virgin galactic | Fast Company

Richard Branson On The Environmental Impact Of Space Travel

BY Ariel Schwartz | 10-19-2011 | 8:50 PM | ETHONOMICS

Branson thinks that by being in space, people become more passionate about the planet. And he's planning on helping out cash-strapped NASA with its research, too. "We can put satellites into space for almost no carbon output because we're launching them from 60,000 feet rather than land-based satellite launches," he tells us. READ MORE›

Apple Hits $28.27B In Quarterly Revenues, Virgin Galactic Dedicates Spaceport, Twitter Signups Spike After iOS 5

BY Nidhi Subbaraman | 10-18-2011 | 4:08 AM | INNOVATION

Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.READ MORE›

SpaceX, Blue Origin, And The Race To Control The Commercial Space Industry

BY Kit Eaton | 09-06-2011 | 7:51 AM | INNOVATION

Facing unexpected pressure and the yawning void of the post-Shuttle era, the commercial space race has huge challenges ahead. In the wake of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin test failure, we look at the future of the industry. READ MORE›

Virgin Galactic Puts Its Spacey Typeface Up For Sale

BY Suzanne LaBarre | 07-01-2011 | 7:35 AM | GBH

Dalton Maag, a London font and logo design studio, has developed a new typeface sure to knock the space nerds right off their telescopes. It’s got flat, square characters and a kind of retro-futuristic style designed to, as Dalton ... READ MORE›

The New Space Industry Advances As Zero-G Gets Approval For Passenger Training

BY Kit Eaton | 05-27-2011 | 12:16 PM | INNOVATION

Behold the halo effect of the new commercial space biz: Zero-G, a company that specializes in flying passengers on modified jets to simulate orbital weightlessness, just got approval to train passengers and crew for simple spaceflight.READ MORE›

What It's Like To Fly Alongside a Virgin Galactic Spaceship [video]

BY Ariel Schwartz | 04-06-2011 | 5:19 PM | ETHONOMICS

Don't have the $250,000 to secure a spot on one of Virgin Galactic's maiden joyrides into space next year? We had the chance to fly next to WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo in the skies over San Francisco.READ MORE›

Virgin Galactic Banks on Scientists for Commercial Space Flight Business

BY Ariel Schwartz | 02-28-2011 | 2:15 PM | ETHONOMICS

Instead of relying only on private passengers, Virgin Galactic is expanding its business to include scientists eager to conduct research in space. READ MORE›

Private Spacecrafts Are Your Transportation, Your Scientists, And Your Real Estate Brokers

BY Emma Haak | 01-09-2011 | 12:27 PM | MAGAZINE

In the absence of NASA's Space Shuttle Program, private companies are left to fill the black hole of space exploration. Now, 50 years after John Glenn orbited the Earth, some very different kinds of explorers are leading the way.READ MORE›

NASA Throws Cash at Suborbital Flight, Piggybacking on Space Tourism

BY Kit Eaton | 12-23-2010 | 9:32 AM | INNOVATION

The agency's getting wise to the rise of the commercial space industry, and its keen on accessing suborbital zones.READ MORE›

What Does SpaceX's Commercial License for Spacecraft Reentry Mean for Space Travel?

BY Ariel Schwartz | 11-24-2010 | 1:17 PM | ETHONOMICS

SpaceX, a space transport startup bankrolled by Tesla founder Elon Musk, just became the first commercial company to receive a license to re-enter a spacecraft from orbit into Earth's atmosphere.READ MORE›

Study: Space Tourism Could Contribute to Climate Change

BY Ariel Schwartz | 10-22-2010 | 2:51 PM | ETHONOMICS

Virgin Galactic claims that sending tourists into space is environmentally sound, but climate change researchers aren't so sure.READ MORE›

Crib Sheet: George T. Whitesides, Top Dog (in Space) at Virgin Galactic

BY Addy Dugdale | 05-20-2010 | 10:21 AM | TECHNOLOGY

Don't call him Laika, but George T. Whitesides is a dawg for space. He's just hopped off Planet NASA, where he was Chief of Staff to agency Great Dane Charlie Bolden, and is now--Mush!--Lead Husky at Virgin Galactic [Editor's note: ...READ MORE›

Virgin Galactic Embarks on Maiden Voyage Above Mojave Desert

BY Addy Dugdale | 03-23-2010 | 7:43 AM | TECHNOLOGY

Space geeks, fasten your seatbelt and zip up your flying suits (protein pills and helmets are, of course, optional). Virgin Galactic's passenger spaceship, the Enterprise, took to the skies for the first time yesterday, attached to ...READ MORE›

Space Tourism Update: Virgin Galactic Can Play Ball on Florida Field

BY Ben Paynter | 01-12-2010 | 9:24 PM | INNOVATION

Richard Branson gained another small step toward the great leap of space tourism yesterday, when Cecil Field, a commercial airport in Florida, announced they have achieved federal license to the company's new breed of plane-like ...READ MORE›

At Last: Virgin Galactic Unveils Passenger Spaceplane

BY Cliff Kuang | 12-07-2009 | 4:18 PM | INNOVATION

After years on the drawing board, the so-called Spaceship Two is complete. Sure is shiny.READ MORE›

Lunar Luxe: $90,500 Table for Norman Mailer's Apollo 11 Book

BY Cliff Kuang | 12-01-2009 | 6:05 PM | DESIGN

Marc Newson creates the perfect perch for a stellar book.READ MORE›

Today's Vision of Tomorrow: Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactic Flying You to Space

BY Kit Eaton | 11-24-2009 | 11:07 AM | INNOVATION

Forget NASA's giant rockets, forget even the Russian Space Agency's vintage but reliable Soyuz vehicles: The future of space travel for you and me (assuming we're filthy rich) is in private hands. Jeff Bezos' and Richard Branson's, ...READ MORE›

Middle East Gets a Virgin Galactic Space Port, Satellite Launch Powers

BY Kit Eaton | 07-28-2009 | 8:45 AM | ETHONOMICS

Abu Dhabi-based investor Aabar has announced it's buying a third of Virgin Galactic--Richard Branson's nascent space company. And as part of the $280 million deal, the middle east will get a spaceport and satellite-launch ...READ MORE›

Mach Green Liftoff! Another Advance for Super Clean Flying Machines

BY Stephanie Schomer | 07-22-2009 | 12:37 PM | MAGAZINE

The University of North Dakota's Energy and Environmental Research Center successfully tested a new biofuel, and it may be the key to flying 100% clean flights.READ MORE›

Another Small Step for Man: Spaceport America Breaks Ground

BY Cliff Kuang | 06-18-2009 | 11:13 AM | DESIGN

Tomorrow, America's first port for leisure space flight begins construction, with Virgin Galactic as its anchor tenant.READ MORE›