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Space Transportation

Two Radically Different Approaches to Private Access to Space (gizmag.com) 44

Zothecula writes: Commercial spaceflight company World View came a step closer to carrying tourists to the edge of space with a successful test flight last weekend. At Page, Arizona, a one-tenth scale replica spacecraft was carried by high-altitude ballon to a height of 100,475 ft (30,624 m) to demonstrate the technology that is intended for use in a full-size version slated to begin commercial flights next year. And with a note on the other end of the size spectrum for private access to space, reader Habberhead writes: As reported first by Wired Magazine and followed on by others including Discovery News, start-up company ThumbSat is aiming to provide turn-key access to space for students, experimenters and citizen scientists with a new femto-satellite and creative business model. Small payloads and experiments in space for $20k, including the launch? Sign me up!
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Two Radically Different Approaches to Private Access to Space

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  • Not to be confused with the state of the art [digitalglobeblog.com] WorldView [digitalglobe.com] series of commercial imagery satellites...
  • by Nidi62 ( 1525137 ) on Tuesday October 27, 2015 @10:24AM (#50810229)

    At Page, Arizona, a one-tenth scale replica spacecraft was carried by high-altitude balloon

    What is this, tourism for ants?! It has to be at least...3 times bigger than this!

  • You people offering to pay to launch him into space are really mean.
  • SpaceShipTwo is having a hard time becoming commercial. At least six years so far beyond their announced launch date. Perhaps too much new technology, too many parts ...
    • by 0123456 ( 636235 )

      SpaceShipTwo is having a hard time becoming commercial. At least six years so far beyond their announced launch date. Perhaps too much new technology, too many parts ...

      The big problem with SS2 is that it was a quick kludge to win the X-Prize, and the design just hasn't scaled up the way they expected it to... new technology might well have made it more likely to succeed.

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