Virgin Galactic Founder Richard Branson with Marsha Waters, the 600th ticketholder on SpaceShipTwo. (Credit: The Virgin Group)
LONDON (VIRGIN GALACTIC PR) – Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and Virgin Galactic, announced Monday, June 17, that the company’s 600th Future Astronaut is Marsha Waters, the owner of an accounting services company based in Blackpool, United Kingdom. Waters, 42, embodies the next generation of women in space: private individuals who are passionate about experiencing space travel for themselves.
Waters first took an interest in Virgin Galactic in 2010 and has been following its progress ever since.
Le Bourget, 17 June 2013. Swiss Space Systems – S3, the fledgling Swiss aerospace company, was officially launched on 13 March this year. Its goal is to develop, manufacture, certify and operate unmanned suborbital shuttles to launch small satellites up to 250 kg by 2018.
With the development phase well under way, the firm is announcing today a new partnership – with Thales Alenia Space, a leading developer and manufacturer of pressurised modules, notably for the international space station. These partnerships will enable S3 to move ahead with the plan to launch small satellites and enter the next stage of developing a manned version of its suborbital shuttle. The latter will enable the company to offer a very high speed mode of passenger transportation.
Marie-Francoise Le Cornec Age: 74 Occupation: Pilot
“I am a flight addict!”
1. You have recently purchased a space ticket with SXC, what did this moment mean to you?
It was a very important moment for me.
I have flown so many times in a different aircraft and I was looking for the ultimate flight experience. That’s when my chief pilot told me that I should embark on a space flight and that it was now possible. I always thought I would not be able to undertake such a journey in this lifetime, and now look at me, I will be doing it! It’s great!
Dallas, TX, June 14, 2013 (Citizens in Space PR) – Space isn’t just for governments and large corporations.
Citizen scientists and hardware hackers will learn how to do “space on the cheap” at a two-day Space Hacker Workshop in Dallas. Participants at the workshop will learn how they can build and fly experiments in space, and even fly in space as citizen astronauts, through the Citizens in Space program.
Artist conception of Spacefleet’s EARL vehicle. (Credit: Spacefleet)
Wiltshire, England (Spacefleet PR) – We have recently found a contractor and agreed terms on building a scale model of the EARL spacecraft, Kingfisher Aviation. (http://www.kingfisher-aviation.com/)
“We have been involved RC Modelling now for over 40 years having started in RC cars which lead to world and European championship wins and running many success teams in rc racing, But our first love was always the aeromodelling scene so like most RC Modellers we started on full builds from a plan and a pile of balsa, but have realised over the years that this is fine if you have the time and room. We have built a number of kits and loved every minute of building them, but with the introduction of some very good scale ARTF’s onto the market it meant that you could now take a proven airframe and do what you wanted with it in half the time if you had the skills.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sen. Bill Nelson PR) - Not just tourism, but university classes in space are right around the corner. That’s what came to light in testimony today at a U.S. Senate hearing on the looming commercial uses of space.
In fact, at least one well-known American university already has made a down payment on a Virgin Galactic flight. That’s the company that just two weeks ago launched SpaceShip Two and completed its first rocket-powered flight.
“Purdue has a down payment on a spot on a Virgin Galactic science flight,” Dr. Steven Collicott testified at Thursday’s Senate hearing. “ … And I do look forward to the day a potential Ph.D. student walks into my office and says, “Well, professor, I flew into space for my Master’s degree. What do you have to offer?”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and XCOR Chief Pilot Rick Searfoss examine a mockup of the Lynx. (Credit: XCOR)
Via Clark Lindsey over at NewSpaceWatch, here’s the latest news from Hollywood:
Cinipix, a vertically integrated production, acquisition and distribution company headed by CEO Todd Slater (Ray, Raze), announced today that it has joined forces with Patricia A Beninati and Michael K Anderson’s Centerboro Productions to produce the sci-fi action film “Newcomers” and will send XCOR Aerospace’s commercial spacecraft, the Lynx, into space to shoot exclusive footage for the film.
The Lynx will be piloted by former NASA Astronaut Col. Richard A. Searfoss on an expedition marking the first Hollywood involvement for a privately owned space company, as well as first-of-its kind brand integration.
Specific plot details are being kept under wraps, however “Newcomers” will tell the story of a former NASA Astronaut who saves the Earth from an alien invasion with help from the commercial space industry (XCOR Aerospace).
Video Caption: If you’ve ever dreamed of soaring to the stars, liftoff may be coming sooner than you think. Just ask XCOR’s Chief Test Engineer Doug Jones, who has designed a commercial suborbital spaceship that can fly up to four times a day, six days a week – sort of like an airplane. And for the low, low price of $95,000, you too can have a ticket to ride.
Reason Magazine’s Brian Doherty interviewed Jones live from Reason’s LA Studios.
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