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Cornwall outlines ambitious bid for commercial space plane flights from Newquay by 2020
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: February 20, 2017

Cornwall is to set out its ambitions to become the centre of the UK's first flights into space at a major conference in London.

A delegation led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership will be outlining why they think Cornwall is ideally placed to offer the launches of small commercial satellites into orbit and sub-orbital spaceplane flights for science and tourism.
They say that Cornwall's assets include the UK's longest runway and uncongested airspace at Cornwall Airport Newquay, and satellite operation, command and control and space vehicle tracking capabilities at Goonhilly Earth Station.

Newquay%20Airport%20Runwayweb.jpg

The airport runway at Newquay, which could be used for a new generation of space planes.

The intention is to bid for a share of a £10 million Government fund announced this month to secure Spaceport Cornwall at Cornwall Airport Newquay. The dream is to offer low-cost access to space and new launch capability for the UK by 2020.

And meanwhile Goonhilly continues to invest in upgrading its operations, including deep space communications ability.

The Cornwall delegation will be speaking at an all-day U Space Agency conference at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London on February 21. The event will bring together potential UK spaceports, spaceflight vehicle operators and the wider UK space manufacturing sector to discuss progress being made towards small-satellite launch and sub-orbital flights in the UK.

It will include a talk from science minister Jo Johnson, who will outline the Government's ambitions for the UK to have a greater share of the commercial spaceflight market, worth an estimated £25 billion over the next 20 years.
Ministers have also confirmed that a Spaceflight Bill will be published later this year, which will pave the way for the creation of UK spaceports, including rules and regulations for operators, such as safety and insurance measures.

Sandra Rothwell, the chief executive of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "Cornwall has unique, nationally significant assets at Newquay and Goonhilly that can play a critical role in making the UK's new space age a reality. We want to harness the power of spacetech to drive more science, innovation and research, not just in Cornwall but across the UK, creating highly skilled jobs and boosting our economy."

Also addressing the conference is Ian Jones, chairman of the South West Satellite Applications Centre of Excellence based at Goonhilly. This is one of five UK regional centres set up to promote links between universities and businesses to realise the potential of satellite data and applications.

Ian, who is also chief executive of Goonhilly Earth Station, said: "Spaceport is really about the high-tech jobs and the new commercial applications of space that can significantly boost the economy. This is Cornwall's and the UK's opportunity to participate in a £25 billion industry, and in a sector that's increasingly important in our lives.

"We all use space-related data on a daily basis without even thinking about it. Spaceport will allow the UK to benefit more from being a provider of that data and those services rather than just a consumer. It's essential that young people know that there are great career opportunities here and they will be the ones designing and developing new systems and space application businesses."

Also attending the conference is Miles Carden, Aerohub Enterprise Zone Manager at Cornwall Airport Newquay.
He said Enterprise Zone status at both the airport and Goonhilly provide a combination of tax breaks, capital allowances and relaxed planning conditions for inward investors.
He said: "We're offering a complete and competitive launch solution for the commercial space industry and aim to make Spaceport Cornwall a business and research hub for future flight and satellite technologies."

Proposals to establish UK spaceports must be submitted to the UK Space Agency by April 15.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/cornwal...from-newquay/story-30148986-detail/story.html
 
SpaceX to fly two tourists around Moon in 2018

US private rocket company SpaceX has announced that two private citizens have paid to be sent around the Moon.
The mission is planned for late 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, adding that the tourists "have already paid a significant deposit".
"This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years," he said.

The two unnamed people will fly aboard a spaceship which is set for its first unmanned test flight later this year.
Mr Musk said the co-operation of America's Nasa space agency had made the plan possible.
He said the two passengers "will travel faster and further into the solar system than any before them".

Mr Musk declined to reveal their identities, only saying that they knew each other and that "it's nobody from Hollywood".
"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration.
"We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year."

The first mission would be unmanned, and the next one - with crew - was expected in the second quarter of 2018, the billionaire entrepreneur and inventor said.
He also said the first passengers "are entering this with their eyes open, knowing that there is some risk here".
"They're certainly not naive, and we'll do everything we can to minimise that risk, but it's not zero."

The space tourists would make a loop around the Moon, skimming the lunar surface and then going well beyond, Mr Musk said.
The mission will not involve a lunar landing.

If Nasa decided it wanted to be first to take part in a lunar flyby mission, then the agency would have priority, Mr Musk said.
The US has not sent astronauts to the Moon since the early 1970s.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture proposes to send tourists on short sub-orbital flights in its vehicle SpaceShipTwo; the cost of a seat is listed as $250,000.
However, its space vehicle was destroyed in a crash in 2014 and it remains unclear when the first flights with paying customers will begin.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39111030
 
Sounds impossibly optimistic.

