Sir Richard Branson and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. (Credit: Douglas Messier)

“This business will mark a milestone in world history, and it will launch a new space industry — a private space industry, driven by innovators and entrepreneurs and new technologies and bold thinkers.”
— Richard Branson

“What we are calling the second space age will open up a wide range of commercial opportunities, including point-to-point cargo delivery, with personal and business travel.”
— Gov. Bill Richardson

Ten years ago today, Virgin Galactic and New Mexico announced a deal for development what became known as Spaceport America. New Mexico would built a $225-million spaceport with taxpayer’s dollars in the desert near Truth or Consequences. Sir Richard Branson’s new space company would sign a 20-year lease to fly tourists aboard SpaceShipTwo from the facility beginning in 2008.  New Mexico also expected the spaceport to be used by UP Aerospace, Starchaser Industries, and Peter Diamandis’ Rocket Racing League and X Prize Cup.

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The Rocket Racing League may not have had any actual races yet, but you will be happy to hear that they have released a computer game. Billed as the place “where rocket racer reality meets virtual racing,” the game is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The press release says:

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This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: Monday, May 31, 2010, 2-3:30 PM PDT: We welcome Diane Murphy to talk about the Rocket Racing League. CLASSROOM: Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 7- 8:30 PM PDT: The Space Show Classroom Lesson 9 features Dr. Henry Hertzfeld about civil, government, private, and foreign launch systems, rockets, and more. Co-hosted with Dr. Jim Logan and Dr. John Jurist. Friday, June 4,, 2010, […]

Rocket Racing League co-founders Granger Whitelaw and Peter Diamandis have filed a patent application for a ‘Rocket Powered Entertainment Vehicle.” The application was submitted last July and published on April 22. The co-applicant is Michael R. D’angelo of Orlando, Florida.

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Miles O’Brien reports on the Rocket Racing League demonstration in Tulsa. Steven Hawking warns us about aliens, The military launches a space shuttle, NASA helps keep an eye on oil slick off Louisiana, and the countdowns are on for Atlantis’s final scheduled flight and Falcon 9’s inaugural flight.

Video of the Rocket Racing League’s X-Racer in the sky at the Tulsa Air

Armadillo Aerospace CEO John Carmack talks about the propulsion system he is building for vehicles in the Rocket Racing League.

Pilots wearing the Targo helmet

RRL PRESS RELEASE

Rocket Racing League® (RRL®), a sports and gaming franchise based on competitions of piloted rocket-powered aircraft, and Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:ESLT) (Elbit Systems), an international leader in helmet-mounted displays, this week announced the successful completion of the first flight campaign of the Targo™Racer, a revolutionary aviator’s helmet mounted display with advanced avionics that will enable RRL pilots to competitively fly RRL’s 3D Raceway-In-The-Sky™ (RITS™).

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ROCKET RACING LEAGUE PRESS RELEASE

Rocket Racing League® (RRL®), the world’s first sports and game franchise based on competitions of piloted rocket-powered aircraft, has announced major milestones in the development of the Rocket Racer®, or X-Racer®, the rocket-powered aircraft being developed to compete in the Rocket Racing League. Test flights were conducted at the North Texas Regional Airport (NTRA), marking the first time in history where two private-sector manned rocket-powered vehicles were flown sequentially in the same day by one crew with common ground support equipment in the same airspace.

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PRESS RELEASE

At a Press Conference Tuesday at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium (TASM), Executive Director Jim Bridenstine announced the first-ever QuikTrip Air and Rocket Racing Show, and a new partnership with the Rocket Racing League® – which will highlight the day’s events. The QuikTrip Air and Rocket Show will be held at Tulsa International Airport on Saturday, April 24, 2010, beginning at 9:30am (CT).

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