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This is mostly a Rocket Plane effort:
Oklahoma-based aerospace company plans space rocket rides blasting from Hawaii as its launching pad to send intrepid tourists up 330,000 feet to the edge of outer space. But those plans remain a long way off from reality.
Rocket plane Kistler Inc. hopes to start testing modified business jets next year that would take off from a commercial runway and then use rocket packs to carry them into space. And the company is looking to have the rides up and away by 2010 with tickets initially costing about $250,000.
The company has so far raised $25 million of the $150 million needed to field a commercial fleet of space planes,
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Private-Rocket Venture Failing to Win Investors
In a potentially serious blow to privately supported space-exploration efforts, a project to develop a private-sector rocket to serve the International Space Station has failed to secure investors.
Negotiations between a group of prospective commercial investors and a reusable-rocket venture led by closely held Rocketplane Kistler Inc. have broken down, according to industry officials familiar with the details.
Alternative funding for the $500 million needed to keep the project on track is uncertain, these officials said.
Rocketplane officials had said they were working on fresh financing and still expected the project to succeed, but declined to elaborate.
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Rocketplane faces funding crisis
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/ … 54282.aspx
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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RpK protest NASA's COTS decision
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5243
Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) has written a letter to NASA's Scott Horowitz, asking him to reconsider the decision to issue the company with a 30 day notice of termination of their COTS contract.
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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The reason for the actions being taken is that Rocketplane Kistler did not raise the necessary finaincing as part of the goals that Nasa set foot in the COTS agreements of entry.
This is what was raised back in Feb 07:
The company has so far raised $25 million of the $150 million needed
What status is there on the amount raised since.....
The amount is to prove them finaincial sound for further contracts that must be filled or there will be problems as Nasa usually only wants one provider of items.
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Rocketplane Kistler President Resigns
The Oklahoma City-based company confirmed Oct. 4 that Randy Brinkley had stepped down and been replaced by William Byrd, a member of Rocketplane's board of directors
On Sept. 6, RpK's lead investors – Canada's McDonald Dettwiler and Associates and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan (identified by Brinkley only as a "Canadian investment fund" pledging $200 million) – explained to NASA and RpK why they were withdrawing their financial commitments."The primary reason, highlighted by discussions with potential U.S. investors, was the uncertain revenue stream from ISS servicing," Brinkley wrote.
Brinkley says two incidents in particular spooked RpK's investors. The first, he said, was NASA's announcement this spring that it had concluded a $720 million deal with Russia to provide space station crew and cargo transportation services through 2011.
Well you can not blame the investors for pulling the plug if it looks like any chance for turning any sort of profit has been taken away....
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RIP RpK
[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond - triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space] #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps] - videos !!![/url]
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Rocketplane still on track for launch
Rocketplane is currently shooting for a launch in 2010 of suborbital flight.
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