NASA and Virgin Galactic exploring collaboration

Ekkehard Augustin · Posted on: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:20 pm

According to an article under http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1802 NASA and Virgin Galactic are going to explore the potential of collaboration between them.

The collaboration(s) of interest are development of

heat shields for spaceships

hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound

.

Trying to look at it under the aspect that the two companies that won the COTS competition last year did not fly a vehicle succesfully yet - no even suborbitally - and that two other companies that closed a Space Act Agreement also haven't flown a vehicle yet the result seems to be that this is the first example where NASA starts to work together with a company that bought a whole fleet of five vehicles from a company that in fact has successfully flown a vehicle.

Of course this company doesn't need no funding no more nor any Space Act Agreements etc. since it is completely funded and is getting working space vehicles not only but has several customers already.

It seems that NASA now appreciates that independent company.

The signed memorandum indirectly also assists Scaled Composites and t/Space because Virgin Galactic makes use of Scaled Composites' vehicles and because Scaled Composites is a part of t/Space. Perhaps it triggers assistance for t/Space from Virgin Galactic... which would provide a third alternative orbital vehicles for NASA...

Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)

Author	Message
Ekkehard Augustin Moderator Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 11:23 am Posts: 3745 Location: Hamburg, Germany	NASA and Virgin Galactic exploring collaboration Posted on: Thu Feb 22, 2007 11:48 am According to an article under http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1802 NASA and Virgin Galactic are going to explore the potential of collaboration between them. The collaboration(s) of interest are development of space suits heat shields for spaceships hybrid rocket motors hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the speed of sound . Trying to look at it under the aspect that the two companies that won the COTS competition last year did not fly a vehicle succesfully yet - no even suborbitally - and that two other companies that closed a Space Act Agreement also haven't flown a vehicle yet the result seems to be that this is the first example where NASA starts to work together with a company that bought a whole fleet of five vehicles from a company that in fact has successfully flown a vehicle. Of course this company doesn't need no funding no more nor any Space Act Agreements etc. since it is completely funded and is getting working space vehicles not only but has several customers already. It seems that NASA now appreciates that independent company. The signed memorandum indirectly also assists Scaled Composites and t/Space because Virgin Galactic makes use of Scaled Composites' vehicles and because Scaled Composites is a part of t/Space. Perhaps it triggers assistance for t/Space from Virgin Galactic... which would provide a third alternative orbital vehicles for NASA... Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)
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Sigurd Moon Mission Member Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2003 8:46 pm Posts: 1204 Location: Kapellen, Antwerp, Belgium, Europe, Planet Earth, the Milky Way Galaxy	Posted on: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:20 pm Hey Ekkehard, I noticed you posted already a few times a link to the news section, I editted your topic above, to link to the actual news item: http://www.spacefellowship.com/News/?p=1802 Because old news moves lower and to different pages, it's better to link to the actual news item. You can find these url's with clicking on the news title. This way in a few weeks time people searching the forum will still be able to read the article. _________________ Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. - Lord Kelvin, 1892
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Ekkehard Augustin Moderator Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2004 11:23 am Posts: 3745 Location: Hamburg, Germany	Posted on: Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:27 am Hello, Sigurd, no problem - I tend to link to the news site in general only to stimulate or assist general interest in it. Regarding the topic itself I#Ve started here the news means that Virgin Galactic already may be considered as a future serious provider of services. May be NASA is aware about the chance that Virgin Galactic launches unmanned payloads into space - and towards the ISS - via the White Knight 2 and a QuickReach1 - Virgin Galactic explicitly has said much earlier that they think about unmanned orbital launches. And they have increased the size of the WK2 with that perspective. Dipl.-Volkswirt (bdvb) Augustin (Political Economist)
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