Private Spaceflight in 2022

MZ onboard the International Space Station. Credit: Yusaku Maezawa

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic started things off, becoming the first private company to fly passengers to suborbital space when they launched on July 11, 2021. Richard Branson was accompanied by three Virgin Galactic staff members on the flight that reached 86kms above Earth, allowing them to float in weightlessness for a few minutes.

Inaugural flight of Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity. Credit: Virgin Galactic

Blue Origin

Virgin upstaged Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin by flying first, but Blue Origin certainly came out the better by the end of the year, completing a total of three flights, with 14 passengers.

Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket Launch. Credit: Blue Origin

SpaceX

September saw the first private orbital launch of the year with the Inspiration4 Mission. Conducted on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft the crew of four spent three days orbiting the Earth enjoying a spectacular views through the added dome window. The mission was paid for by Jared Isaacman, the billionaire founder of Shift4 payments and raised over $200m for St. Judes’ Children’s Hospital.

Crew of Inspiration4 Mission. Credit: Inspiration4

Space Adventures

The year ended in what I consider to be the highlight. MZ and Yozo Hirano flew on a Space Adventures arranged flight to the International Space Station. They stayed on board for 11 days, completing the majority of a list of “100 things to do in space” suggested by members of the public, recording videos of their experiences and sharing them on YouTube.

MZ onboard the International Space Station. Credit: Yusaku Maezawa

2022

2022 promises to be an equally busy year, with a number of private spaceflights planned, and new vehicles continuing their development:

Blue Origin could fly six or more suborbital flight this year, with the first scheduled for late March.

In April, three private astronauts will fly on the SpaceX Dragon to the International Space Station.

The month of May should see the Boeing Starliner making a second attempt at an un-crewed demonstration mission to the International Space Station. If successful Boeing hope to launch with crew for the first time before the end of the year.

The enormous SpaceX Starship may well complete it’s first un-crewed orbital flight as well this year, if they are able to clear a few regulatory and technical hurdles.

And Virgin Galactic should attempt another flight or two, this time with paying passengers.

SpaceX Starship test stand. Credit: Nic Ansuini

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Soyuz launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome

Challenges at Every Step

Even with the support of the Russian space agency, including his crew members, the road to launching Dennis Tito to space would prove to be very difficult. Luckily, Dennis is a very determined individual. With every challenge that Eric and Dennis faced together, they did not waver.

Support from Dennis Tito’s crew was immense

This mission was to be groundbreaking – the first time that a self-funded civilian was to launch to space. Dennis was to visit the International Space Station that was brand new and still under construction. When Eric first approached the Russians with the idea of flying a non-professional to space they said that no one would pay the price to fly. Eric told them that he already had a client. The officials at Roscosmos were astonished.

Now, you have to remember, no one had an idea of the value of spaceflight. No market studies had ever been published. SpaceShipOne was years away from flight and SpaceX wasn’t even founded yet. Commercial spaceflight, let alone space tourism, was just in the ether. But this was a window of opportunity — a chance to make something otherwise impossible real. And Eric just set US$20 million dollars as the price of a ticket to launch to orbital space. This mission would create an entirely new marketplace if Dennis and Eric could jump through enough hoops to get to the launch pad.

The Russians developed the medical and training guidelines that Dennis would have to follow to be certified to launch on a Soyuz. A month before Dennis’ planned launch, he and his Russian crew traveled to the NASA Johnson Space Center to be trained on the U.S. segment of the space station.

Dennis Tito training for his orbital spaceflight during a parabolic flight

Safety Threat or Politics?

But NASA refused to train Dennis. At that time, NASA believed that civilians would pose a safety threat in orbit. And that Dennis was not properly trained for the flight, not to mention the liability associated with him being on station. Even though non-professional astronauts had launched to space on the U.S. Space Shuttle (e.g. former Senator Bill Nelson), NASA balked at the idea of the Russians taking a tourist to space simply because he was wealthy enough to pay for it.

The simple fact was that the Russian space agency was open for business, their mindset was open to train someone older, someone who was not a career astronaut. They were willing to draft medical and training protocols for a non-professional. NASA knew that age wasn’t a factor in spaceflight as they had flown John Glenn at age 77, three years before.

Dennis Tito continuing his training for his spaceflight

NASA continued to apply pressure for Dennis not to fly as the station was no place for a non-professional. But three days before launch, NASA and the ISS partners relented and provided an exemption for Dennis to visit the space station.

