Shatner on space trip: โSo important for everybody to have that experienceโ
In the Star Trek series and the original movies, William Shatner, who plays the fictional character James Kirk, boldly goes where no man has gone before. And Wednesday, he boldly went where only very few people have gotten the opportunity -- and he did it in real life.
Blue Origin launches capsule to space with astronaut perks
In this image from video made available by Blue Origin, the company's New Shepard rocket lands after a test flight in West Texas on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (Blue Origin via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. โ Jeff Bezosโ Blue Origin company launched a new capsule into space Thursday to test all the astronaut perks before people strap in. Thursdayโs flight with a dummy named Mannequin Skywalker lasted 10 minutes and reached 66 miles (106 kilometers) above West Texas. Both the New Shepard rocket and the capsule landed successfully. It was the 14th flight to the fringes of space for a New Shepard rocket.
NASA moon-landing tech hitches ride to space on Bezos rocket
The sensors and computer โ tested during the boosterโs descent and touchdown โ will hitch another suborbital ride with Blue Origin. Led by Amazon founder Bezos, Washington state-based Blue Origin is leading a team of companies to develop a lunar lander for astronauts. Tuesdayโs launch was the first in nearly a year for Blue Origin: The pandemic stalled operations. Blue Origin said its staff is maintaining social distancing and taking other safety measures. Blue Origin said it needs a couple more flights before launching people โ tourists, scientists and professional astronauts โ on short hops.
Richard Branson plans to take Virgin Galactic public
The Virgin Galactic VMS Mothership "Eve," also known as "WhiteKnightTwo." MOJAVE, Calif. - Richard Branson is preparing Virgin Galactic for a public listing. The billionaire's space tourism company will go public as part of a deal with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hundreds of people are lined up to ride a short high-speed trip aboard a Virgin Galactic space plane and have agreed to pay $200,000 to $250,000 per seat. Bezos has also spent years working on its space tourism plans, and Blue Origin is expected to compete directly with Virgin Galactic in that business.