If we build a maglev catapult about 100 miles long and ending about twenty miles up, and if we arrange for a partial vacuum in the catapult by enclosing it in a tube and leaving it open at the top, we could launch all we want into space fast and cheap. A second stage rocket would be needed, but the first stage would be replaced entirely by the maglev tube. Launch acceleration would be tolerable for a human crew. This project could be built now. Estimate of the price?
$10 billion?