Virgin is Bringing Us Closer to Frequent Astronaut Miles

If you saw my recent post about Mars-One – the reality TV-show kicking off next year, in which four competing Earth-expats will be selected to blast off and live as Martians in September, 2022 – odds are, you’d be thinking similarly: When’s the world’s favorite extreme billionaire going to up the anti-gravity ante?

Not to worry, Sir Richard Branson has some tricks waiting up his sleeves: The man behind Virgin-everything is set to announce new designs to reshape the economy of commercial space transport. He’ll be presenting with his Virgin Galactic cohorts at the Farnborough International Airshow, next month in England. And if you haven’t heard of VG yet, check out some of the awesome low-orbit spacecraft that have been hurdling across the sky in recent test-flights.

Galactic’s mission, like many of Branson’s Virgin sisters, is offering discounts and upping access to the public. With a host of international booking agents, it’s clear that they’re damn serious about this, and prepared to find the type of reservation that’s right for you. With Virgin’s history of success, I’d expect that in 2013 the private passengers Branson plans on sending aboard Virgin’s SS2 will be looking down on the Mars-One camera crew calibrating white balances and holding reflectors in a desert.

Aside from sending the wealthy in orbit, other plans include the use of a modified SS2 to toss of small satellites up to 440lbs. Galactic will place small satellites into low-earth-orbit (50 miles up) for around $1-2 million (~25 times cheaper than ordinary launches, or the price of a decent downtown New York city apartment).

Additionally, DARPA has given Virgin an ALASA contract (Airborne Launch Assist Space Access), giving Virgin a proper push towards the 68-mile-high-club, if it can launch 100 lbs. of satellite for under $1 million.

But, still, what everyone cares most about is space tourism, and it’s coming. Currently, SpaceX’s Elon Musk is basking in the glory of first commercial delivery to the ISS and testing new engines, Mars-One is probably finding a caterer, while Virgin Galactic dangles its keys in the ignition. Will 2013 be the first year people start collecting frequent-flier orbits?

• Mars One Plans on Colonizing the Red Planet with a Reality Show
• Richard Branson’s Spaceship Makes Its First Manned Free Flight
• SpaceShipTwo: How Much Altitude Are You Getting For Your $200K?