The Future of Private Spaceflight (Gallery)

Orion spacecraft conception

Private spacecraft from Sierra Nevada, Virgin, SpaceX and others are pushing boundaries in spaceflight and edging into the domain once held exclusively by government-funded behemoths like Lockheed-Martin. You can learn about the future of the private space race in Peirs Bozny's exclusive Expert Voices essay

Shown here: An artist's impression of an Orion spacecraft mated to a European-built ATV service module.

Apollo on steroids

Orion has been described as "Apollo on steroids." Time will tell if it can match, or better yet, exceed, Apollo's achievements.

Orion prepped for flight

Engineers at the Lockheed Martin company prepare the first Orion for flight.

Virgin Galactic’s Enterprise rocket plane

Virgin Galactic’s Enterprise rocket plane is carried aloft by VMS Eve, prior to a rocket powered test.

Soyuz vehicles docked

At least two Soyuz vehicles docked to the ISS serve as crew transport systems, doubling as emergency lifeboats in case of trouble.

First-generation XCOR Lynx vehicles

First-generation XCOR Lynx vehicles will not fly all the way into space, but the altitude difference will only be of concern to pedants.

SpaceShipOne on display

SpaceShipOne is now on display in the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Swiss spacecraft developments

Swiss engineers are developing unscrewed lifting-body spacecraft for air launch.

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser

Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser spacecraft poses for a beauty shot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California.

New Space Frontiers book cover

"New Space Frontiers: Venturing into Earth Orbit and Beyond" (Zenith Press, 2014)

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