[ProtectOurFreedom]

A monster aircraft air-drops a three stage rocket to get a small payload to low earth orbit? Does that make any sense at all?

[T-Bone Texan]

Maybe the stages are smaller.

Whatever the case, Launching a rocket from 50,000 feet vs 0 feet seems like it would save a lot of rocket fuel and thus weight.

[Delta 21]

Only if you’re not the one paying for it.

[75thOVI]

If you need to get a recon or communications bird into orbit Right Now, it would be invaluable. Maybe to replace something that the Chinese or Russians “accidentally” blew out of the sky. That Any Time, Any Orbit concept would be a major selling point.

[Salgak]

The vast majority of a rocket’s fuel is to get it moving in the first place, and get it through the densest part of the atmosphere.

Launching at 400-500 knots at 40K gets you past that, and the aircraft first stage is both totally and almost immediately re-useable (i.e. refuel, crew change, and mount new vehicle. . .)

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

A monster aircraft air-drops a three stage rocket to get a small payload to low earth orbit? Does that make any sense at all?

If the aircraft has a good service life, it makes perfect sense. You are not sending up disposable lifting bodies time and again. Like the shuttle, everything is reusable so all you are using is fuel and whatever maintenance the aircraft requires. It makes sense to me. If it works.