Therefore, the penalty for return is not very large, taking into account the fact that the heat-shield is used as nozzle structure. Development problems and costs 4.1. The flight test facilities and operations required for the BETA Shuttle Concept are certainly considerably less complex and less costly than for a two-stage winged system. Ablative vs. hydrogen-cooled metal shields have to be investigated. This includes engine development and fabrication of three vehicles.
Operations cost The specific transportation cost are influenced by the vehicle size, resp.
The development of a single stage ballistic space shuttle is feasible with the present technology. The single-stage concept allows new possibilities for launch ranges since no danger by expendable parts or stages has to be expected. This means that launches from and landings within Europe would be feasible. From the very principle the BETA Concept seems to be the final solution for the space transportation problem since it combines operational simplicity with lowest cost both for development and specific payload cost. It is worth further investigation.