Will Spaceport America Take Off?

This "Marketplace" article casts doubts on whether New Mexico based Spaceport America will ever takeoff. 

Sir Richard Branson Discusses Privatization of Space

Part 1 Interview with Sir Richard Branson, on Fox News, where he discusses commercial spaceflights.

Here's part 2.

International Space University Study

Interesting 2008 study from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Well worth reading for some background.

Here's the abstract:

"There has recently been a tremendous growth in the private funding of satellite and launch 
vehicle technology as well as various technical aspects of astronautics and space exploration. In the past this has largely been due to government support, via supporting international legal 
regimes and awarding contracts to private companies. Private initiatives in commercial launch 
vehicle development aimed at exploiting the potentials of a global space tourism market have 
also served to further strengthen the role that the private industries are taking in the space 
sector. With this growth in launch vehicle development, comes a revived focus on space 
technologies as means of transportation, with point to point suborbital flights being looked at as the next step. As key technologies mature, there is a possibility for suborbital space flight to 
become a viable method of transporting passengers and cargo around the world; however, there are many questions raised by this and the need therefore exists to lay a foundation for the successful realization of any such initiative. This report seeks to outline the conditions that 
would be required for this growth. 

This report is a thorough appraisal of the technological, financial, marketing, safety, 
infrastructural, and legal requirements for the point to point suborbital transportation industry. 
Focused on the transport of passengers and cargo, the report analyzes in detail the conditions 
that should be put in place to foster and sustain this industry. It describes the existing challenges and discusses possible options for overcoming these while drawing from the experience of previous programs. The report includes an in-depth look at the feasibility of point to point suborbital transportation from the perspective of cost, funding, technology development, and the possibility of growth from a fledgling suborbital tourism industry. The conclusions are synthesized into a series of recommendations for the next generation of suborbital travel to go forth and prosper."

Point-to-Point Suborbital Transportation Article from 'The Space Review'

A 2008 article that appeared in "The Space Review" that outlines some of the challenges facing point-to-point suborbital transportation.

U.S. Commercial Suborbital Industry (FAA Report)

A report published by the FAA that presents an overview of the emerging U.S. commercial suborbital spaceflight industry. Includes descriptions of the different types of reusable spacecraft under development.

2009 Presentation by Derek Webber on Space Tourism Markets

Unique Video (Aether Project) that Addresses How Point-To-Point Suborbital Flight Could Work

Discovery Documentary about Building Commercial Spaceships

Point-to-Point Commercial Space Transportation Study (U.S. DOT)

An excellent study published by the U.S. Department of Transportation that discusses some of the many challenges facing point-to-point commercial space transportation. 

Here's the background:

"The advent of suborbital transport brings promise of point-to-point (PTP) long distance transportation as a revolutionary mode of air transportation. In 2008, the International Space University (ISU) of Strasbourg, France, published a report documenting its appraisal of PTP transportation technology. This report describes the conditions that should be put in place to foster and sustain the growth of this industry from the technical, market, financial, infrastructure, safety, and legal perspectives. The ISU study calculates that transatlantic flight times for suborbital vehicles from London to New York would take less than 1 ¼ hours, less than one-third the travel time required by the supersonic aircraft Concorde and a fraction of that required by conventional commercial aircraft. This potential for the rapid global transport of passengers and the fast distribution of goods and services make PTP transportation an attractive space 
technology concept worth exploiting. 

Based on ISU findings, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of the Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation (AST) recognized a need to identify issues and approaches for integrating PTP systems into the National Airspace (NAS) and International Air Space (IAS)." 

Lecture by Kim Ennico on Commercial Suborbital Spaceflight

Pictures of Suborbital Space Plane as envisioned by EADS/Airbus

Pictures of Suborbital Space Plane as envisioned by EADS/Airbus (appeared in space.com).

How Suborbital Commercial Spaceflights Could Transform Global Real Estate

Article that appeared in "inman news" about the potential impact of suborbital commercial spaceflights on the global real estate market.

Suborbital Travel Article from "smithsonian.com'

Article that appeared in "smithsonian.com" about point-to-point suborbital spaceflight.

Welcome to the Point-to-Point Suborbital Transportation Digest!

Join me as we learn about the emerging point-to-point suborbital transportation industry. 

Here's a short video that describes one concept.

Enjoy!