Care, referenced article is some way down a very, verrry long page. I'm on broadband, but had to twiddle my thumbs while stuff loaded.
Hitching onto a non-rotating M 8 tether then being reeled up to orbit sounds fun !!
FWIW, you'll pass a piece on Reaction Engine's cheerful progress with Skylon: 2019, they reckon, with no new tech...