VIRGIN GALACTIC PRESS RELEASE

The Technology

• A completely new approach to space access for people, science and payload
• Air (horizontal) launch from the “WhiteKnight” purpose built aircraft not ground (vertical) launch – intrinsically safer and more environmentally friendly
• All carbon composite construction (light, strong, resilient and fuel efficient)
• Hybrid rocket motor uses benign fuel and oxidizer (same rubber and nitrous oxide used for SpaceShipOne) and is controllable – can be shut down at any time during boost phase of flight
• Re-entry controlled aerodynamically by unique wing feathering design – heat free and carefree
• Un-powered (glide) runway landing

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Richard Branson after his first flight aboard WhiteKnightTwo at the Oshkosh airshow.

A few perspectives, in the eve of Virgin Galactic’s rollout of its first SpaceShipTwo suborbital tourism vehicle:

In 2010, the Civilian Space Industry Finally Takes Off
Popular Science’s Sam Howe Verhovek talks about the future with the folks over Virgin Galactic, XCOR and SpaceX. Nothing particularly newsworthy, but some interesting details and lot from the always chatty Elon Musk.

Introducing The Space Tourism Friedman Unit (or STFU)
Over at the Daily Kos, Brian Swiderski isn’t sure that 2010 is the year that civil space takes off so much as it begins some serious flight testing. Or at least Virgin Galactic will do so.

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Millionauts and invited guests attending Virgin Galactic’s unveiling of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle in Mojave, Calif. are getting treated to a first-class party today.

SpaceShipTwo will be unveiled after darkness has fallen over the Mojave Desert to the sound of a space-themed anthem from Britain’s biggest DJs, Above & Beyond. Fittingly titled “Buzz” the track will sample Buzz Aldrin’s original moon landing dialogue. Following the naming by Governors Richardson and Schwarzenegger, the DJs will also perform an exclusive set at the celebration cocktail party which will follow and feature the first ever IceBar in the desert hosted by Absolut and the world famous Swedish IceHotel. All the guests will be protected from the desert cold by designer space jackets supplied by PUMA. Finally, to close off the celebrations, all the guests will have the opportunity to view the stunning night skies using specialist telescopes supplied by Ron Dantowitz of the Clay Observatory whose unique tracking cameras followed SS1 into space during the epic flights of 2004.

More details after the break.

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Sir Richard Branson (L) and Burt Rutan pose for a photo in front of the SpaceShip2 resting under the Mothership WhiteKnight2 inside a hangar in Mojave,Ca.

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VIRGIN GALACTIC PRESS RELEASE

SpaceShipTwo (SS2) and its mothership, VMS Eve (WhiteKnightTwo) herald a new era in commercial space flight with daily space tourism flights set to commence from Spaceport America in New Mexico after test program and all required US government licenses.

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Richard Branson poses with Virgin Galactic ticketholders and staff members in front of WhiteKnightTwo.

Ottawa man makes space reservation
The Canadian Press

After studying space physics and learning how to fly, John Criswick’s childhood dream of becoming an astronaut was shattered in 1992 when he did not get selected by the Canadian Space Agency.

But the CEO of Magmic Games should finally get his chance to go into space within the next two years – although it will cost him US$200,000. The Canadian businessman has booked a space flight with Virgin Galactic, one of many companies belonging to tycoon Richard Branson.

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NASA has issued a request for information (RFI) for its new suborbital research program, which plans to use a new fleet of commercial vehicles to fly microgravity experiments during brief visits to space.  The RFI includes:

1. A potential procurement of reusable suborbital spaceflight services, and
2. a solicitation of research investigations that will utilize those commercial reusable suborbital spaceflight services. Researchers proposing to fly investigations on these vehicles will need information about the payload environment, flight profile and potential for human participation.

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Commercial ISS Transport Taking Shape
Aviaton Week

NASA is gearing up to release $50 million in economic stimulus money to fund technology development for commercial crew transport to the International Space Station and any other low-Earth-orbit (LEO) destinations that may show up.

Announcement of Space Act agreements under the agency’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) effort could come as early as this week, and may even present an opportunity to see how President Barack Obama wants to proceed in human spaceflight.

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PRESS RELEASE

Virgin Galactic has announced 18 new Virtuoso travel advisors as “Accredited Space Agents” (ASAs). These hand-selected advisors join 56 previous ASAs — all members of leading luxury travel network Virtuoso, which pioneered the ASA Program when Virgin Galactic first appointed Virtuoso as its exclusive retail sales channel throughout the Americas in 2006. The new ASAs will join an elite group of just 120 travel consultants around the globe that Virgin Galactic have selected to take consumer deposits for their spaceflights. Advisors underwent a rigorous application process. Now through the vetting process, they will undergo intensive training with Virgin Galactic, ensuring they have the expert knowledge to guide prospective space customers.

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Former NASA climate scientist pleads guilty to contract fraud
Washington Examiner

A former top climate scientist who had become of one the scientific world’s most cited authorities on the human effect on Earth’s atmosphere was sentenced to probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to steering lucrative no-bid contracts to his wife’s company.

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The Federal Aviation Administration faces a number of key challenges in overseeing the growing commercial space launch industry, according to a Government Accountability report released last week.

These include maintaining a sufficient number of staff with the necessary expertise to oversee the safety of launches and spaceport operations; determining whether FAA’s current safety regulations are appropriate for all types of commercial space vehicles, operations, and launch sites; developing information to help FAA decide when to regulate crew and passenger safety after 2012; and continuing to avoid conflicts between FAA’s regulatory and promotional roles.

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Artists conception of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft in orbit

SpaceX Sets Window for First Dragon Flight to ISS
Space News

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) said Dec. 3 that it expects to launch its cargo-carrying Dragon capsule on its first flight to the international space station (ISS) sometime between May and November 2010.

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