Engadget

Dark horse set to ride into space race, strapped to world's largest solid rocket booster

Steve Dent — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:18:00 EST

Alliant Techsystems (ATK) may not be on top of your betting card, but it has plenty of shuttle motor pedigree. To compete with the likes of SpaceX, Astrium and others, it's putting that technical savvy into its Liberty system to carry seven astronauts -- or tourists -- and cargo into low earth orbit. The huge 300-foot rocket and composite crew module would use ATK's solid rocket motor, originally designed for the ill-fated Ares 1, along with EAD's Ariane 5 engine, to become the heaviest lifter in NASA's fleet. Already knee-deep in a separate project, the Space Launch System designed to send Orion into deep space, ATK would like to wean NASA off it's pricy $63 million Russian ISS hitchhikes with a cheaper option that could be mission-ready in just three years. We've heard that kind of talk before, but if Liberty pulls it off, it could give our out-world aspirations a much needed ticket to ride.

Dark horse set to ride into space race, strapped to world's largest solid rocket booster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Space travel coming to an airport near you? Maybe, if Skylon keeps its cool

Steve Dent — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:56:00 EST

Want to get from New York to Perth in under 4 hours, or maybe just head to outer space on a lark? Reaction Engines' "Skylon" mach 5 spaceplane might be your chariot -- or not. Its scheme of ingesting oxygen from the atmosphere instead of stowing it like a ~~50-year old~~ modern multi-stage rocket sounds good, but the project's fate may hang on critical new tests. Failure is still a possibility, but if the high-speed, superhot gases can be cooled enough for the hybrid Sabre engines to work, and if Reaction Engines Limited can secure another round of funding, punching your space-ticket could soon be a very real possibility.

Space travel coming to an airport near you? Maybe, if Skylon keeps its cool originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Record-breaking freefall advances space suit technology (video)

James Trew — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:18:00 EST

Jumping to Earth from the edge of space is no mean feat. Not only are you dropping like a stone, there's also the minor issue of your blood boiling as you do so. These are challenges daredevil Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team will be taking head-on -- literally -- with their record-breaking 120,000 foot "spacedive." To ensure Baumgartner lives to claim his honors, the Stratos team is using a custom spacesuit. It's designed by the David Clark Company, which made the first pressurized suits for World War II fighters, and includes a gas-filled bladder and integrated valve to maintain pressure over the various altitudes. While Baumgartner hopes to set new freefall distance, and time (5 minutes 30 seconds) records, there'll also be a lasting contribution to science, with team medical director Dr. Jonathan Clark hoping the developments can lead to advances in space travel and tourism. So in the future when you're opening your pretzels, looking down upon the Earth, raise a complimentary glass to Felix

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Record-breaking freefall advances space suit technology (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Galactic, XCOR land suborbital contracts with NASA

Zach Honig — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:14:00 EST

Have $200,000 to spare for a ticket to space? NASA does, apparently, a few times over. Following the retirement of its Space Shuttle program, the US agency just announced two-year contracts with seven space flight companies, worth a combined $10 million. NASA will partner with Virgin Galactic, XCOR, and five other companies to bring engineers, scientists, and equipment to space, for a variety of experiments in low-gravity environments. The contract provides few financial implications for Virgin, which has already collected $55 million in deposits from future space tourists, but the company did acknowledge it as an "important milestone" in its efforts to grow beyond initial consumer offerings. Space Adventures, which serves as a low-cost carrier of sorts in the industry with its $102,000 flight, may be represented as well, through its partner Armadillo Aerospace -- so it's probably safe to assume that NASA won't be paying two ~~large~~ huge a pop to blast its personnel to space.

Virgin Galactic, XCOR land suborbital contracts with NASA originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Space Adventures will shoot you (and your ego) to the moon for $150 million

Michael Gorman — Sun, 08 May 2011 08:11:00 EST

Y'know, there are only so many pristine beaches and spectacular slopes one can see before terrestrial tourism becomes blasé. That's why Space Adventures -- who lets folks vacay in space via suborbital jaunts -- is offering to shoot you to the moon during your next work sabbatical. Amateur astronauts won't actually land on the lunar surface, of course, but their Soyuz spacecraft will get within 62 miles of it. To indulge in your lunar fantasy, it'll only cost you 150 million bucks, or roughly the GDP of a [insert small island nation here]. One of the two seats is already taken, but the company needs another would-be moon man or lunar lady before the trip's a go. The only thing stopping us (and everyone we know) from signing up is an empty bank account -- does Fastweb do spaceflight scholarships?