First test flight late this year, then a spin around the Moon 12 months later? Not a chance.

There's about as much chance of that happening as Mars 1 establishing a permanent human colony on the Red Planet by 2025.
 
I think this fits here.

Earth’s Orbiting Junkyard Threatens the Space Economy
Rocket and satellite litter is endangering private space commerce. Enter the cosmic debris tracking industry.
by
Justin Bachman
February 27, 2017, 9:00 AM GMT

You never see it in those lovely NASA pictures of Earth, but the space surrounding our pale blue dot is a cosmic junkyard. Debris abounds, moving at ludicrous speeds and presenting plenty of hassles for satellite operators who do business in orbit.

This pollution poses an existential risk for greater commercialization of space, from the grand ambitions of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corp. and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin LLC to other players who see promising futures for an array of space activities, from tourism, to imaging, to pharmaceutical research.

In low-earth orbit, space debris travels at velocities approaching 5 miles per second—roughly 18,000 mph—which gives even the tiniest bits of junk enormous destructive energy. A 1-centimeter-wide aluminum sphere in low-earth orbit packs the kineticequivalent of a safe moving at 60 mph. If it hits your satellite, well, that could ruin the whole day. 1

Aggregate too much debris in certain areas, and low-earth orbit becomes an increasingly difficult and far costlier environment for commercial companies. Today, satellite operators periodically maneuver their birds to avoid object strikes just as NASA must do with the International Space Station. The key, however, is knowing what’s headed your way. ...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...orbiting-junkyard-threatens-the-space-economy
 
In reality, SpaceX will slip its deadlines.
Launching a barely-tested spacecraft with people aboard is really taking chances.
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Blue Origin founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says people who buy a ticket to fly on his company's space tourism vehicle New Shepard will need to use the bathroom before flight, and they'd better not get sick during the trip — the company has no plans to install systems to deal with human waste.

New Shepard is the reusable, suborbital vehicle produced by Bezos' private spaceflight company Blue Origin. Bezos, who is also founder and CEO of Amazon.com, said that after years of test flights, he is hopeful that Blue Origin will fly customers in 2018. He emphasized, however, that the company will only start flying humans on New Shepard "when it's ready."

On Wednesday April 5, at the 33rd annual Space Symposium, Bezos and Blue Origin revealed new details about the experience that space tourists will have on New Shepard. Bezos also discussed the company's efforts to anticipate customer demand for space tourism, and a possible lottery for anyone who can't afford a trip aboard New Shepard. [Jeff Bezos Reveals 'Sneak Peek' of Blue Origin's Space Tourism Capsule] ...

http://www.space.com/36423-what-blu..._medium=social&utm_campaign=2016twitterdlvrit
 
Spaceport plans to go before government
Posted at 8:13

Ambitious plans to open a commercial spaceport in Cornwall are being formally submitted to the government this week.

Cornwall Airport Newquay is one of five sites shortlisted for a £10m project to develop plans to launch satellites and offer space tourism.

One of Newquay's advantages is its partnership with Goonhilly Earth Station - a major satellite communications hub with links to NASA and the European Space Agency.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-devon-39664770
 
Cornwall Spaceport dream takes step forward with new satellite launch company partner
By G_WIlkinson | Posted: May 30, 2017

16022992-large.jpg

An artist's impression of Orbital Access Limited’s Orbital 500R satellite launcher

The dream of establishing a spaceport in Cornwall has taken a bold step forward in a new deal with a company which specilises in launching satellites from an aeroplane.

Orbital Access Limited (OAL) has now teamed up with Spaceport Cornwall – the group which includes Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly Earth Station, on the Lizard peninsula.

News of the partnership was announced at the UK Space Conference in Manchester. It means OAL will work alongside Spaceport Cornwall as its principle operator on the dream to develop a system where aircraft can be used to launch satellites into orbit.


The collaboration is also part of a bid for a grant from the UK Space Agency to create an operational UK spaceport by 2020, as set out in the draft UK Spaceflight Bill. OAL, which is currently based at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow, has also confirmed it will be setting up an office at Goonhilly Earth Station.

Stuart McIntyre, the chief executive officer of OAL, said: "We are looking forward to working closely with Spaceport Cornwall and the local space community as the project develops. The location is ideal for our Orbital 500R air-launched payload system, which is a horizontal take-off and landing vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low-earth orbit."
He added: "Under the partnership with Spaceport Cornwall, we will also open a new office at Goonhilly Earth Station very soon to continue developing our space-related services. Ultimately, we will be able to offer cost-effective launch services from UK spaceports as well as similar facilities anywhere in the world."

