DARPA is developing a reusable drone to deliver satellites into orbit

DARPA recently published information about its next project, a supersonic UAV, which, according to the plan, should "throw" satellites into orbit. It is calculated that the cost of such delivery will be ten times lower than in the case of the usual process of space transportation of cargo.

Of course, the idea is still in the concept state, however, DARPA is already engaged in calculating the possibility of implementing such a project. By the way, the project has already received the name, XS-1 (Experimental Spaceplane). Such an orbiter will be able to throw small and medium satellites into low orbit.
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It should be noted that earlier the same NASA had a similar project that appeared in 1999. That project was called the Kh-34, and its development stopped due to the high cost of the project. Then another project, the Kh-37B, appeared, within which it was planned to create a robotic spacecraft that could remain in orbit for months and years. None of these projects was implemented, for a number of reasons, the main one of which was an insufficient amount of finance.

Perhaps the project XS-1 is still "born", and the orbital supersonic drone will work. In the meantime, the authors of the project discuss its details, so that it is still quite far from the implementation stage.

Via DARPA