XS-1

If this was anyone else than DARPA it appears a hoax to dig at Elon Musk and SpaceX

See darpa.mil (External Link)

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane

The Pentagon’s DARPA wants the XS-1 to fly 10 times within 10 days, The contractor has to show that the vessel can fly at 10 times the speed of sound Mach 10+ or more(hypersonic). The agency also wants the contractors to show that they can actually launch a real 3,000-pound to 5,000-pound satellite into orbit during their demonstration. To top it off, it all has to cost less than $5 million for each flight by 2018.

A Mack 10 drone would launch a rocket carrying a satellite. Once the rocket has been launched, the drone would head for home and land like a normal plane. Meanwhile, the rocket would continue into space and place the satellite into orbit.

As of 15 July 2014 DARPA has awarded contracts to six companies in three teams

Boeing— Blue Origin. (Jeff Bezos)

Masten Space System—XCOR Aerospace.

Northrop Grumman-Virgin Galactic. (Richard Branson)

Phase 1 of the XS-1 program is scheduled to last 13 months, with vehicle construction and flight demonstration.

Phase 2, DARPA will select one design

Masten Space Systems XS-1 concept vehicle. (23 July 14)

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation with Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic preliminary design artwork (19Aug14)

Boeing Phantom Express (External link)

X51 Missile