A new kind of space race is set to begin this weekend. Upcoming launches that will take Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos to space are bringing a new visibility to space travel at a time when the industry is booming.
A new kind of space race is set to begin this weekend.Sunday aboard his company's rocket-powered vehicle. It would mark the culmination of 17 years of work by his space tourism firm, Virgin Galactic.by a cool nine days.
Rivalry or not, the upcoming flights represent milestones for both private space companies and the burgeoning commercial spaceflight industry, which until now has been dominated by fellow entrepreneur Elon Musk and his company, SpaceX. By putting their own lives on the line, Branson and Bezos are providing the ultimate proving ground to demonstrate the safety of their vehicles and the readiness of the nascent space tourism industry.
Both the Virgin Galactic and the Blue Origin missions are suborbital flights, which means they will fly to the edge of space. Unlike orbital expeditions, the vehicles won't actually circle the planet, but at an altitude of more than 50 miles, passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and be able to see the curvature of Earth before landing.
"From the beginning, New Shepard was designed to fly above the Kármán line so none of our astronauts have an asterisk next to their name For 96% of the world’s population, space begins 100 km up at the internationally recognized Kármán line," Blue Origin officials tweeted on Friday.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How to Watch the 2021 Primetime Emmy NominationsThe show will be hosted by Stephen Colbert on Sept. 19, but you can watch the hopefuls get nominated on July 13.
Read more »
Billionaire Branson Prepares To Take One Small Step For Entrepreneurs In SpaceOne of Branson’s former executives tells Forbes that an appetite for risk has carried the British billionaire to the cusp of space.
Read more »
Billionaire Branson Prepares To Take One Small Step For Entrepreneurs In SpaceOne of Branson’s former executives tells Forbes that an appetite for risk has carried the British billionaire to the cusp of space.
Read more »
Check out these cringeworthy new slogans for Jeep, Dodge and other auto brandsStellantis gave its 13 vehicle brands new taglines that they say are indicative of the company's new electrified era.
Read more »
Billionaire Branson set to fly to space aboard Virgin Galactic rocket planeDecades after burnishing his reputation as a wealthy daredevil mogul in a series of boating and hot-air balloon expeditions, Richard Branson is poised to promote his burgeoning astro-tourism venture by launching himself to the final frontier.
Read more »