Artist's impression of a possible design for the experimental X-30 National Aerospace Plane (NASP), a vehicle that would be capable of operating as an airplane at hypersonic speeds (6,400 to 12,800 km/hr) in the upper atmosphere as well as acting as a space launch vehicle, flying from a runway take-off directly into orbit and returning for a conventional airport landing. In this artist's impression, the X-30 is about to rendezvous with an orbiting satellite.