Tag: space tourism
-
Virgin Galactic Shows New Ship as Cash Runs Below $200M
Can Virgin Galactic survive its cash crunch despite new Delta-class vehicle? Virgin Galactic revealed its next-generation Delta-class spaceship Thursday, but the suborbital tourism company faces critical financial constraints with less than $200 million in cash and a quarterly burn rate approaching $50 million. The new vehicle, photographed being towed from the company’s Mesa, Arizona facility,…
-
Axiom-4 Mission Delayed Sixth Time as Commercial ISS Access Stalls
Axiom Space has postponed its Axiom-4 mission for the sixth time, marking another setback for the commercial space station operator’s ambitious ISS access schedule. The mission, carrying Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla alongside three other crew members, was originally slated for 2024 launch but has faced continuous delays throughout 2025 and into…
-
Blue Origin Pauses New Shepard Flights to Prioritize NASA Moon Lander Work
Blue Origin said on Friday it will pause flights of its New Shepard suborbital rocket for at least two years, effectively halting its space tourism operations as it redirects resources toward developing a lunar lander for NASA. The company said it would “pause its New Shepard flights and shift resources to further accelerate development of…
-
China Space Contractor Targets Space Tourism Within Five Years, State Media Say
China’s main space contractor has pledged to develop space tourism within the next five years, state media reported on Thursday, underscoring Beijing’s efforts to accelerate commercial spaceflight and deepen its technological competition with the United States. State-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said it aims to “achieve the flight operation of suborbital space…
-
Blue Origin Completes 38th New Shepard Flight, First Mission of 2026
Blue Origin has successfully completed its 38th New Shepard flight and the first mission of 2026, sending six passengers on a suborbital journey above the internationally recognised boundary of space before returning safely to Earth, the company said on Thursday. The mission, designated NS-38, lifted off from Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas and…
-
Blue Origin to Launch Six Space Tourists on New Shepard Suborbital Flight
Blue Origin is set to launch six space tourists on Thursday as part of its latest suborbital spaceflight, marking another milestone for the company’s New Shepard programme and the commercial space tourism sector. The NS-38 mission is scheduled to lift off from Blue Origin’s launch site in West Texas during a window that opens at…
-
Blue Origin breaks the accessibility barrier by sending the first wheelchair user to space
German engineer Michaela Benthaus celebrates after her suborbital space trip. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture added a page to the space history books today by sending the first wheelchair user into space. “It was the coolest experience,” said Michaela “Michi” Benthaus, a German-born aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency…
-
Blue Origin reportedly plans to expand New Shepard suborbital space fleet and launch facilities
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship lifts off for an suborbital trip in April. (Blue Origin Photo) The executive in charge of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital space program has laid out plans to scale up the operation for weekly launches — and says the company is looking into setting up a second launch site,…
-
Crypto billionaire takes his $28M space trip with five others on Blue Origin’s rocket ship
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship rises from its West Texas launch pad. (Blue Origin via YouTube) Controversial crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun finally got his suborbital ride into space today from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, four years after he put in the winning $28 million bid for a seat. Five other spacefliers were…
-
Blue Origin sets the date for controversial crypto billionaire’s $28M trip to space
A digital rendering shows crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun in a spacesuit. (Justin Sun via X / Twitter in 2021) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture says it’ll launch crypto billionaire Justin Sun on a suborbital space trip on Sunday, four years after he put in a precedent-setting $28 million bid for a ticket. Sun and…