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| Wednesday / 26 April 2006 | ||
What Does
Leading Suborbital Spaceflight Company Want to Be Called Now? As
more and more analysts begin to favor Oklahoma, USA-based
Rocketplane Limited,
Inc. to
be the first
company to
provide suborbital
space flights to the public, some are unsure what to call it.
The confusion began when the lead Rocketplane investor, CEO and
President
George French, bought Kistler Aerospace for
an undisclosed sum shortly before Kistler announced it on 27 February
(LED Yr
6, #42). Since then, some have been referring
to Rocketplane
Limited as Rocketplane
Kistler,
while
some
continue
to call
them by the former.
According to the Kistler
Aerospace Corporation website, it
still holds its official name, but wants to be known as "Rocketplane
Kistler." Rocketplane Kistler was founded in 1993
by Swiss investor Walt Kistler and business mogul Bob Citron, but
they have not been involved in it for some time. Apollo Program
chief
George Mueller currently directs it. Rocketplane
Kistler works on the K-1 space vehicle meant for the ISS. Its
website
says
it has "teamed" with Rocketplane Limited, which
apparently remains separate, keeping its name as well, and will
focus on the Rocketplane XP craft and near-term space access. Rocketplane
Limited refers to the new arrangement
as the "Rocketplane Kistler team," but in a 7
March press release,
French calls his organizations "Rocketplane/Kistler" with and without
adding the word "team." The 27 February Kistler announcement says,
"The Rocketplane Kistler team
will
provide unique
suborbital
and orbital commercial space transportation services for passengers
and cargo through its fleet of ... aerospace vehicles." Apparently,
the two separate entities will work together when one operation
can
fill gaps in the other. Kistler has old ties to Australia, while
Rocketplane is making new ties with Japan. Any questions should
be directed to Bob
Seto at 405-488-1200 (x
109)
or Will
Trafton at
619-519-2931.
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