UPDATE: For the first time ever, SpaceShipTwo fired its rocket engine in flight! A major milestone in commercial human spaceflight. According to a Virgin Galactic report: “Wheels stop—SpaceShipTwo safely on the ground after a triumphant day in the sky. So proud of our team!” SpaceShipTwo pilots Stucky and Alsbury confirm: SpaceShipTwo exceeded the speed of [...]

SpaceShipTwo progress is being made in the skies over the Mojave Air and Space Port in California – successful demonstration on April 12th of key components of the system. SpaceShipTwo carried out a “Cold Flow” flight. The test objectives were achieved, and the craft is advancing towards its first powered flight. In this latest milestone, [...]

New Mexico’s Spaceport America got a boost in readying itself to handle commercial space operations – such as suborbital flights of passengers via Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo/SpaceShipTwo launch system. Following unanimous passage by the state’s legislature, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed legislation April 2 to expand existing liability protections for spaceflight operators to spaceflight manufacturers [...]

    A dozen years ago, wealthy Los Angeles, Calif.,  businessman Dennis Tito leveraged his wealth as a successful investor and   experience as a one time NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist to make his way into space aboard a Russian rocket. His eight day flight to the International Space Station well behind him, Tito has [...]

The “Overview Effect” was first described by author Frank White in 1987 – an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and humankind’s place upon it. A recently released short film — ‘Overview’ explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. A world premier of the 19-minute film [...]