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☆ Space tourists will probably have sex up there, but they shouldn't get pregnant, researchers warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If someone gets pregnant in space, the radiation could harm them or their embryo, scientists say. Space companies could end up with lawsuits and bad press if they don't talk to tourists about this. SpaceXIt may not even be possible to get pregnant in space, but it's probably not worth taking the chance. That's partly because space research has long been dominated by government agencies. Their findings may not be applicable to humans at all, but they offer hints that reproductive functions could be affected by space radiation and microgravity.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Origin's, Yusaku Maezawa, Dennis Tito, Sharon, Marc Hagle, Kris Lehnhardt, Lehnhardt, it's, hasn't, Sally Ride, Walter Villadei, Elon Musk, Ludovic Marin, We're, David Cullen, Cullen, Gonzalo Fuentes Organizations: Service, Shepard, Virgin, SpaceX, NASA, Engineers, Virgin Galactic, Chateau, Cranfield University, Reuters Locations: Wall, Silicon, Boca Chica , Texas, Versailles, Paris

☆ Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight is set to take off this week. Here are the players taking civilians to space.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Virgin Galactic is set to launch its first space tourism flight on August 10. It marks a new era in space tourism for the company, which will have have monthly flights. Seats on a Virgin Galactic flight cost $450,000 each. This week, Virgin Galactic's first space tourism flight is set to take off from New Mexico — and three of the passengers on board aren't traditional astronauts. Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson's commercial space venture, was established in 2004 and completed its first commercial spaceflight in June.

Persons: Virgin Galactic's, Keisha Schahaff, Anastatia, Jon Goodwin, Richard Branson's, Goodwin, Jeff Bezos, Shepard, There's, Jared Issacman Organizations: Virgin Galactic, Virgin, New Mexico —, Caribbean, Galactic, Italian Air Force, National Research Council, Origin, Amazon, SpaceX, Elon Musk's, SpaceX's, Space, International Locations: New Mexico

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years of fraught by development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe, Branson, Burt Rutan, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Virgin, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, VSS Unity, America, Galactic, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, . Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years fraught by development setbacks. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

The flight marks a decisive moment for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2004, as it inaugurates commercial service following several years fraught with development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. Virgin Galactic has said it has already booked a backlog of some 800 customers, charging from $250,000 to $450,000 per seat, and envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate 400 flights annually. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Italy, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, VSS Unity, International Space, Air Force, America, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Italy, British, Italian, Los Angeles

The flight, dubbed Galactic 01, comes two years after Branson himself rode along with five other Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N) personnel for the company's first fully crewed test spaceflight of its rocket plane, VSS Unity. Back then, Virgin Galactic officials said they expected to begin regular commercial operations in 2022 following additional test flights. Virgin Galactic had projected booking its first 1,000 paying customers, charging about $250,000 per seat, by the time commercial service opened. An earlier prototype of Virgin Galactic's rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another. Billionaire rival Jeff Bezos, whose astro-tourist venture Blue Origin has already flown several commercial passenger flights, has disparaged Virgin Galactic as falling short of a true spaceflight experience.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe Skipper, Branson, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson's, Jeff Bezos, Virgin, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin, Unity, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc, VSS, Galactic, SpaceX, Origin, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, . Air Force, America, Corporate, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Branson, Bezos, Los Angeles

☆ Rescuers race against time to find the missing sub in the Atlantic bound for the Titanic site
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time early Tuesday to find a missing submersible carrying five people on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic. OceanGate's expeditions to the Titanic wreck site include archaeologists and marine biologists. Gallo identified Nargeolet, a friend who has led multiple expeditions to the Titanic, on Tuesday during an interview with CNN. OceanGate hired the Polar Prince to ferry dozens of people and the submersible craft to the North Atlantic wreck site. CBS journalist David Pogue, who went on the trip last year, noted his vessel got turned around looking for the Titanic.

