SpaceShipTwo, intended to carry passengers and scientific payloads into suborbital space, is being unveiled today by Virgin Galactic in Mojave, California. SpaceShipTwo was developed for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic by the engineering firm Scaled Composites, a team that includes aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan.

This reusable spacecraft will take two pilots and six passengers to space after first being carried aloft by the WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, which has already been undergoing test flights for a year. SpaceShipTwo will conduct flights of passengers and science payloads to space from Spaceport America near Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, stated, “This is truly a momentous day. The team has created not only a world first but also a work of art. The unveil of SS2 takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this ambitious project is not only moving rapidly, but also making tremendous progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation.”

Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, commented, “Just a few years ago, SpaceShipOne became the first new U.S. human spacecraft to be unveiled since the Space Shuttle over twenty years ago. Today’s rollout of SpaceShipTwo, the first human spacecraft built for routine commercial operations, is an even more exciting milestone for the commercial spaceflight sector.”

Alexander added, “SpaceShipTwo marks the start of a new wave of commercial spacecraft that will provide frequent and low-cost access to space for people and science payloads.”

According to Virgin Galactic, “The emergence of new commercial space companies like Virgin Galactic will be an engine for employment, growth and the creation of a new technology and science base in the United States… the Virgin Galactic project alone is creating significant opportunities for employment in both the company itself and with suppliers in both California and New Mexico. Approximately 600 people are now working on activities relating to the project and it is estimated that this figure will rise to over 1,100 jobs during the peak of the construction phase at the space port and through the introduction of the commercial space vehicles into regular astronaut service.”

The precursor vehicle to SpaceShipTwo, the SpaceShipOne vehicle unveiled in 2003, became the first private human spacecraft to reach space in 2004 and won the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for commercial spaceflight.

Image credit (showing WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo): Virgin Galactic

Jeff Greason, Vice-Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and CEO of XCOR Aerospace, testified before the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday, December 2.

In his opening statement, Greason said the current regulatory regime for commercial spaceflight, as framed by the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, “has boosted the confidence of investors, entrepreneurs, and customers,” and “has encouraged development of several suborbital vehicles to address scientific research and education markets as well as spaceflight participants, and investments in commercial spacecraft for carriage of cargo and humans to and from Earth orbit.”

Addressing safety, Greason stated, “The need to find a better, safer way to operate is what motivates the industry.”

Greason’s testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee took place on the same day as CSF President Bretton Alexander’s testimony in a separate hearing before the House Science Committee, both on the topic of commercial spaceflight.

Greason praised the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), stating that “AST has done a good job of implementing the statute” of the Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act of 2004, “both in new regulations and through developing the skill to work with these new kinds of vehicles. I want to praise the office’s placement of technical staff out in the field, where they can closely observe development and test activities of industry.”

Greason testified along with four other witnesses: Dr. George Nield, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation; Dr. Gerald Dillingham, Director of Physical Infrastructure Issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office; J.P. Stevens, Vice President for Space Systems at the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA); and James Testwuide, Chairman of the Great Lakes Aerospace Science and Education Center at Spaceport Sheboygan.

The panelists took questions from members of Congress including Subcommittee Chair Rep. Jerry Costello (D-IL) and Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Thomas Petri (R-WI).

Washington, D.C. – Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, testified this morning before the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science Committee on the topic of commercial spaceflight safety. Alexander, who also chairs the Commercial Space Committee of the NASA Advisory Council, said in his opening statement that, “Safety is paramount to everyone in this industry. … We firmly believe that NASA and commercial industry can and must work together to develop safer human spaceflight capabilities.”

Alexander added, “Commercial crew systems will only begin crewed flights once reliability has been demonstrated through multiple successful test flights without crew. Demonstrated launch reliability is essential for overall safety. The Atlas family, for example, has had over 90 consecutive successes. The Atlas V has a perfect record of 19 successful launches. And the Falcon 9 will have been launched more than a dozen times for cargo and satellite missions before crew missions begin.”

Alexander thanked the Subcommittee and the full Committee for their support of commercial spaceflight, and noted that letting the commercial sector handle the less difficult task of Space Station servicing will enable NASA to focus its resources and expertise on exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit.

Discussing government oversight, Alexander explained, “While the FAA would retain overall licensing authority, NASA would maintain oversight as the customer. In particular, NASA would establish astronaut safety requirements in consultation with industry; establish mission-unique requirements, such as crew capacity and requirements for Space Station docking; and most importantly, have final approval authority over the launch of NASA astronauts.”

