This paper represents the personal views of the author and the objectives do not necessarily form any part of current official thinking.

Sooner or later, Europe is going to accept that it must indulge in space exploration and subsequent exploitation if it is not to lose its position as a principal technical community. While it may be conceivable that exploration may be undertaken by “small scale” activities, it is certain that exploitation will require a substantially greater capacity to deploy men and materials in space. This paper demonstrates the approach we would make to the problem of transportation of such payloads, which will be a basic part of such a venture, and the philosophy which leads to this approach.