Sandra Rothwell, the chief executive of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, which is leading the Spaceport Cornwall project, said: "We're delighted to welcome such a high profile partner and look forward to Orbital Access opening an office at Goonhilly.

"Our ambition is to develop a thriving space industry in Cornwall using our existing world-class assets to provide low-cost access to space. Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly are both within our Aerohub Enterprise Zone, which means we can offer a suite of incentives to inward investors, unlocking further investment into business, science, skills and future space and satellite technologies in Cornwall."

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/cornwal...pany-partner/story-30361657-detail/story.html
 
Queen's Speech Space Bill to pave the way for Cornwall Spaceport
By Oli_Vergnault | Posted: June 21, 2017

Commercial space flights from Cornwall are one step closer to becoming a reality after the Space Bill was announced in the Queen's Speech.

A government plan to secure growth in the UK's £13.7billion space industry was laid out in the Queen's Speech with the aim to make the UK the most attractive place in Europe for commercial space and make use of emerging technologies.
The government said the Space Bill make it easier for Britain and regions such as Cornwall to secure a 10% share of the global space economy by 2030.

Cornwall has sent its Spaceport bid through to Whitehall as it hopes to secure spaceport status for Newquay airport.
Miles Carden, Aerohub Enterprise Zone manager, said the Space Bill announcement was great news as it means the blip of the General Election is now behind us and work can re-start with the UK Space Agency.

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Aerohub Enterprise Zione at Newquay has been leading Cornwall's bid to establish Spaceport Cornwall across two sites at Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly Earth Station.

The LEP has confirmed that talks are still under way with four potential partners as it prepares to capture a share of the £25billion global spaceflight launch market.
Up to £10 million is available to make the UK the first place in Europe where commercial space operators can launch small satellites into orbit and offer spaceplane flights for science and tourism.

Officials and stakeholders have been keen to ensure the space sector does not lose out when the UK leaves the EU and have now been reassured with the Queen's Speech Space Bill.

The legislation, according to Department for Transport (DfT), will allow the launch of satellites from the UK for the first time, horizontal flights to the edge of space for scientific experiments and the establishment of spaceports in regions across Britain.

etc...

http://www.cornwalllive.com/queen-s...ll-spaceport/story-30402423-detail/story.html
 
Still a bit afraid of Branson in orbit...

WASHINGTON — The chief executive of Virgin Galactic said Sept. 7 that the company’s second suborbital spaceplane was “at the edge” of beginning powered test flights, after at least one more glide flight.

George Whitesides, speaking at the 20th Annual International Mars Society Convention in Irvine, California, said that while the company was gearing up for the next phase of flight testing of SpaceShipTwo, it would not give a timetable for beginning commercial flights.

“Galactic is still trucking away and we are getting close to powered flight,” he said. “We’re now right at the edge of powered flight.” ...

http://spacenews.com/virgin-galacti..._medium=social&utm_campaign=2016twitterdlvrit
 
SpaceX to fly two tourists around Moon in 2018

US private rocket company SpaceX has announced that two private citizens have paid to be sent around the Moon.
The mission is planned for late 2018, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, adding that the tourists "have already paid a significant deposit".
"This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years," he said.

The two unnamed people will fly aboard a spaceship which is set for its first unmanned test flight later this year.
Mr Musk said the co-operation of America's Nasa space agency had made the plan possible.
He said the two passengers "will travel faster and further into the solar system than any before them".

Mr Musk declined to reveal their identities, only saying that they knew each other and that "it's nobody from Hollywood".
"Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration.
"We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year."

The first mission would be unmanned, and the next one - with crew - was expected in the second quarter of 2018, the billionaire entrepreneur and inventor said.
He also said the first passengers "are entering this with their eyes open, knowing that there is some risk here".
"They're certainly not naive, and we'll do everything we can to minimise that risk, but it's not zero."

The space tourists would make a loop around the Moon, skimming the lunar surface and then going well beyond, Mr Musk said.
The mission will not involve a lunar landing.

If Nasa decided it wanted to be first to take part in a lunar flyby mission, then the agency would have priority, Mr Musk said.
The US has not sent astronauts to the Moon since the early 1970s.

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic venture proposes to send tourists on short sub-orbital flights in its vehicle SpaceShipTwo; the cost of a seat is listed as $250,000.
However, its space vehicle was destroyed in a crash in 2014 and it remains unclear when the first flights with paying customers will begin.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39111030

Sounds impossibly optimistic.

