Virgin Galactic still confident it's blasting off in 2015

[Ronlop 6,882]

Richard Branson has insisted his Virgin Galactic enterprise will be ready for its first flight next spring.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, the founder of Virgin Atlantic rejected claims by critics that the latest delay in lift-off for his spaceship was further evidence that the business would never make it off the ground.

Instead Branson told the newspaper that he would be on the first passenger flight of his new “spaceline†when it takes off next spring.

Virgin Galactic was founded in 2004, with initial plans of taking paying customers into space by 2007. In 2009, the company said there would be flights within two years and earlier this year, Branson predicted he would be on the space voyage by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, he reportedly acknolwdeged that his target had slipped again. However Branson told the Sunday Telegraph had now made a crucial breakthrough on rocket design, and that test flights would resume from the Mojave airbase in California.

He has now predicted that the craft will make its first test flight before Christmas.

“I’ve joked that this really is rocket science, and it’s proven much more difficult than we had ever expected,†he said.

“The fact is, the mother ship is working great, the spaceport in New Mexico looks great, but the thing that has held us up is the rockets for the spaceship. We have faced a lot of criticism for being late, but we cannot rush these things and we are building a business that is offering  return tickets.

“We have to feel completely confident about sending people into space. We’re going to take them up and bring them back.â€

More than 700 celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Brand and Katy Perry and Stephen Hawking have so far paid deposits of £154,000 for a two and a half hour voyage to just outside the atmosphere, around 60 miles above the Earth.

 

Nick Kaczmarek, Virgin Galactic supply chain manager, arrived at the High Tech Consortium of Southern New Mexico September meeting with a lot more than a PowerPoint presentation.
He did bring the PowerPoint – and the slides were unlike anything some in the room had ever seen.
They captured images of test flights with the dual-hulled White KnightTwo releasing SpaceShipTwo to soar into subortibal space.
Kaczmarek said passengers on board SpaceShipTwo will experience four to six minutes weightless in space at heights of up to 320,000 feet .
During descent, the spaceship’s rocket wings will “come down like a badminton birdie’s wings†when it hits Earth’satmosphere. Becoming a glider, the craft will coast home to Spaceport America.
To bring the audience back to Earth, Kaczmarek concluded the show with a shot of Virgin Galactic’s dome-like Gateway to Space silhouetted against a familiarly crimson and gold New Mexico sunset.

Kaczmarek told the audience there will be about four and more test flights before commercial space flight comes to Sierra County’s spaceport.
Although both speaker and audience were at the HTC meeting Friday, Sept. 19, at the Hotel Encanto to discuss supply chain topics, other questions arose, including the frequency of passenger flights and the subortial intentions of Lady Gaga.
Kaczmarek said as the fleet grows the frequency of flights will increase, perhaps to weekly takeoffs.
He had less to say about Lady Gaga, Acknowledging he’s read that she wants to take David Bowie into space, give the first concert in space and/or get married in space, he said he knows nothing more about it.
Whatever adventure she chooses, “I’m going to be supporting it,†he said.

 

 

Source: http://galacticspaceflight.com/branson-insists-virgin-galactic-will-be-ready-by-spring/ , http://www.lascrucesbulletin.com/index.php?pSetup=lascrucesbulletin&curDate=20140926&pageToLoad=showFreeArticle.php&type=art&index=04&title=HTC+hosts+Virgin+Galactic+exec

 

 

 

[NatureBoy 0]

So it is not another betrayel? 

Praise all the lords

[BLACKOUTbritney 22,369]

Praying for another spring awakening

[Benji 20,113]

I'm pretty sure she ain't going, you would think he would mention Gaga is she's supposedly the first artist to perform in space with help from his company.

[DogFood 1,649]

If she performs jazz or an ARTPOP song....

 

I hope she does the lead single for the next pop album

[Vernier 3,786]

So it's still happening? Wouldn't she have to train for it :giveup:

[Sunny 12,753]

Will she be the only one singing or not?

Can't wait

[ViviLittleM 3]

Katy Perry?

[gardenpanty 0]

omg 

[Pop Art 1,773]

But this is about the commercial flights, not Gaga's space performance. They're related, but two separate things.

[SiberianBreaks 53]

But it doesn't mean that Gaga's space flight is still happening

[Teal Ambition 47,805]

I honestly believe she's not going at all.

[ELECTRAHEARTPOP 93]

But this is about the commercial flights, not Gaga's space performance. They're related, but two separate things.

This. :yes:

[Titzlol 607]

Katy Perry?

Yeah, shes going to perform E.T :derpga: :derpga:

[Jesse Pinkman 4,660]

I believe this is about the commercial flights that all of those celebrities like Rihanna have signed up to do. :(