May 02

The Engadget Interview: Sir Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic and space tourism for the everyman

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The Engadget Interview Sir Richard Branson on Virgin Galactic and making space travel affordable

It’s been a particularly good week for Sir Richard Branson. SpaceShipTwo, Virgin Galactic’s sub-orbital peoplecarrier broke the sound barrier for the first time, and Virgin America began service into San Jose, California. Sir Richard was in town to welcome VA’s first San Jose arrival, and we jumped at the chance to chat with him, even if only for a few minutes.

Our conversation revolved around Virgin Galactic’s latest milestone on its journey towards ferrying the masses to the stars. Naturally, we wanted to know his plan to make space travel affordable for us non-billionaires, as the current cost of a Virgin Galactic ticket is a cool $200K quarter million dollars. His solution? A combination of more spacecraft, more spaceports and the most prolific satellite delivery service in history.

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Jul 19

Virgin Mobile USA opening flagship Chicago store, selling ‘culture’ on top of phones

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DNP Virgin Mobile USA opening flagship Chicago store, selling 'culture,' phones

Virgin Mobile USA is adding actual bricks and mortar to its primary selling channels — the internet and box stores — but said that a new flagship Chicago store will not just be about the phones. The location has been set up like a casual, music-themed lounge, where customers can recline while testing devices and salespeople will run workshops on subjects like apps and how to install them. The Sprint-owned company will add 14 more locations in the city by summer’s end and hopes to use the launch as an archetype for key stores in its other major market cities. The concept sounds a bit like a certain other starkly designed iChain — but the rock ‘n’ roll decor is pure Branson.

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Virgin Mobile USA opening flagship Chicago store, selling ‘culture’ on top of phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 15

Richard Branson confirms Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight will launch next year with him on board

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Richard Branson has long said that he’d be on board Virgin Galactic’s first commercial space tourism flight, and he’s now confirmed that will take place sometime next year with his two adult children along for the ride (a bit of a delay from the company’s original 2011 target). That trip will of course be made with the company’s SpaceShipTwo craft, which has already completed a number of test flights, and which is capable of flying 100 kilometers (or just over 60 miles) above the Earth for a planned two and a half hour flight with five minutes of weightlessness. As the AP notes, some 529 people have already signed up for the $200,000 per person rides into space, each of whom will have to take part in a week of training prior to their trip. Bookings can still be made on Virgin Galactic’s website.

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Richard Branson confirms Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight will launch next year with him on board originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 11

Virgin Galactic unveils LauncherOne satellite vehicle

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Virgin Galactic unveils LauncherOne satellite vehicle

Building a satellite, that’s not really much of a problem anymore. Getting them launched, well, that’s what separates the big boys from the wannabes. Virgin’s Richard Branson believes he has the answer to that — LauncherOne. The delivery system for Earth orbiters is based around the WhiteKnightTwo, the same launch platform used by SpaceShipTwo to reach its sub-orbital heights. The tube-like rocket of the LauncherOne is carried up to 50,000 feet by its mother ship, before detaching and initiating its two-stage rocket engines. The current design is capable of delivering 500-pound payloads into Low Earth Orbit, while lighter satellites of 225 pounds could reach Sun-Synchronous Low Earth Orbit. Virgin Galactic says it has already signed up its first customers, including SkyBox Imaging and GeoOptics. Sadly, there’s no word on when or how much it’ll cost to get the spy satellite you built in your backyard placed in the heavens. Check out the video and the PR after the break.

Update: We now know another of Virgin Galactic’s customers. Asteroid mining startup Planetary Resources has announced that it will “launch several constellations of Arkyd-100 Series spacecraft in the coming years aboard LauncherOne.”

Continue reading Virgin Galactic unveils LauncherOne satellite vehicle

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Virgin Galactic unveils LauncherOne satellite vehicle originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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