European aerospace company EADS Astrium, a branch of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, has announced it will be developing a 1-stage, 4-person spaceplane. Flights should achieve 3 minutes of weightlessness and could be available in 2012.

50 years ago today the prototype of the supersonic SR.53 rocket-powered interceptor aircraft made its first test flight at RAE Boscombe Downs, England. Over the following year, the two prototypes flew 42 times, including supersonically, but after an unexplained crash the project was cancelled. The planned function of high-altitude interception was fulfilled by the "Lightning" aircraft which was being developed at much the same time. Although the Lightnings were much loved by pilots, and became famous as world record-holders for high-speed climb, they could not of course leave the atmosphere as a rocket-powered vehicle could have.

The delayed second test flight of SpaceX's Falcon 1 took place on Tuesday March 20th to bittersweet success: although the rocket reached space and achieved a number of benchmarks, including stage separation and a second-stage ignition, it ultimately did not achieve orbital velocity. After a smooth first-stage ascent, a roll instability developed in the second stage, and further contact with the rocket was lost.

MSNBC reports that the SpaceX launch of the Falcon 1 rocket scheduled for March 19, 2007, was scrubbed 62 seconds before launch. The article cited a telemetry problem, occurring perhaps when data transmission was switched from land line to radio.

According to a BBC article , Blue Origin, the aerospace company launched by Amazon.com's founder Jeff Bezos, has released images of its spacecraft, which launched in November. The launch was viewed only by intimates of Bezos and his project but was captured on camera.

According to this CNN article , Blue Origin launched a test rocket from a Texas spaceport. Although not much is known about the craft, it uses a verticle launch and take-off.

Starchaser Industries has revealed a prototype of a reusable rocket, Skybolt Sounding Rocket, as Space.com reports in this article .

The SpaceX launch of their rocket, Falcon 1, has been scrubbed. According to CEO of Space Explorations, Elon Musk, "an auxiliary liquid oxygen ( LOX) fill tank had a manual vent valve incorrectly set to vent. The time it took to correct the problem resulted in significant LOX boiloff and loss of helium, and it was the latter that caused the launch abort."

by G.B. Leatherwood.

On 25 November 2005, SpaceX will be launching their rocket, Falcon 1, from an atoll in the Marshall Islands. The payload is a satellite which measures "plasma space phenomena."