Air Force Working on Dyan-Soar Successor

The USAF is conducting drop tests of an unmanned space plane (Paid Subscription Required) as a prelude to launching a full up variant on an Atlas missile.

Aerodynamically, it's very similar to the shuttle, in fact, they are hoping to reuse the control laws for reentry.

The issues of handling reentry and landing of an unmanned system have been solved before, albeit by the Soviets, when they did this on an unmanned test flight, actually the only flight, of their Buran shuttle.

Flight after helicopter drop.


Automated landing.


A better view of its configuration, showing its Shuttle-style double delta wings.


Concept of craft in orbit


Dyna-Soar Concept, Circa 1962