Persons: Mauger, NBC's, John Mauger, David Concannon, John's, Concannon, OceanGate, Hamish Harding, Harding, Mark Butler, Butler, Victor Vescovo, Mariana, Richard Garriott de Cayeux, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman, Allah, Paul, Henry Nargeolet, David Gallo, Gallo, David Pogue, Pogue, Mike Reiss, Alistair Greig, submersibles, Greig Organizations: Discovery, U.S . Coast Guard, OceanGate Expeditions, Authorities, Rescue Coordination Center, Rescuers, Polar, Canadian Boeing, Twitter, U.S, Lockheed, The Associated Press, AP, Coast Guard, United Arab, Action Aviation, World Records, Shepard, The Explorers, SETI Institute, CNN, CBS, University College London Locations: Nova Scotia, British, St, John's, Newfoundland, Canadian, Bahamas, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, California, Virginia

☆ Investing in Space: Here are the rockets chasing to compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

SpaceXCNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. Overview: Chasing the FalconNo rocket has been better-described as a "workhorse" than SpaceX's Falcon 9. Aside from Blue Origin's New Glenn, the early theme is rockets that are close to the capability of Falcon 9 and less expensive. – CNBC, which the lawsuit says were used for NASA projects including the International Space Station and the Space Launch Systems rocket. – Firefly Aerospace: The rocket builder says the deal will bolster its launch, spacecraft, and lunar lander businesses.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, Phil Smith, SpaceX's, Glenn, Smith, –, Smith doesn't, CNBC ULA, Tory Bruno, Jeff Bezos, ULA, – Read, Shepard, Bob Smith, Jim Free, Artemis, HawkEye, – Hydrosat, Leonardo DiCaprio, – Momentus, Westinghouse EchoStar's Hughes, – EchoStar, Iris Lan, Sumara Thompson, King, Lan, – NASA Celeste Ford, Ford, – SpiderOak Melissa Quinn, Quinn Organizations: SpaceX CNBC's, SpaceX, Falcon, Boeing, NASA, CNBC, CNBC Department of Defense, Ukraine, Starlink, Pentagon, –, Space Station, Systems, CNBC SpaceX, Cargo, International Space, FAA, Intelsat, Japan Airlines, Embraer, – Intelsat, Rocket, ONE, Washington, Spaceflight, Aerospace, Aerospace Spacecraft, York, MaC Venture Capital, Broom Ventures, Veto, TechCrunch Viasat, Air Force, Viasat, Westinghouse, U.S . Department of Justice, – NASA, Ford, Stellar Solutions Locations: Florida, China, Russia, Colorado, Ukrainian, Bellevue , Washington, Cortado, Cornwall

☆ Investing in Space: Virgin Galactic still has a big hurdle to clear for commercial service
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

After Virgin Galactic last week flew its final developmental spaceflight, which it crowned successful, it'd be easy to think the space tourism company is at a turning point. But the Virgin Galactic story is not about its first operational spaceflight, as long-awaited as that may be. Virgin Galactic sold about 600 tickets at $250,000 or less, representing the majority of its total reservations. Yes, Virgin Galactic has nearly $900 million in cash and securities to continue to cover losses in the meantime. Colglazier has described Delta as "the economic engine" for Virgin Galactic, estimating revenue of over $2.7 million per flight.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's, It's, Elon, Michael Colglazier, Colglazier, Beth Moses, Moses, Delta, he's, bode, Galactic's, Shepard Organizations: Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, Elon Musk's, VSS Unity, VSS, Virgin Locations: that's, Virgin, Everest

☆ Virgin Galactic launches high-stakes flight carrying passengers to the edge of space
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The space plane is designed to then detach from the mothership, fire its rocket engine and swoop straight up with its two pilots at the controls. Virgin Galactic confirmed just before 12:30 p.m. The space plane then coasted back to a landing back at New Mexico’s Spaceport America. The SpaceShipOne technology was parlayed into a larger space plane design, called SpaceShipTwo, which Virgin Galactic still flies today. Virgin Orbit, a sister company to Virgin Galactic that is focused on launching satellites to space on a small rocket, filed for bankruptcy in April.

