of providing reusability for horizontal and vertical launch are compared. The experience of soft landing of the first stage of Falcon 9-R rocket of US firm SpaceX is taken into account. The requirements to the air breathing engine, which could provide an economical horizontal launch, are considered. The requirements for the engine could be reduced for suborbital launch, and in this simplified case they could be fulfilled well already at the present stage of development of aerospace technologies. The proposed principles of reusable HTHL system "WIG-craft +Aerospace Plane" are described and its advantages over the vertical launch systems are considered.