Reducing the high costs of placing a satellite into orbit has been a major goal for the aerospace industry for years. The current cost of sending up a satellite starts at a couple thousand dollars per kilogram on unmanned, expendable boosters like the Atlas and Delta. Reusable launch vehicles (RLVs), however, could put satellites in orbit for significantly less.

At least one of these promising new rockets is preparing to fly. Roton, which is being built by Redwood City, Calif.-based Rotary Rocket Co., is ready to begin atmospheric test flights. If all goes according to plan, the cone-shaped Roton will take off like an ordinary, single-stage rocket. After delivering its satellite payload in orbit, the vehicle will re-enter the atmosphere, sprouting a set of rotor blades that allow it to land like a helicopter.