DOW-UAP-D124

AAWSAP DIRD, Space Access: Where We’ve Been and Where We Could Go, March 2010

Preview description (machine-generated): Two black-and-white photos show a rocket engine and a boost-glide vehicle with text outlining rocket propulsion systems.

Official description

This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD), a technical reference format used by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to capture baseline knowledge on a specific topic for later analytic use. DIRDs are best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research. It is one of 38 DIRDs produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) between 2009 and 2011. Because AAWSAP’s scope permitted a broad range of supporting topics, not every DIRD in the series directly concerns aerospace systems or future threat assessment. The following summary reflects the DIRD’s scope and framing at the time of writing and should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed. This DIRD is a historical and conceptual survey of space access systems, contending that the main barrier to routine access to space is a failure to build durable, reliable, operational hardware and the supporting infrastructure needed for regular service to and from low Earth orbit. The report reviews earlier launch and aerospace concepts, especially reusable and aircraft-like approaches, and suggests that U.S. space access development became too strongly centered on expendable rockets derived from ballistic missiles rather than bespoke systems designed for repeated space access and payload delivery. Its central claim is that meaningful future progress will depend on creating a purpose-built space transportation infrastructure, including frequent round-trip capability and orbital support networks, rather than continuing to rely on one-off launch vehicles. Overall, the document presents a forceful case for infrastructure-first space development, though its characterization of past technological choices is more assertive than a fully neutral account of past U.S. space programming.

Reproduced verbatim from the releasing agency.

AI summary

This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD) that outlines the historical and conceptual barriers to routine access to space, attributing these challenges to an over-reliance on expendable rockets instead of developing a robust space transportation infrastructure. It emphasizes the need for innovative systems designed for repeated space access and payload delivery to foster future advancements in aerospace capabilities. The insights provided are intended for analytical purposes regarding U.S. space development during the period discussed.