Despite its rejection by NASA, US-Canadian company PlanetSpace is moving ahead on plans to send their cargo rocket to the International Space Station. The company was not among the six finalists for ISS commercial delivery chosen by NASA. Ignoring this, they continue to pursue their main goal -  a rocket programme for shuttling tourists to and from space.

Those contractors chosen for  NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program plan to make their first demonstration flights between 2008 and 2010.

"We believe we can reach those targets anyway," says PlanetSpace CEO Geoff Sheerin PlanetSpace's  Silver Dart hypersonic glider (above) is based on an eight-person "concept" craft of the 1960s. Silver Dart would ride atop the Canadian Arrow rocket (below). Canadian Arrow was a competitor in the $10 million Ansari X-Prize Competition. The Canadian Arrow is capable of sub-orbital flights but needs to be adapted for an orbital trip around the planet.

PlanetSpace is considering several possible launch sites in Canada. Because of its sparse population, northern Canada would be ideal because an accident could be less likely to hurt people on the ground.

In other space tourism news, Microsoft pioneer Charles Simonyi has passed the physical exam required to qualify for a Soyuz flight to the ISS. Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, also recently announced that his company was considering a launch site at an air force base in northern Scotland.

Via New Scientist

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