About SpaceHub
Space Milestones
Space Businesses
   - Launch
   - Orbital
   - Planetary
   - General
Volunteer Projects
Space Societies
Universities
Space Tech Events
News Sources
Space Literature
Recruiting
Home

  Space Businesses - Launch

Launch Vehicles                                                                     

Manned Launch:

SpaceX – Falcon I and 9 - www.spacex.com

• SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of access to space ultimately by a factor of ten. Privately developing reusable liquid fuel rockets.

Scaled Composites – www.scaled.com

• Scaled Composites (founded by Burt Rutan) is an aerospace and specialty composites development company with broad experience in air vehicle design, tooling, manufacturing, specialty composite structure design, analysis, fabrication and developmental flight test
• Designed and build SpaceShipOne, winner of the Ansari X Prize on Oct 4, 2004

SpaceDev – www.spacedev.com

• Developing Dream Chaser Sub-Orbital space tourism vehicle
• Provider for Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne hybrid rocket engine

Blue Origin – www.-.com

• Quietly developing manned launch access to orbit
  
• Founded by Jeff  Bezos, owner of Amazon.com
  

t/Space; Transformational Space – www.transformspace.com

• Developing a man-grade capsul for crew transportation to and from the ISS, and CEV rendezvous station.
  
• Competing for continuing NASA CEV contracts, with hardware for air launch successfully tested.

XCOR Aerospace – www.xcor.com

• Rocket and propulsion company in Mojave, CA
  
• Developing the Xerus sub-orbital passenger vehicle as a step to developing an orbital passenger vehicle
  
• Developed the EZ Rocket as a step to developing a sub-orbital vehicle

Kelly Space and Technology – www.kellyspace.com

• Developing fast turnaround testing of liquid rocket, buisiness jet, and special purpose engines for commercial and national defense applications.
  
• Competitor for the X Prize using a Tow Launched sub-orbital vehicle.
• Creating  Global Energy Systems LLC (GES) to develop  renewable energy systems using biomass waste to synthetically create natural gas.
  

Rocketplane Limited inc – www.rocketplane.com

• Oklahoma based company creating the Rocketplane XP sub-orbital spacecraft for commerical flights.
  
• X Prize competitor.
• Talking with these guys at a Space Frontiers Conference, I think they also created an orbital extra-vehicular video inspection robot that has been flight tested. If you can confirm or deny this, please send an email.
  

Odyssey Spacelines – www.odysseyspacelines.com

• Odyssey plans to serve as a Spaceliner similar to current Airline businesses. They will buy a fleet of spaceships, and offer space tourism packages.
  
• Listen to Odyssey Spacelines president James Nguyen on The Space Show - Jan 18, '05
  

Escape, GEO, and LEO:

SpaceX – Falcon I and 9 - www.spacex.com

• SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles intended to reduce the cost and increase the reliability of access to space ultimately by a factor of ten. Privately developing reusable liquid fuel rockets.

Sea Launch - www.sea-launch.com

• Sea Launch provides heavy GEO launch services with a three stage, sea based equatorial launch vehicle.

• Developing "Scorpion small Launch vehicles for less expensive access to space
• President: James Wertz, USC professor and author of several spacecraft and space mission books
  

ISC Kosmotras – www.kosmotras.ru

• Russian and Ukranian Launch company using the DNEPR rocket.
  
• Launching the Bigelow 1/3 scale inflatable module.
  

AirLaunch – www.-.com

• Competitor for the Air Force Falcon program; Reno, NV.
  

ATK Thiokol – www.atk.com/thiokol

• Solid rocket motors in all vehicle payload classes for U.S. space launch markets.

Sub-Orbital and Sounding Rockets:

Scaled Composites – www.scaled.com

• Design and build the flight structure for the Pegasus
  
• Scaled Composites (founded by Burt Rutan) is an aerospace and specialty composites development company with broad experience in air vehicle design, tooling, manufacturing, specialty composite structure design, analysis, fabrication and developmental flight test
• Designed and build SpaceShip One, winner of the Ansari X Prize on Oct 4, 2004

SpaceDev – www.spacedev.com

• Developing hybrid fuel rockets and propulsion
• Provider for Scaled Composites SpaceShip One hybrid rocket engine

XCOR Aerospace – www.xcor.com

• Rocket and propulsion company in Mojave, CA
  
• Developing the Xerus sub-orbital passenger vehicle as a step to developing an orbital passenger vehicle
  
• Developed the EZ Rocket as a step to developing a sub-orbital vehicle
  

Enviornmental Aerosciences Corp (eAc) – www.hybrids.com

• eAc is an innovative hybrid propulsion systems company that provides low-cost development of functional hardware
• Competitor for Scaled Composites SpaceShip One hybrid rocket engine

UP Aerospace – www.upaerospace.com

• Successfully launched two classes of sub-orbital rockets for scientific experiments, providing complete launch services.
  

X-Rocket – www.x-rocket.com

• Intent on developing and offering sub-orbital spaceflight.
  
• Creating the Rocket Academy using MIG 21 aircraft as training vehicles for sub orbital flight.
  

ATK Thiokol – www.atk.com/thiokol

• ATK Thiokol is the world's leading developer and producer of solid rocket motors in all vehicle payload classes for U.S. space launch markets.
• Competitor for Scaled Composites SpaceShip One rocket engine
  

Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC) – www.garvspace.com

• GSC is a small aerospace R&D company focusing on cost-effective development of advanced space technologies and launch vehicle systems
• Leader of the California Launch Vehicle Education Initiative (CALVEIN) with CSU Long Beach working with student teams to create launch vehicles and related projects.
  

AAE Aerospace – changed to Univ. Illinois Department of Aerospace Engineering

Univ. Illinois U. C. Department of Aerospace Engineering – www.ae.uiuc.edu

• Aerospace department of the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign
• Competitor for Scaled Composites SpaceShip One rocket engine
• We’re interested in a list of other commercial endeavors from this department

Alternative Space Access                                                     

Space Elevator:

LiftPort – www.liftport.com

• LiftPort is dedicated to the development of the Space Elevator for routine, reliable, and inexpensive access to space

Gizmonics – www.gizmonicsinc.com - Space Elevator page

• Excellent information about the Space Elevtor concept, suggestions and criticisms of current designs, proposals
• Intend to prove the concept feasible or infeasible by 2010
  

Lunar Space Elevator – NIAC phase I study

• Solar powered climbers traverse a ribbon anchored at L-1, where the gravitational fields of Earth and the Moon cancel each other.

General:

JP Aerospace – www.jpaerospace.com

• JP Aerospace LLC is a volunteer-based organization dedicated to achieving cheap access to space through VERY low cost, innovative solutions
• Developing an airship solution to space access

Industry Services                                                                  

Space Adventures – www.spaceadventures.com

• Space Adventures, Ltd. is the only company in the world currently operating commercial orbital spaceflight and will be the first to launch clients using a new breed of lower cost suborbital spacecraft currently under development worldwide
• Paul Allen's company associated with Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic
  

Message Board
Email comments