Revolutionizing Access to Space - Will Pomerantz

Virgin Galactic is widely regarded as the world's first commercial spaceline and is one of a small number of companies democratizing access to space: opening up space travel to the public. In the six-decade history of human spaceflight, a little over 550 individuals have traveled above Earth's atmosphere into space. Will Pomerantz of Virgin Galactic hopes to change that with their human spaceflight system: WhiteKnight Two and SpaceShip Two. The number of space explorers could triple in the next few years. Pomerantz will provide an update on Virgin Galactic's progress on their commercial human spaceflight program, SpaceShipTwo's return to flight, and the ongoing development and testing of the LauncherOne small satellite launch vehicle program. He will briefly discuss research opportunities on suborbital flights and employment and internship opportunities suitable for undergraduate and graduate students.