A reusable two-stage-to-orbit manned space plane is planned to launch vertically, though a horizontal takeoff may also be considered. In either case, both its booster stage and the 60-foot-long (18 m) orbiter it carries would land on a runway. While launching a space shuttle by making it take off from a runway like an airplane is not an entirely ridiculous idea, the technical ramifications of such a launch are far too complex, and the costs associated are much, much higher than the conventional vertical launch. Vertical rocket powered landing is more reliable than parachutes and only adds fuel, no extra hardware mass.