Re: Acceptable launching area
There is a strong preference for recovering LOHAN completely dry and ready for a possible relaunch. Getting a boat to be in EXACTLY the right spot upon landing is very very very tricky indeed even if things go 100% according to plan (Big ocean, tiny spaceplane, tiny landing spot). Landing in salt water makes the entire plane a write-off. So SPB would like to launch the plane somewhere far away from the nearest bit of water and preferably far away from large expanses of high growth leafed vegetation (trees).
Most of Europe is out because of regulations, difficult terrain, lots of water, lack of access to the rocket motor or a combination of all of the above and more. Maybe launching it in Australia is an option? Other than than that the only large, flat open bits of the world are in Africa (either remote inaccessible terrain or political/safety problems), South America (lots of inaccessible terrain), Russia (good luck getting permisson and getting the needed materials without ending in a Gulag) and maybe China (again, access and permissions are a problem).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
