Private Spaceflight : Discovery News

NASA Puts Out Call for Space Taxis

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Feb 7, 2012 04:26 PM ET | 0

The U.S. investment in commercial space taxis will soon double. Read more

SpaceX Test Fires Awesome New Rocket

Posted by Ian O'Neill Thu Feb 2, 2012 01:58 AM ET | 0

The private spaceflight company has test fired a new rocket that will be used to rescue launching astronauts during an emergency and propulsively land on planetary bodies. Read more

Ready, Set, Hold: SpaceX Not Ready to Fly

Posted by Irene Klotz Wed Jan 18, 2012 02:17 AM ET | 0

SpaceX's historic mission to the space station isn't quite ready for prime time, yet. Read more

Ready, Set, Hold: SpaceX Not Ready to Fly

Telescope To Go Where No Telescope Has Gone Before

Posted by Irene Klotz Mon Dec 19, 2011 01:21 PM ET | 0

A contender for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize plans to put a small remotely operated telescope on the surface of the moon. Read more

Telescope To Go Where No Telescope Has Gone Before

Enormous Aircraft Planned to Carry Passengers to Space

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Dec 13, 2011 03:00 PM ET | 0

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen announces plans to build a massive space plane. Read more

NASA Sets Date for Dragon's Space Station Debut

Posted by Irene Klotz Fri Dec 9, 2011 05:05 PM ET | 0

A spaceship developed by privately owned SpaceX is scheduled for launch Feb. 7 on an unprecedented mission to the International Space Station. Read more

NASA Sets Date for Dragon's Space Station Debut

Boeing to Bring Space Taxis to Old Shuttle Hangar

Posted by Irene Klotz Mon Oct 31, 2011 03:31 PM ET | 0

The program, in one of the space shuttle's processing hangars, is a glimpse into future public-private ventures. Read more

Boeing to Bring Space Taxis to Old Shuttle Hangar

SpaceX Dragon 2 Arrives at Launch Site

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Oct 25, 2011 07:22 PM ET | 0

After a drive across the country, SpaceX's Dragon spaceship arrived in Florida for a mission to prove the private sector has the right stuff to take over a traditional government role of flying in orbit. Read more

Virgin Galactic Snares NASA Shuttle Ops Guru

Posted by Irene Klotz Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:57 AM ET | 0

Virgin Galactic, the startup of the world's first commercial spaceliner SpaceShipTwo, has caught the eye of NASA's shuttle operations chief, Mike Moses. Read more

Virgin Galactic Snares NASA Shuttle Ops Guru

Spaceship Factory Open for Business

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Sep 20, 2011 03:45 AM ET | 0

The Spaceship Company, a joint-venture between Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., has opened the doors of a new spacecraft facility. Read more

NASA Moves Step Closer to Space Taxis

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Sep 20, 2011 03:21 AM ET | 0

NASA hopes some U.S. companies will soon be giving the Russians a run for their money to fly astronauts to the International Space Station. Read more

Bad Day for Jeff Bezos' Rocket Company

Posted by Irene Klotz Fri Sep 2, 2011 05:57 PM ET | 0

An experimental suborbital space vehicle developed by Blue Origin, a space startup founded by Amazon.com chief Jeff Bezos, was lost during a test flight last week. Read more

SpaceX Sets Next Launch for Nov. 30

Posted by Irene Klotz Fri Jul 29, 2011 03:23 PM ET | 0

Space Exploration Technologies plans to park its second Dragon capsule at the space station. Read more

SpaceShipTwo Re-entry System Tested

Posted by Irene Klotz Thu May 19, 2011 03:24 PM ET | 0

Virgin Galactic has released a video clip of the latest test flight of SpaceShipTwo, featuring the spacecraft's unique "feathering" technique. Read more

SpaceX Pledges Space Taxi in 3 Years

Posted by Irene Klotz Tue Apr 19, 2011 02:13 PM ET | 0

For years, Elon Musk has been saying that three years after the government puts up the cash, he could have a new ride for astronauts ready to fly. On Monday, NASA took him up on that pledge. Read more