With a post on social media, Blue Origin announced its return to flight for the New Shepard rocket. Flying science equipment and postcards from its charity Club for the Future, launch is set for no earlier than December 18.
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dearMoon benefactor shares delay to its Starship mission (which we all saw coming)
Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese entrepreneur, shared on his Instagram account an update to his dearMoon mission around the Moon. Shocking no one, the flight will not take place this year as the rocket is still very much in development.
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Galactic lays off 18% of its workforce and pausing flights to focus on next-gen vehicle
Virgin Galactic announced this week it laid off about 185 employees, 18% of its workforce, to better streamline the development of its Delta-class spaceplane. The company also announced during its earnings call that it will begin to slow its flights down before pausing them all together.
Expand Expanding CloseHow many flights has Virgin Galactic flown in 2023?
In June of 2023 Virgin Galactic began commercial flights of its VSS Unity spaceplane for paying customers. Its ticket holders wait list to fly is over 800 long, with only four available seats, that’s a lot of flying just to get through existing customers and more are on the way. So how many flights has Virgin Galactic performed? Here’s a list of every flight from Virgin Galactic in the year 2023.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week In Launches: Virgin Galactic launches for another month, SpaceX cargo mission this weekend
This week Virgin Galactic is returning for its six flight within six months. Galactic 5 will be one of many launches happening this week, two others from China and possibly three from SpaceX.
Expand Expanding CloseFAA closes Blue Origin NS-23 mishap investigation
On Wednesday the FAA announced it has closed the mishap investigation it oversaw of Blue Origin’s failed NS-23 mission that took place one year ago. With the investigation now finished, Blue Origin plans to return to flight “soon.”
Expand Expanding CloseArs: Blue Origin could return to flight as soon as next month
According to Ars Technica’s Eric Berger, We might finally see a Blue Origin rocket launch after a year of down time. The flight would be the company’s first since suffering a failure of the New Shepard booster which led to the loss of the booster.
Expand Expanding CloseScientists pose questions after fossils flew on recent Virgin Galactic flight
Virgin Galactic’s Galactic 03 mission was different from its previous missions in a number of ways. One of those additions was the carrying on of fossilized bones of ancient human ancestors by one of the participants. This act has raised some questions by scientist in the field.
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Galactic launches third commercial flight on the down low
Friday Virgin Galactic launched its latest commercial missions out of New Mexico. However this time there was no fanfare, livestream, or post launch interviews with the customers. They simply went up, had fun, and came back down.
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week In Launches: Virgin Galactic eying up next flight opportunity to keep momentum
A slow week at least here in the US when it comes to spaceflight activities but we do have an exciting moment Friday. With Virgin Galactic planning its third flight the end of this week, they are trying to keep their momentum going with a truly incredible launch rate.
Expand Expanding CloseList of all SpaceX crewed flights to space
Since 2020, SpaceX has been the leader in launching crews to space for NASA. However, NASA’s bet on turning its Commercial Crew Program winners into commercial options has paid off with several missions in the books or planned that are for entirely private customers. Here’s a list of every crewed flight from SpaceX and who flew on it.
Expand Expanding CloseWho will win the space tourist sector: Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic?
Last Thursday, Virgin Galactic successfully launched its first group of commercial customers into space aboard its SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane, named VSS Unity. This achievement occurred approximately one month after its previous flight. With Virgin Galactic now a significant player in the field, the question arises: Can they outpace Blue Origin in the realm of space tourism?
Expand Expanding CloseWhy is Virgin Galactic just now ready for commercial flights?
Yesterday we saw Virgin Galactic complete a final test flight of its whole spaceplane system with the Unity 25 flight. Now, two years after the last “final test flight,” the company is ready to begin commercial flights. Why has it taken so long?
Expand Expanding CloseThis Week Ahead in Launches: Virgin Galactic returns to flight and more from SpaceX and Rocket Lab
This week is pretty exciting, with lots of activity from multiple companies and nations preparing to launch. However, the bigger story of the week will be Virgin Galactic’s return to powered flight with its VSS Unity spaceplane, its first powered flight since 2021.
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Galactic completes final test flight before returning to space
After almost two years since its last powered flight to space, Virgin Galactic is finally back in the “saddle” with its first unpowered glide, post renovations. Next up, the company plans to do a powered test flight before resuming commercial spaceflights.
Expand Expanding CloseVirgin Galactic gears up to return to flight next quarter
Virgin Galactic has been in an idle mode for the past year and a half as it worked through an FAA investigation and refurbishment of its aircrafts. Now the company sounds ready to pick up the pace, with flights returning soon.
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