NASAs Space Shuttleoperated in low-Earth orbit for 30 years before its retirement in 2011.
China has its ownmilitary spaceplane called Shenlong.
A runway also allows ground support crews and infrastructure to be ready at the landing location.
Conceptual image of Dream Chaser in orbit.Image: Sierra Space
Cost and complexity
But spaceplanes are more complex and heavier than an equivalent capsule.
These additional costs mean its impractical to design a spaceplane for a single flight.
They need to be used again and again to be viable.
There has been interest in spaceplanes from the earliest days of human spaceflight.
A military spaceplane project calledDyna-Soarwas started in the U.S. in 1957, then cancelled just after construction started.
The Space Shuttle, which entered service in 1981, was the first operational spaceplane.
It did, however, demonstrate the ability to return astronauts and large cargo from orbit.
Both programs were cancelled in large part because of cost.
The Soviet Union developed its ownshuttle-like vehicle called Buran, which successfully flew to space once in 1988.
The programme was cancelled after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
But newer spaceplane designs will fly atop conventional rockets, where falling foam isnt a problem.
Little information is available on Chinas Shenlong, butthe U.S. militarys X-37Bis better known.
The ability to return comparatively fragile cargo to the surface because of a softer landing is a key capability.
The demand for this capability is limited now.
Longer term, there is also potential for spaceplanes capable of reaching orbit after taking off from a runway.
The challenges of developing these single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles is considerable.
This article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license.
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