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by uranium 1938 days ago
Just to make this explicit: you're designing a second stage that will initially fly on some other company's first stage? Given the tight integration between stages on current launchers, does that tie you to a single launch provider?
2 comments

SNC's Dream Chaser is the only active vehicle I can think of that can fly on any rocket. But Dream Chaser is more like a 3rd stage than a 2nd stage, so it's not a direct comp.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking: swapping out a third stage is a much easier prospect; it's just a bulky payload for a 2-stage rocket. But they're saying second stage, so...
Definitely agree the first and second stages should be purpose-built!