Alexander testified along with five other witnesses: Bryan O’Connor, Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA; Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program Manager at NASA; John Marshall, Council Member of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel; Joseph Fragola, Vice President at Valador Inc; and Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Thomas Stafford.

The panelists took questions from members of Congress including Subcommittee Chair Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Committee Ranking Member Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX).

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. CSF member organizations include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, and spaceports. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is governed by a board of directors, composed of the member companies’ CEO-level officers and entrepreneurs. For more information please visit http://www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce the creation and initial membership of the Spaceports Council, composed of spaceports worldwide who seek to cooperate on issues of common interest such as airspace access, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, international policy migration, liability, and voluntary common operating standards.

The Spaceports Council, which will operate under the aegis of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), was officially created following the conclusion of the second CSF Spaceports Executive Summit held on October 20, 2009 in Las Cruces, New Mexico to coincide with the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight. This summit built on the success of an earlier CSF spaceports summit held on May 27, 2009, hosted by Space Florida as part of the International Space Development Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Initial member spaceports and spaceport principals of the CSF Spaceports Council include:
• Spaceport America, represented by Executive Director Steve Landeene (Chairman)
• Aeroports de Catalunya, represented by Executive Director Jordi Candela
• Cecil Field Spaceport, represented by Administrator of Planning and Development Todd Lindner
• Mojave Air and Space Port, represented by General Manager Stuart Witt
• Oklahoma Spaceport, represented by Executive Director Bill Khourie
• Space Florida, represented by President Frank DiBello
• Spaceport Indiana, represented by President Brian Tanner
• Spaceport Scotland, represented by Chairman Howie Firth
• Spaceport Sweden, represented by Vice President Bengt Jaegtnes
• Wisconsin Aerospace Authority, represented by Chairman Tom Crabb

Steve Landeene, Executive Director of Spaceport America, has been selected as the first chair of the CSF Spaceports Council. Landeene stated, “I am deeply honored and humbled to take up the first chairmanship of the Spaceports Council. Collecting and sharing the knowledge and experience base of spaceports worldwide will be beneficial to us all as commercial space vehicles begin to push the envelope toward more and more flights. And when working with policymakers, spaceports will benefit by formulating and presenting common positions.”

The Spaceports Council will convene regular meetings of spaceports principals, as well as coordinate additional cooperation between spaceports on the staff level, in order to address common problems affecting spaceports, work toward voluntary uniform standards for development of common use equipment and operational procedures, and advise vehicle operators, developers, and other members of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, on issues of concern to the spaceport community.

Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, stated, “The formation of the Spaceports Council marks another milestone in the growth of the commercial spaceflight industry. By deepening the cooperation among both domestic and international spaceports in this new industry, we can help ensure that the industry continues to grow and flourish. Congratulations to Steve Landeene on his selection as the first chairman of this group, as well as all the spaceports that have chosen to form the initial membership of the Council.”

Stuart O. Witt, General Manager of Mojave Air and Space Port and an Officer of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, added, “We are excited to welcome this great group of spaceports, both domestic and international, as we join together to share our lessons learned. As we look toward a new generation of suborbital and orbital launch vehicles, I know that a strong spaceport network, armed with the latest in operational ‘lessons learned,’ will be critical.”

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. CSF member organizations include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, and spaceports. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is governed by a board of directors, composed of the member companies’ CEO-level officers and entrepreneurs. For more information please visit http://www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director
John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

About the CSF Spaceports Council
The Spaceports Council, which operates under the aegis of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), is composed of spaceports worldwide who discuss and collaborate on issues of common interest, such as access, legal and regulatory frameworks, infrastructure, international policy migration, liability, voluntary common operating standards, and engagement with other spaceport stakeholders including vehicle developers and operators, other spaceport users, and government agencies. For more information please contact CSF Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

Former NASA astronaut Samuel T. Durrance, a PhD astronomer and veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, has been selected as the latest addition to the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG).

“We are very happy to have Sam aboard SARG to contribute his expertise as a two-time NASA payload specialist on the Space Shuttle,” said Dr. S. Alan Stern, Chairman of SARG and a space scientist who previously served as head of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “Sam also broadens our educator and astronomy experience base, and we are looking forward to his many contributions to the growth of the suborbital research and education markets.”

