The National Space Transportation Policy establishes national policy, guidelines, and implementing actions for the conduct of National space transportation programs that will sustain and revitalize U.S. space transportation capabilities... . The direction to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to provide for the improvement of the Space Shuttle system focusing on reliability, safety, and cost effectiveness. as well as be the lead agency for technology development and demonstration for next generation reusable space transportation systems, such as the single-stage-to-orbit concept.
With this vision, NASA has initiated Cooperative Agreement Notices between NASA and the private sector for X-33 (Reusable Launch Vehicle-Advanced Technology Demonstrator) and X-34 (Reusable Launch Vehicle-Small Reusable Booster) which would provide insight to a decision by December 1996 to proceed with sub-scale flight demonstration to prove the single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) concept. This paper deals with operational issues which must be dealt with in order to achieve SSTO goals of reliable low cost space transportation and order of magnitude reductions in operating costs