CNN —Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez are engaged, a source close to the couple tells CNN. No additional details about the proposal or pending wedding plans were immediately available. Bezos and Sánchez, a former broadcast journalist and now philanthropist, first went public with their relationship in 2019. Since Bezos and Sánchez began dating, they have kept details of their lives together mostly private outside of being photographed at various events. Sánchez has three children from previous relationships, and was married to Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell for 13 years before finalizing their divorce in 2019.

☆ NASA Picks Blue Origin-Led Group to Build Moon Lander for Artemis V Mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On the second try, Jeff Bezos and his rocket company have won a contract to take NASA astronauts to the surface of the moon. NASA announced on Friday that it had awarded a contract to Mr. Bezos’ company, Blue Origin, to provide a lunar lander for a moon mission that is currently scheduled to launch in 2029. The mission, Artemis V, is another key piece of NASA’s Artemis program, which is to send astronauts back to the moon as part of an effort to explore the south pole region. The winning of the contract could start a promising rebound year for Blue Origin after a number of delays and setbacks. Blue Origin has identified the cause and hopes to resume New Shepard flights involving both space tourists and scientific cargo later this year.

☆ Virgin Galactic set for first spaceflight since Richard Branson's trip two years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The flight, slated for late May, will carry two pilots and a crew of four Virgin Galactic employees, the company announced Monday. If all goes well, Virgin Galactic expects to begin commercial services out of its spaceport in New Mexico in late June. At the time Virgin Galactic went public in 2019, it had also been touting plans to start commercial service in 2020. They include two pilots — CJ Sturckow and Mike Masucci — as well as four Virgin Galactic employees who will ride in the passenger cabin. Virgin Orbit, a sister company to Virgin Galactic that is focused on launching satellites to space on a small rocket, filed for bankruptcy in April.

☆ Blue Origin says an overheated engine part caused last year's cargo rocket failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The moment of the anomaly during the New Shepard cargo mission NS-23, in which the booster's engine failed. The company's New Shepard rocket, flying the NS-23 mission carrying science and research payloads, suffered a failure in September 2022. No people were onboard, and Blue Origin says its capsule's emergency escape system functioned properly, but the rocket's reusable booster was destroyed. "Blue Origin expects to return to flight soon, with a re-flight of the NS-23 payloads," the company said. The New Shepard rocket booster is reusable, returning to land on a concrete pad near the launch site.

☆ Blue Origin expects New Shepard rocket's return to flight in late 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 15 (Reuters) - Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin expects to return its New Shepard rocket to flight by the end of 2023 after the vehicle suffered a mid-flight failure in September, a company sales executive said on Wednesday. "We are looking to get back into flight with New Shepard by the end of this year," Ariane Cornell, vice president of commercial and international sales, said at a conference in Washington. The company has provided few details on an investigation into why its 59-foot-tall (18-meter-tall) New Shepard rocket aborted a research capsule roughly one minute after lifting off in Texas in September. No humans were aboard the rocket. Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin sued over allegations the rocket company discriminates against older workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A spokesperson for Blue Origin did not respond to a request for comment. It's not the first time that Blue Origin has faced criticism from a former employee. In 2021, Alexandra Abrams, the former head of Blue Origin employee communications, published an open letter alongside a group describing itself as 21 former and current Blue Origin employees. At the time, a Blue Origin representative told Insider the company doesn't tolerate harassment and would investigate the claims. Do you work for Blue Origin or have insight to share?

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Blue Origin, the private space company founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, was awarded its first interplanetary NASA contract on Thursday to launch a mission next year to study the magnetic field around Mars, the U.S. space agency and company said. Blue Origin has flown previous NASA missions with its smaller, suborbital New Shepard rocket, which can carry research payloads on short, microgravity trips to the edge of space and back. Blue Origin, known for its astro-tourism business for wealthy customers and celebrities, is one of 13 firms NASA chose last year for its Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare missions (VADR) program. VADR essentially is intended to spur private development of private space launch vehicles by assigning lower-cost NASA science missions to new rockets with an unproven record and higher chance of failure. Blue Origin also declined to discuss financial details.

