Richard Branson / Rutan Team Up For Orbital Flight - Five year plan to put tourists in space?

deagleninja · 2004-09-27 09:45:42

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/xprize-04z.html

In summary, Branson a well known billionaire behind Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, and many other successful endeavors has signed a $25 million dollar contract with Mojave Aerospace the company that owns the tech to SpaceShipOne.

His plan is to build spaceports over the next 3 years and have passengers flying orbital flights for about $200,000 within 5 years.

Well folks, it seems even more hope is resting on the shoulders of SS1 and I sincerly hope it is up to the task. This is the break we have all been waiting for. A billionaire with sound buisness sense is going to drive down the costs of orbital flight for the common people and the industry as well.

I have to wonder if Rutan hasn't already been designing an orbital craft and the tech needed for them to boldly make such statements. Perhaps development is already underway? I mean, he says that he and Rutan will be flying on the inaugural flight in three years and that is very ambitious unless they already have something up their sleeve.

Talk amoungst yourselves.

deagleninja · 2004-09-27 10:35:00

UPDATE: I just read MSNBC's version of the story and they are saying it will be sub-orbital flights not orbital. It appears SpaceDaily had a typo, sorry for the confusion. Still quite facinating though.

SpaceNut · 2004-09-27 10:41:08

More links:
UK's Branson to Launch Space Tourism in 2007
http://www.reuters.com/newsArt....6341611

snipet:
The flights will climb to about 130 kilometers, roughly six times higher than regular commercial planes, and include four minutes of weightlessness, views of the horizon from 1,200 miles away and possibly a gin and tonic if granted a liquor license.

edit
found another:
Virgin Galactic: The logical next step
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3693518.stm

Ad Astra · 2004-09-27 11:06:14

The initial flights will only be suborbital hops to 130 km, not too much higher than SS1 can go. However, the revenues from these first flights will be used to develop an orbital vehicle.

Burt Rutan has admitted to putting some effort into an orbital ship. He thinks that a single-seat version of SS1, stuffed with rocket fuel, could make it to orbit. Additionally, entrepreneur Robert Bigelow will soon announce a $50 mil prize for the first private, manned orbital flight. Bigelow is trying to build an inflatable space hotel, so his motivation and agenda are apparent.

I am very enthusiastic about the direction this is heading in. When you team up the world's best aircraft designer (Rutan) and the world's favorite billionaire (Branson,) the possibilities are endless.

clark · 2004-09-27 11:19:29

That's the problem with glimpsing the future, you never get surprised. Remember, enjoy the ride.

Rxke · 2004-09-27 11:24:36

http://www.virgingalactic.com/]get the first tickets here!

deagleninja · 2004-09-27 11:54:49

Ad Astra, I just read that tidbit about Bigelow's $50 million prize. Don't you think that $50 million is a bit cheap for all that he expects a team to do? I mean he wants to not only reach space, but manuver around in orbit as well. It is not just 5 times harder but hundreds of times harder to reach orbit. I don't see many people chasing the orbital prize but I could and hope I am wrong.

Rxke · 2004-09-27 12:10:12

they do *not* have to build a launcher... 'only' a capsule.

build an uprated Gemini, (the 5-7person elongated version) or a Kliper, and you're all set.

John Creighton · 2004-09-27 12:17:04

http://www.virgingalactic.com/]get the first tickets here!

Nice link I read the whole site. Hopfully someday I will have the money to take a flight. For now I am just a student.

Rxke · 2004-09-27 13:58:55

Yes, nice site, "what will it be like" sounds cool... Of course, for that price, you'd expect some nice stuff as a side dish...

Also student, and frankly, I can't imagine earning enough money to do something like that without feeling utterly crazy...

(edit:)

But give it some time, and you'll see last-minute flights advertized everywhere, heh...

Ad Astra · 2004-09-27 14:07:50

Yes, $50 mil is a small prize for all that is expected of the "Americas Space Prize." Then again, Rutan and Allen have spent $20-30 mil to win a $10 mil prize.

The prize should be viewed as a subsidy rather than a payment for services. The real money will be made when passenger-carrying flights begin.

My strongest objection to Bigelow's prize is that it will expire at the end of the decade. His orbital craft (expendable or not) will require eight to nine times the burnout velocity of SpaceShipOne. It is doable, but still an enormous challenge. If the X-Prize took eight years to accomplish, why should we give a shorter time limit to Bigelow's prize? In all fairness to Rutan, however, he didn't get serious about it until 2001, he had his rollout in early 2003, and he will most likely win the prize by October 2004.

BWhite · 2004-09-27 14:15:28

The prize should be viewed as a subsidy rather than a payment for services. The real money will be made when passenger-carrying flights begin.
My strongest objection to Bigelow's prize is that it will expire at the end of the decade.

Bigelow isn't being altruistic. 2010 is when he wants flights to start to his orbiting inflatable laboratories.

mboeller · 2004-09-28 02:57:24

Well at least Gary Hudson from HMX thought back in 2000 that his company could build an reuseable capsule with 4 pax. max. for around US $145 Mio. The complete development cost + 4 flights would have been around US $145Mio if I understand the PDF correct. But this would have been unmanned capsules at first with only an light load of ~1000Ib. One launch atop an refurbished Titan2 would have cost around US $ 35 Mio

Link: http://www.hmx.com/AAS_Briefing_Edited. … Edited.pdf [5.5 MB]

Interview: http://www.hobbyspace.com/AAdmin/archiv … ...on.html

SpaceNut · 2004-09-28 11:52:28

Thanks for the links I also noted that it mentions the steerable parachute technology, Reusable and possible use for a small amount of cargo or for a 4 person crew transport.