Including Dr. Durrance, SARG now consists of eleven researchers and educators, in disciplines ranging from microgravity physics to life sciences, who are aiming to increase awareness of commercial suborbital spacecraft in the science and R&D communities, work with policymakers to ensure that payloads can have easy access to these vehicles, and further develop ideas for the uses of vehicles under development by Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR Aerospace.

Dr. Durrance stated, “I am very excited to be joining the other scientists in SARG. I think the astronomy community will be astonished by the capabilities of this new generation of commercial suborbital vehicles. And having journeyed into space alongside a telescope I helped develop on the ground, I am excited about the human-in-the-loop capabilities of these new vehicles.”

After receiving his PhD degree in astro-geophysics from the University of Colorado in 1980, Sam Durrance served as a Principal Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University and was a co-investigator for the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope, one of the instruments for the Astro Observatory. As a NASA payload specialist, Sam Durrance traveled into space aboard the STS-35/Astro-1 and STS-67/Astro-2 missions. Complementing his astronomy training and astronaut flight experience, Dr. Durrance also has experience with sounding rockets and was a former director of the Florida Space Grant Consortium. He currently works as a professor of physics and space sciences at Florida Tech.

In addition to Dr. Durrance and Dr. Stern, the other members of SARG are Dr. Steven Collicott (Purdue University), Dr. Joshua Colwell (University of Central Florida), Dr. Daniel Durda (Southwest Research Institute), Dr. David Grinspoon (Denver Museum of Natural Sciences), Dr. Richard Miles (Princeton University), Dr. John Pojman (Louisiana State University), Dr. Mark Shelhamer (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Mike Summers (George Mason University), and Dr. Erika Wagner (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

About the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group
The Suborbital Applications Researchers Group (SARG) is a coordination and advisory committee of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, composed of scientists and researchers dedicated to furthering the scientific potential of suborbital reusable launch vehicles under development by the commercial spaceflight sector. SARG seeks to increase awareness of commercial suborbital vehicles in the science, R&D, and education communities, engage with policymakers to ensure that payloads can have easy access to these vehicles, and generate new ideas for uses of these vehicles for science, engineering, and education missions. SARG is taking a leadership role in the February 2010 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC). For more information please contact Dr. Alan Stern at astern@boulder.swri.edu or at 303.324.5269.

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. Commercial Spaceflight Federation member organizations include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, and spaceports. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is governed by a board of directors, composed of the member companies’ CEO-level officers and entrepreneurs. For more information please contact Executive Director John Gedmark at 202.349.1121 or visit http://www.commercialspaceflight.org.

Total investment in the commercial human spaceflight sector has risen by 20% since January 2008, reaching a cumulative total of $1.46 billion, according to a new extensive study performed by the Tauri Group and commissioned by the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Revenues and deposits for commercial human spaceflight services, hardware, and support services has also grown, reaching a total of $261 million for the year 2008.

The analytic study, performed by the Tauri Group of Alexandria, Virginia, was based on aggregated data from a comprehensive survey of 22 companies engaged in commercial human spaceflight activities, including most Commercial Spaceflight Federation members. The new Tauri Group study results, which updates a study conducted a year earlier, can be downloaded here [pdf]. Key findings include:

* Deposits and revenue for direct commercial human spaceflight services, such as flights of private citizens to the International Space Station and deposits on suborbital commercial human spaceflights, rose to $50.0M in 2008, compared to $38.8M in 2007 and $28.8M in 2006.

* Investment of $1.46 billion has been committed to the industry since January 2008, of which approximately $624 million has been spent to date and about $838 million is available. Sources of investment include individuals and angel investors (about 52%), private equity (about 30%), government (about 15%), and corporate reinvestment (about 4%).

* Revenue for commercial spaceflight hardware sales, development, and support services, increased to $211M in 2008, compared to $206M in 2007 and $123M in 2006. (This category includes sales of hardware and services directly intended for commercial human spaceflight; sales of commercial human spaceflight-related products and services to customers in other industry sectors; and sales and services that develop technologies and corporate capabilities that can be leveraged for commercial human spaceflight applications.)

* Total facility space expanded to 1,180,000 square feet (over 20 football fields) in 2008, compared to 762,100 square feet in 2007.

* The commercial human spaceflight industry reached an employment level of 1,186 workers in 2008, not including employees at these 22 companies who are engaged in activities unrelated to commercial human spaceflight.

Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Bretton Alexander commented, “This survey reveals modest, but increasing, revenues from commercial spaceflight activities, including growing deposits and contracts for government development activities. But the real highlight is the sizable investment that is not government related. Growing investment from private equity funds and other investors has turned longtime skeptics into people who are taking notice.”

