In what becomes a volume race, private space companies looking to the skies – armed with innovative approaches to space flight.
In a leap to affordable flights, SpaceX’s ride-sharing program now lets satellite operators capture Uber-like rides on a Falcon 9 rocket. And although most space rockets take off from a Stationary launch pad, Virgin Orbit avoids the preference to attach its rockets to aircraft and send the aircraft upward first.
Whether it’s by working to combine costs with spaceflight or offering creative initiatives designed to make it easier for smaller satellite operators to reach orbit, SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, and emerging private companies are making a trip to space easier than ever.
The latest missions of satellite and equestrian sharing offer a first look at what spaceflight can achieve with new possibilities – completely traveling to new heights and expanding the boundaries of human exploration.
In this episode of The Abstract, we discuss how SpaceX and Virgin Orbit are shaking up the small satellite industry.
Our first story is about SpaceS’s SmallSat Rideshare program. Announced back in August 2019, the rocket rideshare service aims to make it easier for small satellite owners to launch into space. In an effort to provide customers with a better experience at lower costs, the company has invited customers to sign up for its Uber-like service, hoping to make the space sector more widely accessible.
Our second story is about Virgin Orbit, the space launch company that wants to send satellites into orbit by attaching their missiles to aircraft. After a failed first attempt in May 2020, the company is working on following its next launch for NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative at the end of 2020. Hoping to set new standards for the launch company, private companies such as Virgin Orbit continue to set the pace for the future of space flight.
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Right now, facts and science are more important than ever. That is part of the reason for The Abstract, this brand new podcast from the Inverse staff that focuses exclusively on science and innovation. Three new episodes are released per week, and each covers one theme through two related stories. Each has audio of original Inverse reporting, where the facts and context take center stage. It is hosted by Tanya Bustos of WSJ Podcasts. Because we are Inverse, it’s all true, but a little off-kilter. It is made for people who want to know the whole story. –Nick Lucchesi, Executive Editor, Inverse
