This was a time when cellular systems were just getting into cities, but had limited coverage outside metropolitan areas. Most of the world did not have instant mobile communications access for business and personal use. Launch vehicle entrepreneurs saw an opportunity to provide cheap access to space by developing reusable launch systems.

By the early 1990s, we saw a half dozen startup companies raising capital in order to develop reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). Of the many who tried, Kistler Aerospace was the leader in finding investors and raised several hundred million dollars in an effort to create a two-stage fully-reusable system, the K-1. Kistler was the best funded and had the most credible design of all the new companies.

Unfortunately, we will never know if that design would have worked. Several adverse events resulted in the ultimate demise of the Kistler enterprise. Development costs exceeded available capital. Design changes added to the costs. And, finally, the satellite telecom industry went bust as the new century started.

Thus, the market for reusable launch systems disappeared and capital markets dried up. Kistler and other startup companies eventually dissolved and "RLV fever" subsided.

Since the early 2000s there has been renewed interest in reusable systems. The Air Force continues to pursue reusable stages for military applications, but little progress has been made toward any operational systems.

The private sector is focused on suborbital launch systems for human tourism. The good news is that human space tourism represents a potentially huge market and entrepreneurs are working on operational passenger flights that may begin soon. The bad news is that reusable flights to orbit, either uncrewed or crewed, still await the impetus needed to raise enough capital to develop such systems.

What is needed to get the ball rolling? The answer is simple. RLV needs a "killer" space application that is best served by RLV systems. Today, there is no such application. However, that could all change rather rapidly. For example, as space debris continues to clog low Earth orbits, one day several hundred valuable space assets may have to be moved to lower orbits.

This reconstitution of space assets would likely lead to launching several hundred satellites for an indefinite period of time. RLVs are ideally suited for low orbit injection and the high frequency of launches would justify the large development cost. Each flight could be as low as 20% of today's cost. Another scenario that could justify RLV development is popular human tourism to orbit.

So, RLV lovers, there is hope. Don't give up.

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