Nasa, Virgin Galactic, Orbital Sciences Corp., & Sierra Nevada Corp. Team Up.

What has been lost lately on the public is the fact that NASA and some big time private companies are making some big time plans to head into space. I have followed this news for a while and recently some of the stories and the players in those stories have paved the way for the future of space travel.

Last year NASA unveiled a program in which they would invest up to $50 million in Recovery Act funds into the private sector to stimulate growth and development in "human spaceflight capabilities". What does this mean? Well, basically what NASA has done was hold a contest of sorts to see which of the private spaceflight companies had the capabilities, staff and vision to develop and demonstrate vehicles that would be able to get into space, specifically to the International Space Station and back to Earth safely. A couple companies has done so and now are moving one to the next steps in the process.

Virgin Galactic is among the companies that have proven the ability to operate at the level that NASA requires. And although they have been a front-runner in most of the private spaceflight races, Sierra Nevada Corp. was the company awarded the first round of NASA funding which amounts to $20 million. However the big news of the day still involves Virgin Galactic. In a press release today by Sierra Nevada Corp., they state that they will be working with Virgin Galactic and utilizing their expertise in the Global Sales and Marketing of spaceflight to help mature their vehicle, the DreamChaser.

Essentially what is going to happen is this. Sierra Nevada Corp. will build a space vehicle called the DreamChaser. The vehicle will not only carry a load to the International Space Station, taking the role of the now retired Space Shuttle, but will also sell seats for this trip to private citizens. And this may be the new face of what we have come to know as space travel. As it stands now, unless your an astronaut with years of training, a specialist (scientist, educator, etc.. with a special skill needed for a particular mission), or someone of similar stature - your not getting into space! However, with the advent of the new age of space travel you can add the wealthy to the list of lucky few who get a seat into space.

Nevada based company's Dreamchaser spacecraft.

Virgin Galactic has been selling seats onboard their planned space vehicles for some time now and that is exactly why Sierra Nevada Corp. wants them working with them. We have just begun to see news of this nature. With President Obama calling for the private sector to jump onboard, NASA looking for ways to fund private spaceflight companies to assist them in their endeavors, and companies like Virgin Galactic taking deposits on flights into space this is just the beginning! There is still much more money that NASA will hand out and much more planning and designing ahead. There are a myriad of private companies vying for an opportunity to have their projects funded by government monies. And at the moment a few of them are taking the forefront in the race. In coming articles I will do what I can to keep everyone "in the know". But currently the big news is Virgin Galactic will be working with the winner of round one of NASA funding.

The DreamChaser may even comprise a fleet that consists of itself along with WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. Both of which are vehicles being developed and tested by Virgin Galactic. All three are either said to be capable of flying to the International Space Station and back, or to assist in getting there.  DreamChaser will need a Saturn 5 rocket to get off Earth and the two Virgin Galactic vehicles will work together. The world of space travel is changing rapidly and this is not the last we have heard about these companies and the many others just like them.

SpaceShipTwo being carried by WhiteKnightTwo