Virgin Galactic's Suborbital Spacecraft Gets FAA Blessing

coondoggie writes "Space tourism company Virgin Galactic today said its spacecraft developer has been granted an experimental launch permit from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin rocket-powered testing of its spaceships. With the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation permit, Scaled Composites and its SpaceShipTwo craft will be able to test the aerodynamic performance of the spacecraft with the full weight of the rocket motor system on board. Integration of key rocket motor components, already underway, will continue into the autumn."

Comments

Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[crymeph0]

When Rutan won the X-Prize in 2004, I was seriously excited. It seemed like commercial suborbital joyrides for anyone with money to burn were happening right then. 8 years later, still no commercial flights. What happened? SpaceX went from first launch in 2006 to ISS in 2012. I know, manned flights require more rigorous design, but SpaceX has been designing for human flight all along, and Musk is in serious contention to get crew flights to ISS by 2015 or 2016. At this rate, we may be able to buy orbital joyrides before suborbital ones. I know Burt Rutan and crew have the engineering skill to get this thing done, what's been holding them back?

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[osu-neko]

SpaceX is commercializing technology that we've been hammering out since Project Mercury in the late 1950s. Rutan's working on developing something much newer.

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[Spy Handler]

SpaceX is commercializing technology that we've been hammering out since Project Mercury in the late 1950s.

Well if you put it that way, SpaceshipOne is just a bigger version of X-15 from the 1950's also.

You know what it looks like to me? It looks like SpaceX's dotcom billionaire (Elon Musk) put everything he has on the line - his fortune, his time, energy, everything - whereas Virgin Galactic's dotcom billionaire (Paul Allen) put a little bit of a seed money, and that's about it. Burt Rutan retired already, he doesn't seem to be burning the midnight oil either. The whole thing seems to be kind of coasting without a lot of funding or urgency.

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[luminousone11]

If you ask me SpaceshipTwo has great potential, Anything that moves us away from using upside down roman candles to get off this rock is an improvement.

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[0123456]

The whole thing seems to be kind of coasting without a lot of funding or urgency.

The big difference is this: SpaceX is launching pizza to the space station, Spaceship Two is launching paying customers for short trips into space. Astronauts would be annoyed if their pizza delivery was late, but that's nothing compared to half a dozen families crying on TV because you just blew up their mum or dad because you rushed your rocket into service without proper testing.

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[khallow]

You can think whatever you want. Proof requires a chain of reasoning supporting your assertion. That's not present here.

Re:Virgin Galactic Vs. SpaceX

[ongelovigehond]

The cost of fuel, plus the cost of the rocket hardware, including its design and quality control. The difference between manufacturing of a car and of a rocket is that a simple bolt in the car is maybe 10 times stronger than required. A similar bolt in a rocket may only be 25% stronger than required. This means that you need very good engineering, tight manufacturing requirements, and good quality control, which are all costly. The design cost can be spread out over multiple launches, of course, but this requires you achieve many launches in the first place.

Re:cornfused

[Genda]

You can't speak to NASA until you make it through their airspace... welcome to vertical bureaucracy!

Re:cornfused

[Githaron]

I wonder if anyone has ever considered creating a launch pad in international waters.

Re:cornfused

[Hartree]

Yes. But more for the higher payload an equitorial launch allows than legal reasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Launch

I read this

[jamstar7]

and I thought, 'So what? SpaceX is already in orbit and has damned near certified the Dragon capsule.' These guys are still struggling to get their aircraft certified. Once Burt retired, it was like their lights went out. A suborbital ride when an orbital ride is coming available? It's like getting tickets to a 7 course banquet, then showing up and getting stuck at a table with a beautiful view of the kitchen door while the potscrubber drops a bag with a Big Mac & fries on it.

Re:I read this

[0123456]

Wait, SpaceX is getting into the space *tourism* market?

Really?

I believe they're supposed to fly Dragons to Bigelow's space station in a few years, if Bigelow can afford to launch it.

Re:I read this

[Confusador]

SpaceX cargo flight to ISS: $133,000,000
VG 5 minute suborbital flight: $200,000

I'm not sure what you're trying to compare.

Re:I read this

[tgd]

Wait, SpaceX is getting into the space *tourism* market?

Really?

I believe they're supposed to fly Dragons to Bigelow's space station in a few years, if Bigelow can afford to launch it.

Its listed in their upcoming flight manifest, FWIW. But IIRC, its on the flight schedule *before* the man-rating flights of Dragon, so I would assume the launches they've got planned are to put more Bigelow test modules into orbit.

I've not seen anything that suggests Bigelow is even remotely close to actually manning their modules.

Re:cornfused

[khallow]

As I recall, the FAA's jurisdiction doesn't go to space. But if you go from Earth to space or vice versa, then you pass through it. And I believe the Outer Space Treaty requires the country that your business is flagged under to be liable for third party damage in space caused by your flights.

Re:cornfused

[Richard_at_work]

I beg to differ, countries can and do protest U-2 overflights as they do violate sovereign airspace - airspace above a certain altitude is uncontrolled, but you still have to be authorised to overfly the country to use it. Perhaps you were thinking of the Shuttle.