Posted on May 14, 2013, at 9:27 am .
Credit: Twentieth Century Fox
I was awaken early this morning by a great disturbance in the Force. It was as if hundreds of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced by the sound of heads banging against walls.
If like me, you heard those blood-curdling sounds echoing across the Mojave Desert this morning, you probably knew instantly what had happened. Somewhere, somehow and for reasons known only to himself, Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson had made yet another very difficult to meet prediction for the start of SpaceShipTwo’s commercial flights.
Ah, just another day here in paradise.
Continue reading ‘Richard Branson’s Christmas Wish: A Flight into Space’
Posted on May 13, 2013, at 11:22 am .
SpaceShipTwo burning rubber — literally. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
While in Singapore for an environmental summit organized by the Carbon War Room charity he founded, Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson touted the environmental friendliness of his rubber burning SpaceShipTwo vehicle:
British billionaire Richard Branson today said that rocket-powered space tourism flights by his firm Virgin Galactic would have only a minor impact on climate change….
“We have reduced the (carbon emission) cost of somebody going into space from something like two weeks of New York’s electricity supply… To less than the cost of a economy round-trip from Singapore to London,” Branson told reporters in Singapore…..
“New technology can dramatically reduce the carbon output and that is the challenge we have set ourselves,” added Branson.
The SS2′s lightweight carbon-fibre body will also “reduce fuel burn dramatically”, he said.
Well, that’s interesting. Now, where to begin?
Continue reading ‘Branson Touts Environmentally Benign Rubber Burning Engine’
Posted on May 10, 2013, at 5:29 pm .
SpaceShipTwo in its first powered flight over Mojave.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
Last week, I got to see close-up views of the power of the emerging suborbital space industry in two very different locations some 300 miles apart.
Monday was all about SpaceShipTwo, which lit its engine for the first time over the dusty Mojave Desert and provided viewers on the ground with a 16-second display of flames and black smoke. The little space plane soared skyward above its WhiteKnightTwo carrier plane before gliding to a perfect landing on the center line of Runway 30 at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Continue reading ‘The Power of the Suborbital Experiments Market is Growing’
Posted on May 8, 2013, at 11:40 am .
SpaceShipTwo in powered flight. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic’s Steve Landeene is over at the Global Space and Satellite Forum in Abu Dhabi this week, where he talked about the company’s plans for a spaceport there. The highlights:
- Space tourists could begin flying into space from Abu Dhabi beginning in the 2015-2016 time frame.
- A decision is still pending on whether to fly from an existing airport or to build a spaceport from scratch.
- “The most likely way forward is phased approach, starting with an existing infrastructure and then migration as you become more established.”
- No regulatory framework yet exists in the United Arab Emirates to support spaceflight.
- ITAR and MTCR are hurdles to exporting SpaceShipTwo, WhiteKnightTwo and LauncherOne overseas.
- There is a possibility that SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo could be manufactured in the UAE.
- Virgin Galactic is working with Khalifa University on developing an educational program that would fly experiments into space.
Aabar Investments, a company owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has put up most of the money for the development of SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo. Aabar has invested $490 million in Virgin Galactic and owns 37.8 percent of the company. The investment includes $390 million for an equity share in Virgin Galactic and $100 million to fund LauncherOne.
Read the full story.
Posted on May 7, 2013, at 10:14 am .
MOJAVE, Calif. (Virgin Galactic PR) – Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, announced today that pilots Frederick “CJ” Sturckow and Michael “Sooch” Masucci have been selected to join its commercial flight team. As Virgin Galactic clears its final flight test program milestones with powered flight tests now under way, the necessary addition of new pilots will enable the company to meet the test schedule demands and prepare for subsequent commercial operations.
Continue reading ‘Virgin Galactic Hires NASA Space Shuttle Vet, Private Jet Pilot’
Posted on May 6, 2013, at 9:36 am .
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 6, 2013 (Space Florida PR) – State lawmakers have shown strong support for Florida’s aerospace industry in the 2013 Legislative Session by renewing Space Florida’s $10 million operating and business development budget (including the second year of $4 million in recurring funds). This demonstrates that the ongoing, proactive development of the dynamic aerospace industry in our state is a top priority.
