载人航天飞行始于本世纪六十年代,那时,英国的工业部门也制定了许多方案,但都只是“纸上谈兵”。最近两年来,英国宇航动力公司、空间和通信公司制定了研制一种单级、不载人、可重复使用运载器的计划,它不仅是创造性的航天运载器,而且可获得较好的飞行效果。最终,这种航天运载器将改成能把宇航员和乘客送入轨道的运输器。这种运载器被命名为“HOTOL”,即:水平起落式空天飞机。人们预测,用这种空天飞机发射卫星比使用美国的航天飞机 Manned spacecraft began in the 1960s, when Britain’s industrial sector also developed many programs, but only “on paper”. In the last two years, Aerospace Power, space and communications companies have devised plans to develop a single-stage, unmanned, reusable vehicle that is not only a creative space vehicle but also delivers better flight results . Eventually, the space vehicle will be converted into a transporter that can bring astronauts and passengers into orbit. This carrier was named “HOTOL”, namely: horizontal landing space plane. It is predicted that the space shuttle will be used to launch satellites rather than the U.S. space shuttle