Colorado startup Boom Supersonic is planning to show off its XB-1 supersonic plane on October 7th, with flights planned for next year. Engadget reports: [Boom Supersonic founder Blake Scholl] describes himself as an Objectivist (a follower of the teachings of Ayn Rand) and previously worked for both Groupon and Amazon. He freely admits that, beyond his private pilots license, he does…
Tag: Private Spaceflight
From floating guts to ‘sticky’ blood – here’s how to do surgery in space
Earlier this year, it was reported that an astronaut in space had developed a potentially life-threatening blood clot in the neck. This was successfully treated with medication by doctors on Earth, avoiding surgery. But given that space agencies and private spaceflight companies have committed to landing humans on Mars in the coming decades, we may not be so lucky next time….
NASA and SpaceX launch astronauts into new era of private spaceflight
On 30 May, SpaceX and NASA pulled off a historic launch – the first private spacecraft to take astronauts into orbit, and the first crewed launch from US soil in 9 years Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2244889-nasa-and-spacex-launch-astronauts-into-new-era-of-private-spaceflight/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Stratolaunch, World’s Largest Airplane by Wingspan, Takes Its First Flight
The crew said it was a smooth maiden voyage for the Stratolaunch, which is designed to carry rockets to blast commercial satellites into space. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/science/stratolaunch-first-flight.html?partner=rss&emc=rss…
Moon Landing by Israel’s Beresheet Spacecraft Ends in Crash
The spacecraft’s orbit of the moon was a first for a private effort, but the landing failure highlighted the risks of fast and cheap approaches to space exploration. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/science/israel-moon-landing-beresheet.html?partner=rss&emc=rss…
Falcon Heavy Launch Postponed by SpaceX
The most powerful rocket now available on Earth will wait another day for its next journey to orbit and back. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/science/falcon-heavy-launch-spacex.html?partner=rss&emc=rss…