Space Adventures will shoot you (and your ego) to the moon for $150 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 08:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russian firm hopes to have luxury space hotel in orbit by 2016

Joseph L. Flatley — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:23:00 EST

You know what they say: "another day, another hypothetical space hotel." Fans of the space tourism (mostly Lance Bass and a handful of gazillionaires) know that these things pop up every few years, so one can be a little skeptical about the plans recently announced by Russia-based Orbital Technologies to put a seven room guest house into orbit, where it would follow the same path as the International Space Station. While CEO Sergei Kostenko does mention things like well-appointed suites and food cooked up by celebrity chefs, it's not entirely clear that the firm has the funding to build the thing or even who will be doing the construction, although Energia (Russia's state-controlled spacecraft manufacturer) has been mooted as the project's general contractor. But this isn't merely a rich man's plaything -- as Kostenko points out, it could be used as a place for astronauts to flee to in case the ISS comes under alien attack (although he didn't say it in exactly those words).

Russian firm hopes to have luxury space hotel in orbit by 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Boeing plans to add space tourism seats to its CST-100 flights by 2015

Laura June — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:11:00 EST

Boeing has announced plans to add space tourism to its CST-100 -- or Crew Space Transportation-100-- low orbit flights by 2015. Operated by a partnership with Space Adventures, the flights will be able to carry up to seven passengers about 62 miles above Earth's surface, and the craft are currently being developed with the help of NASA.The vehicles could also be used as a ferry to get people to and from the various space habitats companies are working away at. There's no word on what the pricing of one of these journeys will look like, but trust us: Jared Leto will be able to afford one, while you probably will not.

Boeing plans to add space tourism seats to its CST-100 flights by 2015 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo completes first flight with crew on board

Donald Melanson — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:52:00 EST

It still has a few more key hurdles to cross, but it looks like Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo (a.k.a. the VSS Enterprise) is remaining on track for its first commercial flight sometime next year. The latest milestone is the spacecraft's first flight with a crew on board, which occurred on July 15th at Virgin Galactic's usual base of operations, the Mojave Air and Space Port. As with previous flights, however, SpaceShipTwo remained attached to the VMS Eve "mothership" for the duration of the flight, but it did stay aloft for more than six hours as the crew (including test pilots Peter Siebold, Michael Alsbury) went through a range of tests. Still no word on exactly when SpaceShipTwo will see its first solo flight but, barring any change in plans, that should be the next flight that takes place.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo completes first flight with crew on board originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Newfangled spacesuit unveiled in New York

Laura June — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:05:00 EST

It's not everyday that we hear a "new" spacesuit has been designed and created, but that's just what we're hearing now. Two inventors, Nikolay Moiseev from Moscow and Ted Southern of Brooklyn are about to unveil a new spacesuit design they've come up with in their venture, Final Frontier Design. The pair outed their new design in New York City on Friday at the Eyebeam Art and Technology Center. They'd previously won a $100,000 NASA challenge to design a spacesuit glove -- one which boasts unprecedented dexterity and flexibility at the knuckles, and they've taken that design and spun it into an entire suit. The pressurized suit was shown off with the wearer able to play with a Rubik's cube, and the suit has been designed to withstand extremely high levels of pressure, as well. While the designers don't yet have an investor, they're hoping to attract them -- such as private companies such as Virgin Galactic, who are launching space tourism ventures as we speak.

Newfangled spacesuit unveiled in New York originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Space Adventures undercuts Virgin Galactic -- announces $100,000 space tourism flight

Laura June — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:02:00 EST

Space tourism is something we here at Engadget have always been pretty fond of in theory -- it is the final frontier, after all -- but the prohibitive (exorbitant, extravagant, ridiculous) $200,000 price tag on a Virgin Galactic flight pretty much ended any small hopes we ever harbored of getting on one. So, would a reduction of about 50 percent be enough to get us to sign up? That's the question that Virginia-based Space Adventures is asking. The company's just announced it's going to offer flights into suborbital space through an exclusive agreement with Armadillo Aerospace, which is currently developing the rockets for the journeys. A trip with Space Adventures is set to cost just $102,000. We still can't afford it, but we're certainly glad to see the prices fall from insane to outrageous. So, what about you? Are you in?

