Aerospace

One engine, some propellant, a hundred and fifty kilometres of sky. The pad crew would like the rocket to actually leave the pad this time.

Four hundred kilometres. Last week's vehicle had thrust to spare and still ended up flying sideways through its own exhaust.

Two and a half thousand kilometres, on a budget that will not stretch to one enormous rocket. There is another way to buy altitude.

Put the satellite in orbit: a hundred kilometres up and 7.6 km/s sideways. Altitude was never the hard part.

Same satellite, same orbit, two thirds of the money. Accounting has been through your last design with a red pen.