History Made

Dennis Tito embraces his crew members after arriving at the International Space Station

“I am enjoying this so much. If I were allowed, I would spend several months up here in space.”

– Dennis Tito

He flew, had an amazing experience, and entered the history books as the first fare-paying private citizen in space! And since Dennis’ historic flight, six additional private citizens have flown to the space station. All of them paying their own way. All of them dedicated to understanding their role and responsibilities. They helped demonstrate that you don’t have to have the ‘right stuff’ to live in space. Dennis led the way. We thank him for his patience, determination, and the dream that he never let die no matter what pressure he and Eric were put under.

Dennis Tito being recovered at the landing site after safely returning to Earth after his eight day spaceflight

Seven private citizens launching to orbit in 20 years may not seem like a lot, but the impact Dennis and his fellow non-professional astronauts has had on the future trajectory of human spaceflight is extraordinary. Ten years ago NASA started the Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, predicated on the notion that private companies could develop new spacecraft to supply NASA and the ISS partners with flights, but also to private customers. From this program came the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule which has since been purchased for private flights to space. In 2019, NASA put forth a Commercial Use Policy and have sanctioned and endorsed a private mission to the ISS. Finishing their 180 degree turn from the position they took on Dennis’ flight.

“To me, it was a 40-year dream. The thing I have taken away from it is a sense of completeness.”

– Dennis Tito

We’re still waiting on suborbital spaceflight, but the future looks bright for orbital spaceflight opportunities. And it all began with Dennis Tito. He never faltered and neither did we.

To learn more on how Eric seized a Window of Opportunity with Tito’s spaceflight, check out this.

The post Blog: The 20th Anniversary of Private Spaceflight first appeared on Space Adventures.

Crew Dragon approaching the International Space Station during demonstration the flight on March 3, 2019.

As we congratulate SpaceX on the success of the launch and docking of Crew Demo-1, we wish them continued success in completing this critical test flight. Eight years ago, NASA ceased their Space Shuttle program leaving the space agency reliant on other vehicles to get them to the International Space Station. In that time, they have contracted two companies, SpaceX and Boeing, to design and manufacture capsules able to launch humans to low-Earth orbit, as detailed in this recent blog post.

SpaceX has a proven track record with their Dragon capsule. It’s an unmanned spacecraft delivering much needed supplies and equipment to the space station since 2012. Now, the Dragon has been modified to carry passengers. For the Demo-1 mission, Crew Dragon launched with a ‘dummy’ onboard and some supplies. The capsule is conducting a ‘dress rehearsal’ of a crewed mission with docking to the space station and staying there for five days, then undocking and returning to Earth with a splash down in the Atlantic. NASA will be monitoring the capsule at all times for any anomalies that will be analyzed and corrected before flying again. If all goes according to plan, the Crew Dragon capsule could launch again later this year with NASA astronauts onboard.

It’s an exciting time for Elon Musk, his team at SpaceX, and the entire space community. Not only is the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon capsule the first commercial launch system in operation, but SpaceX has been working relentlessly to make them reusable. Reusability of vehicles is something that is common with cars and airplanes, but not in the space launch industry. Everything has been built for a one-time use. The U.S. Space Shuttle was supposed to be reusable and it somewhat was, but the cost and time required to refurbish it after each mission was too high.

It has been said that access to space will only significantly increase through reusability. This uptick in launch is fundamentally needed to truly revolutionize how we explore and maintain a human presence in space. As I have detailed before, SpaceX has been landing and reusing the first stage boosters of their Falcon 9 (see photo below) and did so again with this launch. If SpaceX can demonstrate that a reusable crewed spacecraft is safe and reliable, the opportunities for expanding mankind’s presence in space are truly limitless. A new day is rising for humanity’s future.

Two SpaceX boosters land simultaneously after the Falcon Heavy launch demonstration in February 2018.

The post A New Day is Rising first appeared on Space Adventures.

Orbital Spacecraft
Boeing Starliner

I am particularly excited about this one, as we will be able to launch our own clients on it to the International Space Station (ISS). The Starliner is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program which means NASA is paying the lion’s share of the development cost, but Boeing will be able to put to commercial use as well. The spacecraft is designed to fly to low-Earth orbit, specifically to the ISS. Initially, the Starliner will carry four professional astronauts and deliver them to the space station where it will be positioned for six months (serving as the emergency escape vehicle/lifeboat) until returning the crew to Earth at the end of their mission. The spacecraft will then be inspected and re-used for a future flight.

