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Human spaceflight may soon have "industry standards"
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<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2005
16:24:40 -0800<br>
From: "X PRIZE Foundation" <Peter@xprize.org><br>
To: "X PRIZE!" <tcoffee@mit.edu><br>
Subject: Space Entrepreneurs Resolve To Create Industry Group<br><br>
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8, 2005</b></font><br>
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<font size=2><b>February 08, 2005 11:21 AM US Eastern
Timezone</font><font size=1> <br>
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<font size=4>Space Entrepreneurs Resolve To Create Industry Group to
Promote Safety Standards and Growth of the Personal Spaceflight Industry
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</b></font><font size=2><br>
</font>LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2005--Leaders from the newly
emerging Personal Spaceflight Industry today announced their intent to
organize an industry federation to design and uphold the standards and
processes necessary to ensure public safety and promote growth of the
personal spaceflight industry. The group also resolved to set up a
Voluntary Personal Spaceflight Industry Consensus Standards Organization
to develop Industry Consensus Standards to implement the Commercial Space
Launch Amendments Act of 2004. Membership in the proposed federation
would be open to all US non-profit and commercial entities developing
suborbital commercial passenger travel.<br><br>
To date, there have been three successful suborbital spaceflights, which
operated under an experimental license granted by the Federal Aviation
Administration. Looking to the near future when these new space vehicles
will carry passengers and crew, the new Commercial Space Launch
Amendments Act of 2004, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush
in December 2004, empowers government to provide for the safety of the
uninvolved public through launch licensing, as well as establish Industry
Consensus Standards to provide for the safety of passengers and crew on
these new vehicles.<br><br>
The group of entrepreneurs believes that adherence to new and rigorous
safety standards that go beyond the letter of the law will be essential
to promote the safety and growth of the industry. Accordingly, the group
has expressed its intent to initially focus on standards and procedures
in areas critical to vehicle safety, medical requirements, and training
for passengers and crew.<br><br>
"Just as the personal computer revolution dramatically increased
performance and lowered the cost of computing, the market for Personal
Spaceflight promises to transform the economics of space
operations," said Gregg Maryniak, Executive Director of the X PRIZE
Foundation and spokesperson for the new Personal Spaceflight
Federation.<br><br>
"The only way to reduce the cost of spaceflight is to do more of
it," Maryniak continued. "In 2004, there were only 15 worldwide
commercial space launches because there were only 15 commercial satellite
payloads.(1) Personal spaceflight promises a much larger market and will
provide the demand that the industry needs to grow and
economize."<br><br>
Recent market studies indicate a strong and consistent demand for
personal spaceflight, with some 70 percent of respondents in the
developed world responding that they would be willing to buy a ticket to
see the Earth from space when such trips are commercially
available.<br><br>
Several "new space" US companies currently are developing the
vehicles needed to meet this demand for human suborbital spaceflight.
Public belief in the Personal Spaceflight Industry peaked following the
recent award of the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE, won by the Mojave
Aerospace Ventures Team with the two successful flights of SpaceShip One
on September 29th and October 4th, 2004.<br><br>
Space entrepreneurs working to create the new federation include: John
Carmack,
<a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83417&c=69449124&m=m&type=1">Armadillo
Aerospace</a>; Burt Rutan,
<a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83418&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">Scaled
Composites</a></font>; Elon Musk,
<a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83419&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">SpaceX</a></font>;
Alex Tai,
<a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83420&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">Virgin
Galactic</a></font>; Jeff Greason,
<a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83421&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">XCOR;</a></font>
Dr. Peter Diamandis, X PRIZE Foundation; Gary Hudson, t/Space/HMX; George French, <a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83422&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">Pioneer Rocketplane</a></font>; Stuart Witt, <a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83423&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">Mojave Spaceport</a></font>, Eric Anderson, <a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83424&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">Space Adventures</a></font>, and Michael S. Kelly, Chairman, RLV Working Group of <a href="http://echo3.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=83425&c=69449124&m=m&type=1"><font color="#0000FF">COMSTAC</a></font>, the Department of Transportation's industry advisory committee. Gregg Maryniak and Diane Murphy, executives of the X PRIZE Foundation, will facilitate the organization's liaison efforts with industry, US Government and media.<br><br>
<i>(1) January 2005 Launch Report, Futron Corporation, Bethesda, Md.~<br>
</i><br>
<i>Contact: <br>
</i>Diane Murphy<br>
The X PRIZE Foundation<br>
<a href="http://www.xprize.org/" eudora="autourl">www.xprize.org</a><br><br>
<br><br>
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