Still costs too much for me.... maybe after a few years the price will drop to a more affordable level for us average folks 😉 But at least this is a start, and private companies will soon flood the markets with this type of tech and adventures.

• Virgin Galactic's $250,000 ticket to the edge of space includes a spacesuit.
• Passengers paying $55 million for SpaceX's mission to the ISS get sleeping bags, hygiene products.
• Blue Origin's $28 million spaceflight comes with a seat next to Jeff Bezos.

A few words more about the Virgin Galactic. The “Unity 22” mission will be the twenty-second flight test for VSS Unity and it`s gonna be the fourth crewed spaceflight for the Virgin Galactic. .

Posted by: @sscadmin

Still costs too much for me.... maybe after a few years the price will drop to a more affordable level for us average folks 😉 But at least this is a start, and private companies will soon flood the markets with this type of tech and adventures.

• Virgin Galactic's $250,000 ticket to the edge of space includes a spacesuit.
• Passengers paying $55 million for SpaceX's mission to the ISS get sleeping bags, hygiene products.
• Blue Origin's $28 million spaceflight comes with a seat next to Jeff Bezos.

Yup it's billionaires playing astronauts but as you say it may kick start the technology, just hope it dose not take another 50 years.

When Sir Richard Branson went to space he began a new era. It`s a new step in launching in space. Space tourism is the that was discussed many years and now it`s finally happened. I am staggered that it  finally happened

It's amazing to think that after decades, that we have two these sub orbital craft going up within a week or so of each other. 

@pinback
 Surely an awesome experience. But unfortunately, it was just a suborbital flight and many people say that it cannot be counted

The curse of the double post strikes again!

@cody Sorry for that, I had some problems with my internet connection.

Posted by: @robert55

@pinback
 Surely an awesome experience. But unfortunately, it was just a suborbital flight and many people say that it cannot be counted

It may only be a suborbital but it's the technology that will come from it if it's successful and they push ahead with it.

And the second billionaire get into sub orbit.

Posted by: @pinback

And the second billionaire get into sub orbit.

"Baldly going where beardy has gone before, except a bit higher."

You know in the Billionaire battle for space..... this is actually a good thing because these guys are gonna spare no expense to be the first at something 😉 so yeah like @Pinback said the tech that might come from this will be beneficial. I wonder if they have a ongoing party message with each other talking smack to each other 🤣 😆 🤣 

I have read that they may not qualify for astronauts wings as they don't do anything in the four or so when they get to space or zero g, apart from looking out the windows.

Jeff Bezos has offered to cover $2bn of Nasa costs in order to be reconsidered for a key contract to build a Moon landing vehicle.

Baldy wants in! BBC article here.

Haha.... Jeff thinking money can get everything again.... SpaceX actually has a proven record.... What has Blue Origin actually done besides fly Jeff up into space? SpaceX has performed many missions and as we have all seen reusable rocket boosters. Plus I think there are a lot more passionate techies working for SpaceX than for Blue Origin..... Jeff should just stick to commercial space flights to high paying customers and leave the heavy lifting to Elon for now.

The Blue Origin has started working on a project to develop a fully reusable upper stage for New Glenn, which may potentially use stainless steel propellant tanks. ..." https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07 ... -projects/ Interesting fact that the new project by Blue Origin is called ``Jarvis``

Although there are essential spotlighted con’s on such flights, e.g.:

• payloads to low Earth orbit;
• environmental impact;
• no advantage to humankind essential space aims.

There are some pro’s worth to be considered:

• willingness to trial new technologies, assist significantly with scientific research;
• Blue Origin has also collaborated with NASA to develop a concept and technologies to support future human spaceflight operations;
• growing public awareness to the issues of environment, low orbit debris and unity for the space exploration programs.

Stuff Baldy and Beardy, this is more like it:

The spacecraft (a SpaceX Dragon capsule) will reach an altitude of 575km (360 miles), which is about 150km higher than the International Space Station (ISS). The quartet will then spend their time doing experiments and looking at Earth through a large domed window which offers panoramic views.

If I had the money, this I would happily pay for! BBC article here!

See they mentioned three days, seems like a small capsule for four of them to be in but I would guess they must have out fitted since it was last used to ferry the astronauts to the ISS.

They're up, the lucky bastards! Another perfect launch from SpaceX - BBC article and vid here.

I’d doubt that even being free for everyone this kind of flights ('Jeff-like') will generate a flood.

More than 50k satellites are planned to be launched in the nearest 50 years. The orbit is already overloaded and obviously needs cleanup and global regulations for new launches.

The satellites are vital in many cases and are going to bring more to ‘space economy’ with the technologies’ development. Still with vital purposes on earth-space level, than entertainment: communication, science, might be goods transportation.

Can't see this leading to us mere mortals going into orbit any time soon, just for the billionaires and a lucky few others.

Seems to a billionaires one-upmanship going on here, one get into sub orbit another gets a bit higher, now one gets into orbit for three days. Where's the next one going?, the moon. 

Posted by: @pinback

Where's the next one going?, the moon.

Yep! BBC article here.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has invited eight members of the public to join him for a trip around the Moon on Elon Musk's SpaceX flight.

Us normal folk are hard pressed to ever be on one of these trips, I cannot drop a few mil to join them 😉 I am just hoping all this competition between the billionaires will create an opportunity for us normal folk to maybe see space in person before we become one with the earth. 

@cody that is cool of Maezawa to reward some lucky people.... be sweet to take a trip around the moon.

Posted by: @sscadmin

be sweet to take a trip around the moon.

Wouldn't it just! I'd sell my soul for that. Mind you, I doubt my aged body could withstand the stresses and acceleration of take-off. Zero-G, on the other hand, would be right up my street. Once I had a dream, but it has slowly faded as the decades have passed.