Virgin Galactic plans to go public
The plan should allow Richard Branson’s company to operate until it starts generating revenue.
Gridlock in the sky
The space industry wants to launch more rockets through an already congested airspace. The airline industry says that will lead to more flight delays.
SpaceX failure dims NASA’s hopes
Many believe both SpaceX and Boeing may be forced to push their first flights with crews into next year, three years later than initially anticipated.
How to dress for space: Explore five iconic spacesuits in 3-D and more than 50 years of spaceflight in a dialogue between The Washington Post's space industry reporter Christian Davenport and fashion critic Robin Givhan.
The unsung astronauts
As NASA prepares to launch humans from the U.S. again, the nature of space flight and who does it is changing once more.
Podcast: Moonrise
Want to uncover the real origin story behind the United States’ decision to go to the moon? The Washington Post’s newest podcast tells a tale of nuclear brinkmanship, backroom politics, and science fiction.
Follow The Washington Post on Snapchat, Flipboard and Apple News for an exclusive look inside NASA’s Commercial Crew program.
Florida’s Space Coast is ready for the economy to take off: The birthplace of America’s Space Age fell into decay once the shuttle retired. With private companies racing into space, the once-sacrosanct stretch of Florida coast is experiencing a revival. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
KidsPost explores American spaceflight
KidsPost contest winners
We asked kids to show us what “America’s Return to Space” looks like. Here is a selection of their creations.
Journey to Space
Get your copy of KidsPost's "Journey to Space" poster for $10, while supplies last at www.washingtonpost.com/backcopy.
A new mission
A look at some of the challenges, tools and inspiration for today’s kids, who will be the generation that travels to Mars.
Meet the astronauts: In August 2018, NASA announced the first astronauts who will fly in SpaceX and Boeing spacecraft for NASA's Commercial Crew program. From left: Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, Nicole Mann, Chris Ferguson, Eric Boe, Josh Cassada and Sunita Williams. In January, NASA said Boe will be replaced by Mike Fincke for Boeing’s first crewed flight due to medical reasons. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
The company astronaut
Chris Ferguson flew with NASA before. Now, he’s returning as a citizen test pilot for the first flight of Boeing’s commercial craft.
Where does space begin?
As Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic prepares to eventually fly its first customers, the question remains.
Virgin Galactic’s quest for space
Richard Branson knows the agony of space flight. After years of setbacks, he’s set on triumph.
Follow NASA's new mission to send people to space.
Credits
Christian Davenport covers the defense and space industries for The Washington Post's Financial desk. He joined The Post in 2000 and has served as an editor on the Metro desk and as a reporter covering military affairs. He is the author of "The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos" (PublicAffairs, 2018). Follow @wapodavenport .
Originally published Sept. 11, 2018.
Video by Whitney Leaming and Whitney Shefte. Photos by Jonathan Newton and NASA. Photo Editing by Thomas Simonetti and Robert Miller. Project management by Julie Vitkovskaya. Design and development by Courtney Kan.
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NASA is about to launch astronauts into space again – and a massive business for big companies
From idolized to anonymous, what it means to be an American astronaut is changing once more.
The new space race: The vehicles that will take you to space
Commercial companies like SpaceX are starting to gain traction in the space industry. There are currently more than a dozen private rockets capsules and spaceplanes under development, with more on the way soon.