Space Adventures undercuts Virgin Galactic -- announces $100,000 space tourism flight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aabar Investments takes 32 percent stake in Virgin Galactic, we're still not cool enough to go to space

Laura June — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:06:00 EST

United Arab Emirates company Aabar Investments and today announced that it would be taking a 32 percent stake in Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourism venture, a deal worth about $280 million dollars. Though the deal has yet to be approved by US regulatory agencies, Aabar, which is an investment vehicle for Abu Dhabi's government, said that it plans to build a spaceport in the capital city, and that it's committed an addition $100 million to fund satellite launch capabilites. The deal gives Aabar the regional rights to host tourism as well as scientific research flights. When asked how they felt about having Richard Branson hanging around their city, reps from Aabar said, "King Crazy? We love that guy!"

[Image credit: David Schrubbe]

Filed under: Transportation

Aabar Investments takes 32 percent stake in Virgin Galactic, we're still not cool enough to go to space originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo caught mid-flight on video

Ross Miller — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:23:00 EST

In case you were wondering if Virgin Galactic's efforts at space tourism are still going strong, the company's released new footage from a recent test flight of its WhiteKnightTwo near its Mojave headquarters. Much longer and higher res than the last bit of video we had, it also provides some new aerial shots of it mid-flight. The craft's public debut will be a fly over at the Virgin Galactic Spaceport America groundbreaking ceremony next month, so until then, navigate your browser to after the break for the feature presentation.

Continue reading Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo caught mid-flight on video

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Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo caught mid-flight on video originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 May 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin offers up 25 million 'Velocity Points' to put you in space

Darren Murph — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:37:00 EST

We thought that Virgin might allow its most loyal patrons to exchange frequent flyer points for trips to space, and now it looks like they hope to jump-start the process with a seriously stacked contest. In Australia, the company is now counting 'Velocity Points' as entry to a drawing where you could win 25 million frequent flyer miles -- or exactly the amount you need to get yourself a space flight for two. Oh, and if you have no interest in ever looking like that chap pictured above, Virgin will also let you exchange them for a pair of Alfa Romeo vehicles, the chance to explore the planet "how you see fit" or a $170,000 shopping spree.

Update: We got this story a little turned around initially, as you can see -- this is for a contest to win 25 million points, not an offer open to anyone who has 25 million points (though it's assumed if you've got those kinds of numbers, you can head to space too).

[Via VideoSift]

Filed under: Transportation

Virgin offers up 25 million 'Velocity Points' to put you in space originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo successfully completes brief maiden flight

Darren Murph — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:40:00 EST

It was short and mildly sweet, but Virgin Galactic has a lot to be relieved about. The outfit -- which is vigorously attempting to make space tourism a reality for the affluent -- saw its long-awaited WhiteKnightTwo craft complete an hour long maiden flight above its Mojave headquarters. If you'll recall, we were expecting the craft to take flight in September, though we can't say that a three month delay is all that unforgivable given the nature of the task. We suspect Buzz Lightyear would have an excellent closer for this one, so we'll just let you all imagine what quip he'd share.

[Via Slashdot]

Update: Video just surfaced of the WhiteKnightTwo up to its chivalrous antics, including landing and takeoff. No loop de loops or interstellar travel, sadly.

[Thanks, Disco Stu]

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Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo successfully completes brief maiden flight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WhiteKnightTwo to be unveiled on Monday, space to seem less far away

Darren Murph — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:23:00 EST

Hold onto your dollar bills, y'all -- the WhiteKnightTwo is set to be unveiled (and swooned over) on Monday. We knew the fabled space tourism vehicle was set to be unwrapped this month, but knowing that said event is merely hours away just gets our juices flowin'. Richard Branson and "other dignitaries" are preparing to officially launch the ship at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California (a short drive from Zzyzx, we hear), and we're still being led to believe that test flights should begin as early as this fall. Hey, at least you know what you're doing next year if your ship comes in.

[Via The Register]

Filed under: Transportation

WhiteKnightTwo to be unveiled on Monday, space to seem less far away originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Jul 2008 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google honcho Sergey Brin plans first-ever private trip to the ISS

Joshua Topolsky — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:45:00 EST

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is about to join an extremely short list of space tourists, according to reports. The search engine-kingpin just dropped a $5 million dollar "investment" on the company Space Adventures, which all but guarantees him a seat on the outfit's next flight in 2011. The trip aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket will take Brin to the ISS in the first-ever private flight to the station (Ubuntu head Mark Shuttleworth has made the trip, though not on a private mission). The company stresses that the ride will be less about tourism and more about commercial exploration, with passengers bringing aboard experiments and taking part in flight operations. Now the only riddle left to solve is whether the last Cylon is Brin or Bezos.

