Virgin Galactic to send scientists into space

Virgin Galactic, which is backed by Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments, hopes that other scientific research institutes could now follow suite. The company also intends to bring its operations to Dubai some time in the future, which could open the way to MENA-based scientists taking flights.

 

As well as flying its own researchers, who will carry scientific experiments developed by its in-house technical staff, SwRI also aims to assist American researchers who do not have direct spaceflight experience to develop and fly their payloads and personnel on suborbital missions.

 

SwRI, working from San Antonio and Boulder, Colorado, leads an array of space science projects, including the development of scientific payloads for satellites and sounding rockets, and the design and management of complex hardware and data systems.

 

George Whitesides, President and CEO of Virgin Galactic said: “This agreement signals the enormous scientific potential of the Virgin spaceflight system. Virgin Galactic will be able to offer researchers flights to space that are unprecedented in frequency and cost.

 

“Science flights will be an important growth area for the company in the years to come, building on the strong commercial success already demonstrated by deposits received from more than 400 individuals for Virgin’s space experience.”

 

SwRI’s Dr. Alan Stern, Associate Vice President of SwRI’s Space Division and former NASA Associate Administrator for Science, said: “Initially, two of our payload specialists will be flying on Virgin Galactic, conducting biomedical monitoring, atmospheric imaging, and microgravity planetary regolith experiments.”

 

Virgin Galactic is currently flight testing its system at its Spaceport America facility in New Mexico. Testing will continue throughout 2011.