The US Air Force has traditionally awarded its pilots “astronaut wings” if they have exceeded 50 miles (80km) in altitude. Others who support this limit of where “space begins” include astrophysicist and spaceflight expert Dr Jonathan McDowell. He has eloquently...
Virgin Galactic has confirmed that it will use an ex-Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 as a dedicated air-launch carrier (Stage Zero) for the LauncherOne two-stage expendable orbital rocket. The move to this air-launch aircraft, which previously operated as an airliner...
At the UK Launch Symposium held at the Roehampton Vale Campus of Kingston University which met in May, which had most of the UK’s space launch engineers and rocket scientists in attendance, there was a real feeling that the nation needs a launch vehicle –...
Virgin Galactic has released some video of its SpaceShipTwo making its engine firing and then going supersonic. And it is apparent from the footage that the design still has a slight wing rocking issue as afflicted its predecessor SpaceShipOne which had a...
Watch this 22s video of Virgin Galactic’s first SpaceShipTwo (SS2) captive carry flight on 22 March 2010 as the WhiteKnight Twi, SS2 vehicles pass over Mojave
