SpaceShipOne flies again

[RT Atlanta]

We're getting closer to seeing an X Prize winner folks. This time she flew just over 200,000 feet.

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/rutan_flight_040513.html

[Mistress Quickly]

1. Cool

I hope before I die, I can fly in space commercially.

Of course, I also hope to make it to Italy and France and Ireland.

[daleo]

2. I can't see the military letting this go much farther

Sure it was fun, and lots of rah, rah capitalism stuff was involved, but given the international situation, will the government really give up its monopoly on space?

[AZCat]

3. There's a lot of commercial stuff that goes up now

As far as I know, a lot of the satellite launches are pure commercial operations. Communications stuff, imaging satellites, things like that.

The government still gets to regulate who goes up, and when. In the article, it talks about Rutan and the other competitors applying for licenses to launch and fly in space.

[Tims]

6. No private launch vehicles

currently from US soil. The only private launch vehicle I know of is a joint US/Russian/Ukraine/Norway venture that launches what are essentially Russian military rockets from a modified oil exploration ship sailing in international waters. As far as I know no government has ever given permission to a private company to launch an orbital vehicle.

As a matter of fact it is illegal in the US for even model rocket makers to add any form of guidance or active stabilization (gyroscopes) to any model rocket, no matter what it's size or range. Pull the RC electronics from your model plane and try to put it into a model rocket and you will get a rather rude visit from government authorities and a possible trip to an undisclosed location.

Some years ago (I think back in the 80's) a small firm tried to get in the space launch business here in Texas and was going to launch from Matagorda Island, a barrier island off the central Texas coast. They made a couple of test launches of a small rocket, but they where not very successful. Whether they had permission to launch orbital vehicles, I do not know.

[AZCat]

7. The joint venture you speak of I think is Sea Launch

Their site is here: http://www.sea-launch.com/

Their launch vehicle is a combo. From the site:

The Rocket - Zenit-3SL
* Stage 1 and 2: Yuzhnoye/Yuzhmash produced Zenit
* Stage 3: Energia-produced Block DM-SL
* Payload enclosures and interfaces: Boeing
* Widest Diameter: 14 feet
* Overall length: Approximately 200 feet
* All stages are kerosene/liquid oxygen fueled
* Capacity to geosynchronus transfer orbit: 6,000 kg
<snip>
Components and Integration
Sea Launch rocket components are manufactured in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine (first and second stages); Moscow, Russia (third or "upper" stage); and Seattle, Wash. (payload fairing and interstage structure). An inventory of these inert, unfueled components are transported to Long Beach as needed.

Rocket components are assembled onboard the ACS in a below-decks factory area. The third stage is joined with the first and second stages, and the assembled rocket awaits its payload.
<snip>

In the article linked from the original post, it talks about the first licenses to private companies for launching orbital vehicles. I don't think anyone has done it yet so far, but the licenses have been issued.

[RT Atlanta]

4. I hope so...

The FAA has already granted licenses to fly to the SpaceShipOne folks and a few others, so it leads me to believe the gov't is on board with this concept.

[benburch]

5. Go Burt Rutan!

He may be a right winger, but he certainly has The Right Stuff!