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 Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

to deploy Marines via

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

to any location on Earth. Project Hot Eagle, launched by the

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...

and the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research and development detachment of the United States Air Force Air Force Materiel Command, Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of direct- ...

, is an investigation into the development and use of suborbital

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle that is designed spaceflight, to fly and operate in outer space. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including Telecommunications, communications, Earth observation satellite, Earth observation, Weather s ...

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 / using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique " feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the r ...

, which could launch a squad on a

suborbital A sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched. Hence, it will not complete one orbital revolution, will no ...

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 v ...

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 Military.com is a website that provides news and information about the United States military, service members, veterans, and their families as well as foreign policy and broader national security issues. Founded in 1999, the site has been a divi ...

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, a division of Informa. The weekly magazine is available in print and online, reporting on the aeros ...

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

See also

References

External links