Key quote on RLVs
From Chase and Tang's definitive study on RLV tehcnological constraints:
"The current cost and schedule projections for a TSTO reusable launch vehicle are in
the range of $30 billion to $50 billion and will need between 10 -15 years to develop. The
business case for private industry to develop either a SSTO or TSTO RLV cannot be
made with current mission model projections."
Perhaps Rutan may come up with another solution than those examined by Chase and Tang, or he may come up with a solution with a limited payload and fundtionality.