First test flight late this year, then a spin around the Moon 12 months later? Not a chance.

There's about as much chance of that happening as Mars 1 establishing a permanent human colony on the Red Planet by 2025.
I'm with you, BMCS. Could someone please keep their finger on the pulse and update as often as poss? This will be interesting.

Me? Ok. ~ Nothing reported since March last year. Zero interest in developments due to a bollocks outlook. Just type "spacex delay" into google and be unamazed. Confidence in this corporate entity will continue to plummet. Now there's an outlook you can bank on.

Anybody hear about the 26 astrokids selected in 2015 for the Generation Astronaut competition run by SpaceX and Lynx underarm deodorant and slated to go into orbit in 2016? Nope. Guess they couldn't meet that goal either. Such a great documentary, and the kids were over the moon (PI). How shattered would they be to have a trip into orbit ripped from under their twinkle toesies? Very little of the endeavour of the 1960s NASA and Soyuz programs to be found. Money ain't all there is to this space things, folks. Vision must be matched by the best, the ultimate in space engineering. A bunch of money and a high profile means shit all.
 
It also helps having some tame nazis.
 
Not quite tourism but I think it fits here.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — As commercial suborbital vehicles capable of carrying both payloads and people prepare to enter service, NASA officials say they’re willing to consider allowing agency-funded researchers to fly on those vehicles.

In an interview after a speech at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference here Dec. 19, Steve Jurczyk, NASA associate administrator for space technology, said the agency would be open to allowing researchers funded by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program to fly on suborbital spacecraft to carry out their experiments.

“As principal investigators propose, both internal to NASA and external, we’ll do the same kind of process that we do with Zero G,” he said, referring to the company that performs parabolic aircraft flights. Zero G flies investigations as part of the Flight Opportunities program, with researchers flying on the aircraft with their experiments.

Zero G’s aircraft, a Boeing 727, is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration. Jurczyk said that, in addition to the FAA oversight, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center performs an evaluation of the aircraft for investigations selected by the Flight Opportunities program for flights on it. “It just ensures that our grantees and contractors are safe to fly, and then we allow them to go fly,” he said in a speech at the conference. ...

http://spacenews.com/nasa-willing-t..._medium=social&utm_campaign=2016twitterdlvrit
 
And a scarcity of vomit bags.

Indeed. On El Reg they made the points that:

1) The altitude achieved by the bearded one's "spacecraft" is still only a little over half the altitude of Alan Eustace's record-breaking balloon and free-fall parachute descent.

2) The overall experience promised by the Virgin Galactic setup will not be dissimilar to the vastly cheaper and more accessible Boeing "Vomit Comet" .
 
Indeed. On El Reg they made the points that:

1) The altitude achieved by the bearded one's "spacecraft" is still only a little over half the altitude of Alan Eustace's record-breaking balloon and free-fall parachute descent.

2) The overall experience promised by the Virgin Galactic setup will not be dissimilar to the vastly cheaper and more accessible Boeing "Vomit Comet" .

And how many passengers is that? Reminds me of the old Spinal Tap joke about choking to death on someone else's vomit.
 
It's certainly trained hundreds of would-be astronauts and, to his credit, Stephen Hawking managed to keep his breakfast down when he experienced the Vomit Comet:

 
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo successfully reaches space:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46550862

Well I am sort of moderately impressed and obviously pleased that there is something of a minor space race going on. To put things in perspective though, the altitude achieved by Richard Branson's rocket-plane is still some 20 km less than this bad boy (X-15 experimental spy plane) achieved back in the 60s:

IMG_0526.JPG
 
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo successfully reaches space:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46550862

Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos New Shepherd reusable rocket has just completed its 10th mission. Some NASA experiments were on board and the proof of concept passenger cabin (albeit unoccupied) returned to a soft landing successfully.

Looks likely that Bezos will beat Branson and Musk to launch first commercial passenger trips to the edge of space, so the very rich can pretend to be astronauts. Amazon's world domination marches on!

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/science-environment-46978491
 
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More promises from SpaceX.


SpaceX
just inked its first deal to launch space tourists into orbit on a Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The private spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk has signed an agreement with the U.S. space tourism company Space Adventures to launch up to four passengers on an orbital trip aboard a Crew Dragon space capsule. The mission would last up to five days and could launch as early as late 2021, Space Adventures representatives told Space.com.

"This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the Space Adventures team on the mission," SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement from Space Adventures.

https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-will-fly-space-tourists.html
 
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