![]() ![]() Still, it will probably take some time to build up the space tourism industry, said Marco Caceres, a space industry analyst with Teal Group Corp., an aerospace and defense market analysis firm. "We're approaching $100 million in private sales already," Bezos said during the news briefing. He added that interest skyrocketed after Blue Origin announced earlier this year that it would auction off a seat on a future flight. Bezos said the company is planning two more crewed launches this year, and eventually hopes to fly with more regularity. Both Branson’s and Bezos’ flights could open up a potentially lucrative new market for high-priced trips to the edge of space.īlue Origin hasn’t yet announced the cost of tickets on suborbital joyrides, but they are expected to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars. The New Shepard capsule flies above the Kármán line, while Virgin Galactic’s craft reached an altitude of around 53 miles during Branson’s flight, which fueled a budding rivalry between the companies.īezos’ flight was a critical milestone for Blue Origin and the commercial spaceflight industry, which until now has been dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The edge of space is often defined by the so-called Kármán line, at 62 miles. SpaceX is set to launch its first-ever all-civilian crew to space next week on a three-day journey around the Earth that will benefit St. Both the rocket and capsule are also designed to be reusable.īlue Origin’s capsule is also designed to reach a higher altitude than Virgin Galactic’s vehicle. Commercial space travel has arrived: SpaceX launches all-civilian crew on three-day spaceflight. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket and capsule launch vertically and are designed to fly autonomously. SpaceX has set the five-hour launch window for 8:02 p.m. Virgin Galactic’s rocket-powered Unity craft launches from a carrier airplane from an altitude of 50,000 feet and is flown by two onboard pilots. A 20-year South Mountain Community College professor this week will join three crewmates aboard the first ever all-civilian spaceflight.Pilot and backup commander Sian Proctor will be only the fourth black woman to travel to space.The crew completed its final dress rehearsal Sunday. It's another thing to see with your own eyes how fragile it is."Īlthough Bezos’ suborbital experience was similar to that of Branson, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic operate with different flight profiles. "It's one thing to recognize that intellectually. Even without extensive training to become a NASA astronaut, a group of four everyday people will soon be circling the Earth."It's actually incredibly thin," Bezos said about Earth's atmosphere. ![]() In other words, it's a legitimately exciting moment in the history of private space travel. Similarly, Bezos may have squeezed past the internationally agreed upon boundary to space - but his experience was fleeting as well. SpaceXs first all-civilian crew has launched from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In comparison, Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson barely made it into Earth's upper atmosphere in July and spent only a couple of minutes feeling the effects of microgravity before the company's space plane fell back down to Earth. The Inspiration4 crew lifted off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on September 15, 2021. The plan is to circle the Earth for three days at an altitude of over 350 miles, well beyond the International Space Station's orbit. The mission, dubbed Inspiration4, is just the latest milestone flight in what has been a busy year for private spaceflight companies, following joyrides to suborbital space by billionaire. While other private space companies, like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, have managed to fly their respective billionaire CEOs into space earlier this summer, SpaceX's Inspiration4 crew is going much, much further. ![]()
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