☆ The incredible true story of the time an astronaut played golf on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The resulting creation, a Wilson Staff Dyna-Power 6-iron head, was tucked away in Shepard’s space suit for launch, with a few balls hidden in a sock. “Miles and miles and miles,” the jubilant astronaut remarked as the ball sailed out of his view, swallowed by the infinite blackness of space. What does any of that have to do with an astronaut playing golf on the moon? Saunders believed Shepard’s “miles and miles” remark to have been made tongue-in-cheek, an almost instinctive reflex of his hyper-competitive, “fighter-jock” nature. “We always talk about getting to the moon, landing on the moon, returning back to Earth – that’s how we think of the moon,” Odom said.

☆ William Shatner describes space travel in new book "Boldly Go"
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN interviewed him in June about the book, his trip to space with the Jeff Bezos-backed space tourism company Blue Origin, and what’s next for the 91-year-old. William Shatner: Fifty-five or 60 years ago I read a book called “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. Shatner: The whole idea here is to get people accustomed to going to space, as if it’s like going to the Riviera. The song “So Fragile, So Blue,” is very much about my experience in space. And then I have my book, called “Boldly Go,” coming out in the fall.

☆ Here's what William Shatner would have seen on his trip to space aboard Blue Origin as his new book says it 'felt like a funeral'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

William Shatner became the oldest person to journey to space when he flew on Blue Origin in October 2021. The 11-minute flight reached 66 miles above Earth, where Shatner may have seen deserts, mountains, and water. The Star Trek actor described space as dreadful "ominous blackness," but was wowed by Earth's beauty. ReutersBefore the journey, Shatner expressed excitement about finally seeing space with his own eyes, describing the opportunity as "a miracle." Bettmann/Getty ImagesIn the film, Gagarin said he could see forests, and described Earth as "visible and distinct," but many areas were "covered with cumulus clouds."

☆ William Shatner says his trip to space on Blue Origin 'felt like a funeral': 'It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In his new book, William Shatner wrote that going to space "felt like a funeral." The "Star Trek" actor went to space with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin last October, when he was 90. It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered." "My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral," he wrote. Chris Boshuizen, a former NASA engineer; Glen de Vries, a healthcare entrepreneur; and Audrey Powers, a Blue Origin executive, joined Shatner aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket for the spaceflight.

☆ See how NASA's new lunar mega-rocket sizes up to past and future astronaut launch systems
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Space Launch System (SLS) is 17 years and an estimated $50 billion in the making. The Space Launch System (SLS) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 17, 2022. This first mission, called Artemis I, is a test flight that will carry no astronauts. The current iteration of SLS, called Block 1, stands taller than the Statue of Liberty at 322 feet, about 30 stories. NASA/Cory HustonIf Artemis I goes well, the next SLS mission will send an Orion spaceship around the moon with astronauts on board.

Blue Origin suffered a mishap Monday during an uncrewed launch of its New Shepard capsule. A rocket failure roughly a minute after liftoff forced the company to perform an emergency abort midflight, triggering the spacecraft's escape system. Blue Origin officials confirmed the launch anomaly on Twitter, adding that the escape system "performed as designed." Blue Origin via APMonday's launch marked the 23rd flight of New Shepard. Blue Origin has conducted six suborbital missions to date with humans on board.

☆ An engineer who's booked to fly on Bezos' Blue Origin will become the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. She says she had to keep her career dreams secret because of discrimination in the space
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-28 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Katya Echazarreta will be the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space, via Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. She told Insider she's kept her career dreams secret because people said she couldn't accomplish them. Echazarreta will be one of the six passengers to fly in Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, after attending three days of training. Katya Echazarreta is the first Mexican-born woman to fly to space. She said that she's dreamed of going to space her whole life, but never expected to go this soon.

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