Menu Close

Articles on Private spaceflight

Displaying all articles

Both the U.S. and China have plans to establish bases on the Moon in the near future. Caspar Benson/fStop via Getty Images

Is the US in a space race against China?

China has invested massively in its space capabilities in recent years and is now a major competitor with the US. But according to a space policy expert, the US still dominates space by most measures.
Private companies have launched dozens of imaging satellites – like the two small boxes in the middle of the photo – into orbit in recent years. NASA/Steve Jurvetson

War in Ukraine highlights the growing strategic importance of private satellite companies – especially in times of conflict

Private satellite companies have boomed in recent years, and many experts have wondered what role they would play in a conflict. They have proved to be invaluable to Ukraine in recent months.
Both Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson successfully rode to space on rockets made by their private companies Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, respectively. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Space travel for billionaires is the surprise topic with bipartisan American support – but not from Gen Z

According to a new poll, people across political and demographic lines think the private space race is good for the future but still just an ego trip for the billionaires involved.
Virgin Galactic’s Unity VSS spacecraft went on a suborbital test flight in May 2021. VIrgin Galactic

What’s a suborbital flight? An aerospace engineer explains

Both Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are sending spacecrafts – and their billionaire founders – into suborbital flight. But what differentiates a suborbital flight from a trip around Earth?

Top contributors

More