Interorbital will be conducting engine tests over the next few months for its SeaStar launch vehicle, Flight Global reports. If the tests are successful, the California company could conduct flight tests of the rocket off the California coast at the end of the year.
The company is planning to launch a lunar sample return mission in 2010. It is offering advanced sales of its lunar samples at a mere $3.375 million per pound or (for you metric fans out there) $7,500 per gram. This represents a 25 percent discount on the full rate. And you only have to put 10 percent down now.
Destiny Space Press Release
Houston, Texas (PRWEB) February 22, 2008 – DestinySpace Enterprises (DSE), www.destinyspace.com, the world’s leader in space tourism retail, announced today that it has formed a strategic alliance with Mojave-based rocket manufacturer and launch provider Interorbital Systems (IOS), www.interorbital.com, to market IOS’ low-cost commercial orbital space tourism and satellite launch services.
DSE’s subsidiary Orbital Expeditions (Orbex) will act as an official booking agent for IOS’ orbital payload launch services and week-long orbital spaceflight expeditions. Augmenting the sales force of Astro Expeditions LLC, IOS’ in-house marketing arm, DSE will provide a ‘reservations portal’ for orbital crew and cargo spaceflight services to a wider customer base. Clients will include government, academia, commercial firms and space tourists.
Continue reading ‘Interorbital Systems Taps Destiny Space to Book Space Tourism and Sat Launches’
Interorbital Press Release
Mojave, CA, February 19, 2008—-Interorbital Systems (IOS) today made public the design of its manned orbital launch vehicle, Neptune, and passed a major milestone by completing the propellant tank construction of its Sea Star MSLV (microsatellite launch vehicle). Sea Star is a subscale version of and testbed for the Neptune six-passenger orbital tourism ship. Both vehicles employ a novel modular, pressure-fed, two-stage-and-a-half-to-orbit configuration. “IOS is now one step closer to the flight-test phase, and one step closer to launching its orbital tourism services. The Sea Star launches will flight-test and space-validate many of the rocket system design elements that the follow-on vehicle, Neptune, will use.” said Roderick Milliron, IOS President and Chief Design Engineer.
Continue reading ‘Interorbital Releases Design for Orbital Neptune Space Tourism Vehicle’
