Richard Branson And Burt Rutan Ink Spacecraft Contract

According to a July 28, 2005 report posted at SpaceDaily.com, Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic and Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites have signed a deal to create a jointly owned company that would operate newly developed spacecraft based on the highly successful SpaceShipOne prototype that reached suborbital flight last year.

The article said that a "fleet" of spacecraft would be developed and manufactured to take advantage of the public's interest in orbital tourism.

Source: Article at SpaceDaily.com.

Comment: Assuming that this venture is successful, it would represent a triumph for free enterprise. Neither Virgin Atlantic nor Scale Composites have asked for or received government assistance for its efforts. Rather, the ingenuity and hard work of private citizens, spending their own money, have resulted in what may be the world's first spaceline. I wish all involved the best of luck and hope that all goes well in this promising endeavor.

At the same time, I note the trailblazing role of NASA and others in pioneering manned spaceflight. American astronauts and Soviet and Russian cosmonauts took extreme risks in opening up the final frontier, and some of them paid for it with their lives.

As we look toward the future, I hope to see government agencies continue to take the initiative in maintaining this spirit of adventure and exploration to Mars and beyond, going first where no one -- private or public -- has gone before. Thereafter, private enterprise can follow, bringing the efforts of ordinary citizens to spectacular fruition.