Europe Proposes Winged, Mid-Air-Recovered Heavy-Lift to Rival Starship

European researchers outline the RLV C5, a concept for a fully reusable first-stage derived from the SpaceLiner paired with an expendable upper stage, which would use wings and a carrier aircraft to capture the stage in mid-air and could carry up to 77 tons to orbit—about 74% of its total mass—potentially offering a cheaper, smaller alternative to SpaceX's Starship. The design is still theoretical, and realization would require significant investment and years of development as Europe seeks independent access to space.