SpaceNut · 2004-09-29 11:01:01

Well it seems like space flight just got a little cheaper than the days of old where you could take a ride to the ISS aboard a soyuz for 20 million, now a days you can get a 0G ride for around the 2000 dollars and with the up and coming suborbital 5 passenger it will be around the 200 thousand. Pushing space flight tourism is as it would seem to be lowering prices for all. With the possible next orbital xprize on the horizon who knows what it will actually cost but I am all for it, the sooner the better.

Space is no longer just about fear of the cold wars, curiosity, profit or of science it now is the possible realm of conlonization and exspansion of mans presence thoughout or solar system someday.

Palomar · 2004-09-29 11:11:24

*I certainly wish Richard Branson the best of luck. However, I find the title of his company in this regard -- "Virgin Galactic" -- to be a bit pretentious (even for a billionaire).

"Virgin LEO" would be more apt. "Virgin Inner Solar System" at the very most. :laugh:

Aw well. Ever forward!

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2004-10-04 11:00:40

Well congratulation to SpaceShipOne and to Its owners for having achieved the goal. But to all thoses that have partial or nearly complete vehicles keep going.

We all know the direction that SpaceShipOne and the free enterprise industry has in store with the announcement of virgin getting into the space flight game.

Also there is the announcement of the http://www.xpcup.com/ to continue on the excitement of the xprize in the coming year.

In addition we have the Bigelow LEO prize still of which they are ironing out the prize amount and looking for more funds to go with his pridged amount of 25 million.

edit:
http://www.spacedaily.com/

A day after rocketship SpaceShipOne on Monday won a 10-million-dollar prize aimed at kickstarting space tourism, there appears to be no shortage of wealthy adventurers keen to be first to blaze a trail into the galaxy. Around 125 hard-line space junkies have already paid more than 100,000 dollars for tickets for a short trip on the world's first commercial spaceliners, years before the first passengers will be ushered aboard

SpaceNut · 2004-10-06 08:49:43

A plan to use boosters and more for the little Hercules:

http://www.projectconstellation.us/news...._system

The Little Hercules launchers
By Kevin ,J waldroup
Little Hercules Tourist

Ad Astra · 2004-10-06 23:50:51

I really don't think that shuttle SRB's will be used for the America's cup. NASA is probably keeping a tight lid on ATK Thiokol selling their technology, so it won't happen. A booster based on other ATK solid rockets like the Castor 120 is a possibility, though.

The simplest approach to this challenge is a reusable capsule atop either a Falcon V or perhaps an old Russian ballistic missile. The point is to keep launches affordable while not compromising safety.

comstar03 · 2004-10-07 03:52:39

I think Sir Richard, will start to show the way for more and more private industry to expand into the frontier of space. I think you will see the challenge go down for private industry in the States to meet and exceed his claims.

SpaceNut · 2004-10-07 06:08:19

The real accomplishment thou will take place when the cost per flight to orbit is low enough to continue the desire by more to go and do space flights. But this is as good as it gets for now...

SpaceNut · 2004-10-07 10:12:27

SpaceShipTwo will be a five-person, sub-orbital vessel owned by a new venture called Virgin Galactic, inaugural flight is scheduled for 2007.

Ticket prices for the early flights are expected to cost about $190,000, but expect prices to fall rapidly as each others companies stake there claim to the space tourism business. They will build five vessels over the next three years.

I am sure that they will not be flying them more than once a week or even other week but still at 6 total flights for all three vehicles and 5 paying customers per flight seems to me that they could make some good money if cost to reuse the vehicle is tightly controled and if the over see agencies do not tie them up in red tape after each flight.

The Birth of SpaceShipTwo
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/tourism-04g.html

Rxke · 2005-02-11 06:40:23

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~neilh/virgi … acestation ?

Notice the docked SS2... How on Earth did it get there, isn't this supposed to be a suborbital thingy?

SpaceNut · 2005-02-11 07:01:55

There has been lots of talk of how the current laws for sub orbital maybe delaying or hindering the growth of the alternative aerospace adventurers. That the cost will raise beyound what these smaller companies have for resources and that it could force them out of business even before we start.

Rules for space tourism Transportation Dep. and FAA say a physical and signing consent forms may be required before launch.

It’s never too early for Washington to set regulations for space travel

Fledgling 'space federation' fears over-regulation

US Offers Guidelines for Commercial Space Travel

GCNRevenger · 2005-02-11 11:48:59

If Bigelow's prize is $50 million, and the "formula" holds true of a 3:1 (or for the sake of argument, 5:1) sum that people are willing to invest, even $250M isn't enough for a fully reuseable vehicle. It would hardly be enough for a good copy of Gemini that can do what Bigelow wants.

So, my question is, what would it ride on? There are two options... the Kistler KH-1, which probobly won't even fly, and Elon Musk's Falcon-V. The Falcon-V is the key, the question is can he pull it off or not?

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Re: Richard Branson / Rutan Team Up For Orbital Flight - Five year plan to put tourists in space?

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#10 2004-09-27 13:58:55

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