Continue reading ‘Space Florida Gets Budget Boost’
Posted on May 1, 2013, at 12:57 pm .
Credit: Ken Brown
A couple of brief notes on Monday’s SpaceShipTwo flight.
There was a public and press viewing site set up along the Mojave Air and Space Port’s flight line that a provided a great view of the flights of WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. The airport did a good job in situating the viewing area and guiding visitors there so they could get a view of the test flight.
From what I have been hearing, things ran smoothly for both visitors and employees of companies who work at the spaceport. Flight test operations in Mojave require a great deal of support from General Manager Stu Witt and his staff. The test flight on Monday — which brought the public, press and VIPs to the airport — put an even greater burden on the staff. They performed well.
My only real criticism is that I wish the arrangements for the public and press had been better communicated in advance. The announcements were not very clear and left room for misinterpretation.
I’m partly to blame for some of the miscommunication. I took what I read and heard and then drew entirely wrong conclusions about how the press and public would be accommodated. Instead of taking the time to clarify the story as I should have, I ran with it and ended up causing more confusion. That wasn’t fair to the public or the airport.
I apologize for that. I will do better in the future.
Posted on April 30, 2013, at 8:41 pm .
Credit: Ken Brown
WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo Flight Test Summary
Via Scaled Composites
| Flight: |
115/PF01 |
| Date: |
29 Apr 13 |
| SS 2 Flight Time: |
13 min |
| SS2 Pilot: |
Stucky |
SS2 Co-pilot: |
Alsbury |
| WK2 Pilot: |
Mackay |
WK2 Co-pilot: |
Nichols |
WK2 FTE: |
Maisler |
| WK2 Flight Time: |
1.5 hours |
| GS Crew: |
Tighe, Shane, Bourgeois, Reid, Knupp, Bassett, Jaster, Bozarth, Gould, Colby, Zeeb, Morgan, Verderame, Keller, Cassebeer, Kalogiannis, Withrow, Kroese, Flynn |
Objectives:
First powered flight
Launch weight expansion
Supersonic aero expansion (16 sec burn)
q structural expansion
Results:
Monday we “lit the candle” for the first time. SS2 control and handling was very positive during its first supersonic, rocket-powered flight. The motor operated as designed and provided a smooth but noticeable/ significant push through the sound barrier. The boost was terminated at the intended shutdown duration of 16 seconds. Trajectory was nominal with Mike & Mark topping out at 1.22 Mach and 56,200 feet. Post shutdown glide was nominal. The vehicle and the team performed as expected – excellent! We’d like to thank our team, our many vendors, and the support of Virgin for making today a possibility. The fun has only just begun!
Posted on April 30, 2013, at 1:00 pm .
SpaceShipTwo in its first powered flight over Mojave.
Sparks, NV, April 29, 2013 (SNC PR) – Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Space Systems is proud to announce that its Hybrid Rocket Motor propelled Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (SS2) sub-orbital vehicle on its first ever powered flight. SNC’s hybrid propulsion system is the largest hybrid ever used for space vehicle propulsion.
SNC manufactures two major subsystems on the SpaceShipTwo vehicle including the main oxidizer valve and the hybrid rocket motor, plus nitrous oxide dump system and nitrous oxide pressurization system control valves.
Continue reading ‘SNC: Yeah, We Lit that Candle and it Worked, Baby!’
Posted on April 29, 2013, at 9:09 pm .
Sir Richard Branson and daughter, Holly, look through the window of a SpaceShipTwo shell. (Photo credit: Mark Greenberg/Virgin Galactic)
Although Virgin Galactic has promised to eventually lower prices on its suborbital space tourism flights aboard SpaceShipTwo, it looks like prices are actually going up 25 percent in the near term.
In an interview broadcast Monday night on KABC-TV 7 News Los Angeles, Branson said a seat on the suborbital space plane would now cost $250,000 — an increase of $50,000 from the price the company has been advertising for eight years.
Now, does that seem a bit counter-intuitive, wouldn’t it? Absolutely. But, this is actually a clever marketing move. How so? Now, you really didn’t think I’d tell you before the break, did you?
Read on.
Continue reading ‘Reserve Your SpaceShipTwo Seat Now — Big Price Increase Coming Soon’
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