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FAA Grants Sub-Orbital License to SpaceShipOne

Posted by simoniker on from the mote-in-moon's-eye dept.

abucior writes "The FAA announced today that Scaled Composites has been granted a launch licence for a series of sub-orbital flights over a one-year period for Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne. Is X Prize finally entering the end-game? Space.com has more information on the move."

6 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. eek by iosmart · · Score: 4, Informative

    While the highest criteria to issue a
    license is public safety, applicants
    must undergo an extensive pre-
    application process, demonstrate
    adequate financial responsibility to
    cover any potential losses, and meet
    strict environmental requirements.</I>

    this might put a lot of people outta the runnings

  2. Lloyd's of London by Chmcginn · · Score: 5, Informative

    would probably be the underwriter of choice, not Geico. They have insured almost anything. For instance, some examples .

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  3. Re:Vanity plates? by voidptr · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, they do.

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  4. Re:Come on by Coryoth · · Score: 5, Informative

    I heard this story on NPR driving home just a few hours ago. They headlined it as "bringing space flight into the reach of ordinary Americans". Come on... considering raw costs alone, it'll be decades before 'ordinary Americans' can afford this kind of luxury travel.

    You might be surprised. One of the main points of the X-Prize is not that it is done by private companies instead of the government, but rather that the craft be highly reusable. You can only change 10% of the non fuel mass of the craft between the 2 launches required to claim the X-Prize, and those 2 launches have to have a quick turnaround time (matter of weeks).

    Basically that means once you've built a winning X-Prize craft, the only real relaunch costs are fuel. Compare that to the massive cost of each shuttle launch (between 3 and 5 hundred million dollars per launch), and you're talking about reduing launch costs by a factor of 100 or more.

    If they can pull that off, I suspect they can quickly get plenty of funding to push the technology further and make it more efficient. I really do believe basic space travel could be affordable by ordinary Americans (expensive, yes, but affordable) inside of a decade - 2 at the most.

    Don't underestimate what a leap an efficiency the X-Prize represents.

    Jedidiah.

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  5. Re:Throwing stuff into space ... legally. by DerekLyons · · Score: 4, Informative
    Six years ago, we had estimated that launching a satellite required permits, lawyers and insurance in excess of twice the cost of the launch vehicle. The gov't is truly being kind to Mr. Rutan.
    No, the goverment is changing the rules slightly to allow for easier acess to licensing for smaller organizations. The X-prize and lobbying work is slowly but surely starting to change and level the playing field.

    Some links:There's also been a variety of Congressional acts supporting space commercialization and competiveness.
  6. Re:FAA authority by Sergeant+Beavis · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, Congress have them the authority late last year. If they are flying in US airspace, they can be regulated by the feds.

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