An alternative to Hermes a solution for the European space industry

A variety of valuable roles can be foreseen during the next two decades for a reusable, piloted launch vehicle with a small payload. The authors argue that unfortunately, as currently proposed, the Hermes-Ariane 5 vehicle will not be able to fill the roles required. The authors propose a reusable aerospace transporter-a variant of Hermes - which will provide a solution and allow Europe to take the lead in developing the first fully reusable launch vehicle.