… and one has to wonder if the move will serve as a major catalyst in the private sector’s bid to become a major factor in space travel, now that NASA is in the process of being reformulated.
Rutan, of course, gained fame in 1986 when the aircraft he designed, the Voyager, flew around the world without stopping or refueling, piloted by brother Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. Burt also teamed with Microsoft co-founder Allen in 2004 to build and launch SpaceShip One, which became the first private sector-financed ship to reach the edge of space.
Allen, who announced he is committing some $200 million to the latest venture, is no stranger to aviation and has a major presence in the Northwest, notably at Boeing Field. I’ve also been told he’s investing in an aviation museum at Everett, WA.
While there is potentially much about which we can criticize the Obama Administration – like the lack of long-term FAA/system reauthorization, for starters – I’ve always thought his move to scale back NASA and allow the private sector to take the lead in space exploration was a good move. After all, when private sector dollars, innovation, and competition kick in on an idea that has great merit, things happen.
Rutan and Allen made the announcement on their latest quest on Tuesday, and an in-depth report on it is featured in The Wall Street Journal today. In brief, they would build the world’s largest airplane using composite design and recycled parts and engines off of Boeing 747s, the latter move billed as a way to control costs and speed development. The aircraft, called the Stratolaunch, would launch satellite-carrying rockets from a level of 30,000 feet.
Let the new space race begin. This stuff is exciting.
Thanks for reading. jfi
