Space, Space Tourism | featured news

A new era in space exploration dawned Tuesday as a slender rocket powered into the dark Florida sky before sunrise, carrying the first private spacecraft bound for the International Space Station. "We're now back on the brink of a new future, a future that embraces the innovation the private sector brings to the table," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The significance of this day cannot be overstated."

Anticipation looms for space tourists as Virgin Galactic gears up for commercial flights... The aim, the daring businessman says, is to one day make traveling to space safe and affordable for the masses, not just those who can afford a $200,000 ticket.

The idea that an ordinary person taking a trip beyond Earth's atmosphere is no longer fantasy. Private companies are soliciting passengers for commercial trips to space.

Gov. Susana Martinez has vowed to privatize Spaceport America, saying taxpayers have already paid their fair share.

The European project to develop a space plane to take fare-paying passengers above the atmosphere is still very much alive, says EADS Astrium.

Hang onto your luggage, Boeing wants to fly you into space -- at least into low-Earth orbit. The aerospace company and a Virginia company have reached a preliminary agreement to sell seats on Boeing commercial crew spacecraft to individuals, companies, nongovernmental organizations, and U.S. federal agencies, Boeing said in a news release.

The era when travelers will be able to catch a flight from New Mexico to outer space moved a step closer this week with the official start of construction of Spaceport America.