Since the survey was primarily a rearward look at activities in the year 2008, several companies such as Orbital Sciences, United Launch Alliance (a Boeing-Lockheed joint venture), and other firms, which have made recent public expressions of interest in commercial human spaceflight, were not part of the tabulations above.

The full Tauri Group study results can be downloaded here [pdf].

Image credit (showing the investment deal recently concluded between Aabar Investments and Virgin Galactic): Virgin Galactic / Mark Greenberg

At about 7:45 pm Monday night, with the Virgin Galactic post-rollout party in full swing in Mojave, the person who had been announcing routine bus departures to various hotels made a more urgent announcement: everyone was asked to “evacuate” the tents where the event took place because of a high wind warning, and to instead board the waiting buses to leave. The video below shows what happened to those tents after hurricane-force wind gusts ripped through them. Fortunately, that destruction took place after we left.

Some photos I took of the SS2 rollout and related events:

Here are a couple of pictures of the SS2 rollout from this evening:

SS2 and WK2 roll into position

Closeup of the side of SS2, including its own version of the 'Galactic Girl' nose art

It’s cold. It’s windy. (advance excuse for typos: my hands are still warming up!) Not the best weather to roll out a new spacecraft, but it was still an interesting event. SpaceShipTwo is a beautiful spacecraft, rolling up to the site attached to WhiteKnightTwo.

There were, by Virgin’s count, about 800 people for the rollout, ranging from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New Mexico Gov. Bill RIchardson to Virgin customers (”future astronauts”), sales agents, and other invited guests. The event took place on a tent erected on the end of a runway at Mojave Airport, one that rattled in the wind at times during the speech. (Did I mention it was cold and windy?) There was about an hour’s worth of speeches, a brief “press conference” (if you can call about four questions that) and then the rollout of the SS2 in the bitter cold.

There were no great surprises at the event, in terms of major announcements or other developments. I asked Burt Rutan about the test schedule for SS2: he would not give any dates for when tests would start (although one rumor floating around the press site today was that the first “captive carry” test flight could be tomorrow, weather permitting.) He did say the test program would be like that Scaled did for SS1, with captive carry tests, then glide tests, eventually leading to powered flights. But he didn’t say how long the test program would last or how many flights it might involve.

I’m sitting in a hotel next to the Mojave Airport, which is serving as the registration area for SS2 rollout event. Even though the event is still a couple hours away, Virgin has already issued a press release about the unveiling and included some photos, one of which is below:

SpaceShipTwo attached to WhiteKnightTwo

The Virgin Group, including Virgin Galactic, is well known for its planned, glitzy events to showcase the company and their achievements. Today is scheduled to be no exception: the rollout of SpaceShipTwo in Mojave reportedly will include some kind of lightshow Monday evening. A check of the NOTAMs, or notices to airmen, for Mojave Airport (KMHV), shows that the airport’s runways will be closed Monday night, and there’s also a reference to that “airspace lightshow”.

One thing Virgin can’t control (not yet, anyway) is the weather, and it won’t be cooperating. Right now there’s only report clouds and light rain in Mojave, but the forecast mentions snow, and lots of it: up to five inches (12.5 cm) today, and up to two more inches (5 cm) tonight. Mojave may get much less, but it still doesn’t look like it will be the most inviting day to roll out a spaceship.

As you’ve noticed, Personal Spaceflight has undergone a dramatic redesign, including a new name. The new design was long overdue – the site has been using the same design since its inception in 2006 – but the focus of the site is changing slightly. Back in 2006 NewSpace was almost synonymous with space tourism (or personal spaceflight), and that’s where the bulk of the attention was focused. Today space tourism is still important, but other entrepreneurial efforts, and new markets, are emerging, from smallsat launches to orbital spaceflight to serve the ISS and more.

It’s a bit ironic that the site is relaunching today, given that today’s the day Virgin Galactic is unveiling SpaceShipTwo in Mojave. (I’ll be there, and reporting on it here over the next day.) Virgin Galactic has been closely tied to space tourism, but even they have recognized the emergence of other markets besides space tourism. Moreover, that suborbital research market is gaining momentum, as I report in today’s issue of The Space Review. So this is a major milestone, but also part of an interesting time for the entrepreneurial NewSpace field.

If you have any questions or comments about the new design or content, please email me at jeff [at] thespacereview.com, or leave a comment here. I’ll be tweaking the site over the coming days and weeks based on this feedback and more.