The Starliner will launch on the reliable Atlas V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An un-crewed test flight is currently targeted for April, with the first crewed flight anticipated at the end of the year.

SpaceX Dragon 2
SpaceX became world renown in the last decade for not only launching satellites and payload to the ISS on its Falcon 9 rocket to low-Earth orbit, but the company has successfully recovered several of their first stage rocket boosters and re-used them. Pretty amazing stuff!

The new Dragon 2 is also being developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which means NASA is paying the lion’s share of the development cost. And like the Boeing Starliner, the Dragon 2 will carry four professional astronauts to the ISS and the capsule will stay for the duration of the six-month mission, as the crew lifeboat, before returning the crew to Earth and re-used for a future flight.

The Dragon 2 will launch on the Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The un-crewed test flight was completed in the first few days of March with the first crewed launch anticipated over the summer.

So, in the coming months, two new orbital spacecraft are set to debut, and together will transform the marketplace for both professional space agency flights to space, as well as commercial spaceflight.

Suborbital Spacecraft
While not the same as a multi-day orbital flight on Starliner or Dragon 2, suborbital spaceflight promises to deliver the chance to glimpse Earth from space for a few minutes.

Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo
In 2004, SpaceShipOne won the Ansari XPrize by flying to suborbital space (100 km above Earth) twice in six days, collecting the $10M prize. This success promised to usher in an era of commercial spaceflight. Multiple companies have tried but failed to develop suborbital spacecraft, but Virgin Galactic is the closest to achieving their goal, assisted by significant investment from Aabar and others. The company has persisted through tragedy and technical setbacks. And if current reports are correct, they are now very close to entering commercial operations.

SpaceShipTwo will be carried to altitude by WhiteKnightTwo then released. Once released, the spacecraft will then fire its rocket engines propelling the pilots and four passengers to space. Whether the altitude will be 100km, the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space, or lower, we’ll have to wait and see. SpaceShipTwo will then glide back to Earth, giving passengers a view of Earth and space along the way, before it lands on a runway. Virgin Galactic are promising flights will commence by the mid-2019.

Blue Origin New Shepard
Funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin has big ambitions and a product line-up that includes rocket engines and launch vehicles capable of placing large satellites in geo-stationary orbit. They have also been working on the New Shepard spacecraft for suborbital spaceflight. They have successfully completed 10 flights carrying science payloads and promise to soon start commercial service accommodating up to six passengers at a time.

The New Shepard features large windows to make the most of the view of Earth from 100km. Similar to Virgin Galactic, passengers will have a few minutes to view the Earth from space. The spacecraft will then perform a spectacular powered landing back on Earth assisted by a parachute.

With no prices or firm dates announced, Blue Origin promises that commercial spaceflight will commence this year.

Exciting developments for these companies and the entire space community!

The post Commercial Spaceflight in 2019 — An exciting year ahead! first appeared on Space Adventures.

The cupola was conceived as a way for astronauts to see and control the station arm, for example when grappling arriving spacecraft, or to watch astronauts during a spacewalk. One of the fringe benefits was providing a tremendous vantage point for watching the Earth, as the photos below show.

(All images photo credit: NASA)

NASA Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson enjoying the view of Earth from the Cupola aboard the ISS.

A view from the Cupola of the Aurora Borealis over the United Kingdom.

Astronaut seen inside the Cupola attached to the International Space Station.

Astronaut at the robotic controls in the Cupola.

An astronaut in the Cupola aboard the ISS, looking down (or sideways) on Earth.

Cairo and the Nile delta photographed at night from the Cupola onboard the ISS.

NASA spacewalker hanging on to the outside of the cupola while floating above Earth.

The post ISS Cupola – a room with an extraordinary view first appeared on Space Adventures.

Dennis Tito

Launch date: April 2001

Time in space: 7 days

Dennis Tito is the world’s first private space explorer. For him, the journey to space was the completion of a long-held dream. In the early ’70s, Tito left a job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to pursue a career in finance, but he never stopped dreaming about spaceflight. Space Adventures helped Tito fulfill his life’s passion and make history by becoming the world’s first private citizen to fly to the International Space Station.

“For me, it was like being in heaven — it was like being in a second life.”
— Dennis Tito

The post first appeared on Space Adventures.

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