[Via Gear Diary]

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Google honcho Sergey Brin plans first-ever private trip to the ISS originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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XCOR's Lynx aims to enter space tourism business in 2010

Darren Murph — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:00 EST

Crazy though it may be, XCOR's looming Lynx isn't the first rocket ship built to take Earthlings to outer space, but it's definitely taking a different approach than that of the SpaceShipTwo. Unveiled as the "sports car of commercial spaceflight," the smallish craft is only designed to carry two individuals (or a driver and cargo), meaning that you and your SO will have to take turns shooting up to some 61-kilometers above the ground. Reportedly, Lynx would be fueled by a kerosene / liquid oxygen mixture and could take off and land from traditional airstrips, and while it could manage several flights per day, each one is only slated to last 25 minutes. Sadly, the $64,000 (likely more, actually) question of how much this joyride will cost has yet to be answered, but optimistic minds are hoping to see test flights commence in 2010.

[Via NewScientist]

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XCOR's Lynx aims to enter space tourism business in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goodbye dollar, hello QUID: intergalactic currency proposed

Evan Blass — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:06:00 EST

Does it say something about our priorities as a species that before space tourism has even been proven safe for and desirable to the masses, people are already coming up with ways to spend money in zero gravity? Well according to a group of researchers from the University of Leicester and the UK's National Space Centre, the payment methods we use here on Earth would not make for viable space currency -- due to sharp edges or radiation-prone magnetic strips -- and would need to be replaced with something more suited to the environment. Enter the Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination (or QUID -- clever Brits), a stackable, molded chip made of the same material used in non-stick pans, and lacking the chemicals or sharpness inherent to paper, plastic, and coins. The inventors peg the current exchange rate for the QUID at £6.25 to 1Q, which seems not only completely arbitrary, but fairly unnecessary, considering that we'll have already spent all our Earth money (and probably re-financed the house) to pay Sir Richard for the damn flight. Keep reading to peep all five colorful denominations...

[Via BBC]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Goodbye dollar, hello QUID: intergalactic currency proposed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gates to become richest man in space?

Evan Blass — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:20:00 EST

With relative paupers taking jaunts into space at a pretty regular clip these days, it certainly would be no financial burden for the world's richest nerd to indulge his astronautical fantasies, and now a Russian cosmonaut aboard the International Space Station claims that Microsoft founder and Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Bill Gates may be planning to do just that. In an interview broadcast from the ISS, Fyodor Yurchikhin repeated the assertions of current space tourist and former Gates co-worker Charles Simonyi that Mr. Microsoft himself "is also preparing to visit space," although Space Adventures -- which organizes these indulgent expeditions -- says that it has had no contact with Sir Bill so far. So in the absence of any official word from the Gates camp, we can only look to the man's personality for hints as to whether or not this fantastic voyage will take place -- and seeing how there's already been an iPod in orbit, we're pretty sure that Bill won't sleep soundly until all the world's gadget blogs and magazine covers are plastered with glossy pictures of a space Zune.

[Via Slashdot]

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Spaceport America overcomes major hurdle

Evan Blass — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:54:00 EST

In an important step towards that glorious future of half-hour flights to the Akihabara district and welcoming the first members of the hundred-mile high club, voters of a southern New Mexico county selflessly approved a measure to impose a new tax on themselves and in the process give the governor's proposed 27-square mile space tourism launchpad a big push forward. The $198 million project, if given final approval, will be situated near the White Sands Missile Range in Otero County, one of the two remaining counties -- along with Sierra -- that must follow Doña Ana County's lead in imposing a quarter of one percent gross receipts tax for a crucial partial matching of state funds. Once all the financing and regulatory hurdles are overcome, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic -- the anticipated anchor company of the tentatively-titled SPaceport AMerica (or SPAM, as we like to call it) -- will begin offering sub-orbital flights in 2009 for a reported $200,000 a head, ensuring that our colleagues over at TMZ will have plenty of "celebrities behaving badly in space" stories to cover. Still, the project is not in the bag quite yet, and with critics in those other two counties calling SPAM a waste of money and an undue burden on some of the state's poorest regions, it looks like this one might really come right down to the wire.

[Via ABC News]

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Spaceport America overcomes major hurdle originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Apr 2007 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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