Space race: Boeing invests $20m in Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic as it prepares public listing October 8, 2019 Boeing is to invest $20m in Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture Virgin Galactic, meaning it will have more money to take on rivals such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the commercial space race. Branson founded space venture Virgin Galactic in a bid to cash in on rising demand for space travel. He is [...]
Blast off: Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic plots public listing July 9, 2019 Space may be the final frontier, but Virgin Galactic is readying itself to overcome a fresh obstacle before launching into the great unknown: a stock market listing. Sir Richard Branson’s space-tourism venture is planning to go public as part of a deal with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Read more: Fifty years on from the [...]
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos unveils plans to send a Blue Origin rocket to the moon by 2024 May 10, 2019 Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has unveiled plans to send a spaceship to the moon by 2024 in his latest attempts to become a leader in space exploration. An unmanned rocked, called Blue Moon, will be around the size of a house, and carry four rovers and other scientific equipment to the moon, he said. Bezos, who [...]
Sir Richard Branson looking for additional investment in Virgin space ventures February 16, 2019 Sir Richard Branson has hired corporate finance firm LionTree Advisors to help raise hundreds of millions of pounds to invest in Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, according to Sky News. It comes months after Branson halted a $1bn (£775m) Saudi-funded deal amid the political tension over Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Discussions are already under way with a number of potential investors, including [...]
Quit nostalgic navel-gazing and get excited for the future February 11, 2019 The thing about the 1970s – if you lived through them – is that they were for the most part dull and dour years, devoid of political and economic energy. And as for the fashion, don’t even go there. Yet there seems to be no shortage of fresh-faced tweets proclaiming those years to be something [...]
China successfully lands space probe on the dark side of the moon January 3, 2019 The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has successfully landed a lunar probe on the far side of the moon, transmitting the hidden half's first ever up-close image. The moon is tidally locked to Earth and rotates at the same rate as it orbits our planet, meaning we never see most of the so-called dark side. While [...]
SpaceX is getting ready to launch its Falcon Heavy – the world’s most powerful operational rocket September 8, 2015 Not one to be perturbed by a couple of missed landings, SpaceX – the space company founded by Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk – has announced plans to attempt one of its boldest rocket launches yet: sending the Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, into space for the first time. At a conference in [...]
Elon Musks’ SpaceX resupply rocket explodes just few minutes after take-off June 28, 2015 SpaceX's latest mission didn't last long – its Falcon 9 rocket exploded just a few minutes after being launched from a base in Florida this morning. Read more: SpaceX launch Q&A: Expert explains the science behind landing a reusable rocket The company, which was set up by entrepreneur Elon Musk in 2002, said the [...]
SpaceX GoPro video: Here’s what Elon Musk’s Falcon 9 rocket sees from space as it falls to earth June 7, 2015 The rocket ship sent into space by Elon Musk's SpaceX programme has captured stunning footage of the earth from miles above. A GoPro – the action camera favoured by adventurers – was attached to the rocket Falcon 9 which is being tested out to deliver payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) and then return [...]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX can now launch military and spy satellites for the US May 27, 2015 Private company SpaceX has received certified approval from the US to send military and spy satellites into space. The decision comes after two years of reviews by the US Air Force, and founder Elon Musk described it as an “important step” in bringing competition to National Security Space launch. “We thank the Air Force [...]