“After a hiatus of more than three and a half months that has raised questions by some industry observers, Virgin Galactic is making preparations for a second powered test flight of its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, the company’s CEO said Friday. He said the company had now signed up about 625 people for suborbital flights, accounting for $125 million in business. That works out to $200,000 per customer, but Whitesides did note that Virgin Galactic had raised its ticket price to $250,000. Those customers come from 54 countries, and range from ‘teenagers to 88 years old,’ he said. ‘We think we can make a really good business out of that.'”

http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/08/16/virgin-galactic-gearing-up-for-second-powered-spaceshiptwo-flight/

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“While everyone chats about Elon Musk’s ‘hyperloop’ concept, one of his companies, SpaceX, has been showing off some actual hardware. On Tuesday, SpaceX flew Grasshopper to an altitude of 250 meters, this time including a 100 meter lateral maneuver in the process, before returning the reusable launch vehicle demonstrator back to the center of the pad. ‘The test demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to perform more aggressive steering maneuvers than have been attempted in previous flights,’ the company said in an emailed statement. ‘Grasshopper is taller than a ten story building, which makes the control problem particularly challenging.'”

http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/08/14/grasshopper-demonstrates-its-lateral-moves/

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“The prospect of joining the first team to colonize Mars has proven to be so wildly alluring that more than 100,000 people have applied for a spot – despite the fact they’ll only get a one-way ticket. The Dutch company Mars One plans to launch to the Red Planet in 2022. It’s taking applications through August 31 and will winnow those down to a group of 40, from which the final four will be selected. Applicants must pay $38, submit a resume, a letter outlining their motivation for applying and a video. It’s not clear what, if any, amenities the crew members will get, but PayPal should have its payment system for outer space up and running by then.”

http://news.dice.com/2013/08/13/two-weeks-left-to-apply-for-mars-crew-005/

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“A startup called Elysium Space is offering an easier, cheaper way to get into space – and it will have you there by next year. There is, however, a slight catch.  First, you have to die. For $1,990, Elysium Space, which is today announcing itself to the world, will send a portion of your cremated remains – or those of your loved one – into space on a CubeSat that will then orbit the Earth for several months before ultimately re-entering the atmosphere and burning up in in a spectacular blaze. With that entry fee, you’ll also get the opportunity to watch the launch live, and you can track the satellite’s movements via a mobile app.”

http://pandodaily.com/2013/08/09/the-real-elysium-send-your-dead-loved-one-into-space-for-2k/

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“It currently costs about $100,000 to send a standard 3-pound satellite into low Earth orbit. Larger masses can be a little bit more affordable, but can still cost up to $5,000 per pound.  Lucky for the human race, there are smart people out there trying to solve this problem.  One company, HyperV Technologies Corp., has proposed a ‘railroad to space using a mechanical hypervelocity launcher to enable large-scale space utilization’ that will be only one-hundredth of the cost of the rockets we currently use. Fancy, I know. They’re calling it the Slingatron.”

http://dailyreckoning.com/railroad-to-space-a-lower-cost-leap-into-the-stars/

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