The Aviation Approach to Space Transportation, a new paper by Bristol Spaceplanes MD David Ashford, has been published this month in the August 2009 edition of the Aeronautical Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

The paper shows how the cost of the first lunar base could be reduced by about ten times if priority were given to spaceplane development.

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Bristol Spaceplanes has carried out a strapdown test firing of the HPD (Hydrogen Peroxide Demonstrator) sounding rocket that will be used to test in flight a development version of the Ascender rocket engine. The test, shown in this video, was entirely successful.

He continues to chair the Space Working Group.

See the Hardware section in the Media Gallery for more stills and video.

The West of England Aerospace Forum Space Working Group is holding a space conference in Exeter on 24 July. Bristol Spaceplanes' David Ashford will be in the chair. The event is open to the public. For more information and for details on how attend, download the invitation.

David Ashford has been appointed Chairman of the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF) Space Working Group. WEAF is the trade association for aerospace companies in South West England. In order to help its members increase their space business, it has formed a Space Working Group (SWG). The SWG held its successful inaugural meeting in April.

David Ashford's latest paper New Commercial Opportunities in Space was published in the February issue of the Aeronautical Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society. This invited paper provides an up-to-date analysis of how the cost of sending people to space can be reduced by a factor of one thousand, and of how this could possibly be achieved in as little as fifteen years.

On November 22, The West of England Aerospace Forum is hosting a Bristol Spaceplanes Event (6:30 - 7:45) at the University of the West of England. In this evening seminar, David Ashford will outline a strategy to create a European space centre in the West of England. For more information and to register attendance please see the fax-back form.

The British Interplanetary Society will be holding a symposium entitled 'Space Tourism - The key to low-cost access to space?' on November 10. Many of Britain's forerunning space companies will be in attendence, Bristol Spaceplanes amongst them. Following the BIS's goal of promoting the advancement of space development, discussions will include space tourism and spaceplanes. For more information see the Symposium flyer and registration form at the BIS Society Meetings web page (entry for November 10th).

On May 26, David Ashford delivered the Barnwell Lecture to the Bristol Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society on the subject of Spaceflight Revolution. The Barnwell Lecture is the main event of the Branch year. More details (including a two-page article about the lecture) can be found in the Branch newsletter [PDF]

The West of England Aerospace Forum has invited Bristol Spaceplanes Limited to be on their stand at the Farnborough Air Show from July 19 to 23. This is the world's premiere aerospace trade fair. We have recently completed an updated feasibility study of the Ascender spaceplane. This study was partly funded by the British government.

We would like to congratulate Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites on their magnificent and mould-breaking achievement of reaching space height with SpaceShipOne. By showing that small companies in the private sector can build spaceplanes at such low cost, this achievement is in effect the starting pistol for the race to open up space to the public.

Imperial College Press has brought out a new book from David Ashford, founder and director of Bristol Spaceplanes Limited, Spaceflight Revolution. In the book he makes the case that the main obstacle to low-cost spaceplanes and spacetourism is simply that very few people appreciate the possibilities.

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Bristol Spaceplanes Managing Director David Ashford was the recipient of an ORBIT award in the "Visionaries" category at the recent Space Tourism Pioneer Awards.

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Mr Andrew Hobson, aged 37, from Pucklechurch, Bristol has won a place on the first commercial sub-orbital spaceflight by Bristol Spaceplanes Ltd. A member of the Ascender Project supporters' club (a Bristol Spaceplanes venture) Mr Hobson won the chance to join the 60-mile high club as part of a free draw to reward members for their support.

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Read more about the Ascender Project and sign up for next year's draw.

The Ascender Project is a new club designed to increase the visibility and credibility of space tourism and give interested members of the public a way to get involved. Visit the club homepage for details.

For news, announcement and Ascender Project briefings, sign up to the mailing list.

After consultation with the UK space industry and academic bodies the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has now published its report on UK space policy. Of particular interest to the commercial UK launch vehicle industry is the section of the report concerning current UK participation in launchers and funding. The full report can be found here.

A scale model of the Ascender, complete with a video display of the Ascender animation is now on display in the Journey Zone at the New Millennium Experience at the Millennium Dome, London. A selection of pictures of the exhibit are available in the Gallery Exhibit section.

A new Gallery section, featuring photos of the Ascender exhibition model, flight test model and computer generated animations and still images is now available from the Brisol Spaceplanes website.

A 1/3 scale model of the "Ascender" passenger spaceplane being developed by BSP featured prominently at the "Tomorrow's World Live" exhibition held at the Earl's Court 1 Exhibition Centre in West London from June 30 to July 4.

Ascender is one of the leading candidates for the X-Prize and featured on the programmes for the Tomorrow's World Live event, with an estimated attendance of 70,000.

Photos of the exhibition are available in the Gallery

"The Imminent Space Revolution - How the UK Can Take the Lead" was the presentation David Ashford, Managing Director of BSP, made to the Institution of Incorporated Engineers on October 27th. He outlined the potential importance of space tourism, or passenger space travel, in providing the large-scale launch market without which it is impossible to reduce launch costs. He then outlined BSP's low-risk development strategy for two-stage, horizontal take-off passenger carrying vehicles that has been refined over the years.

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BSP Managing Director David Ashford delivered an invited speech "Space Tourism - The key to Low Cost Access to Space" to the session on "Access to Space, Space Tourism and Public Outreach" at ESA's Workshop on Space Exploration and Resources Exploitation (ExploSpace) held in Sardinia, October 20-22.

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BSP Director David Ashford has been invited by ESA to present some of BSP's work at Explospace, the Workshop on Space Exploration and Resources Exploitation, taking place in Sardinia from October 20th - 22nd.

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BSP was one of the companies attending Space Fair '98, organised by the Space Tourism Society on board the Queen Mary at Long Beach, California which tool place from July 17-26. As the first ever trade fair on space tourism, this ground-breaking event was well attended and gained plenty of media coverage. Bristol Spaceplanes showed a video of the 8 ft radio controlled development model in flight.

A second Space Fair is already being planned to take place at the same time and place next year.

The successful first flights have taken place of a radio controlled development model for the Ascender spaceplane. This model will be used to validate the low speed aerodynamic design.

Read the full press release here.

"Your Spaceflight Manual - How you could be a tourist in space within 20 years" by David Ashford, Managing Director of Bristol Spaceplanes, and co-author Patrick Collins, is cited as the first reference (page 22) in the report General Public Space Travel and Tourism, produced jointly by NASA and the Space Transportation Association.

This book, of which the first edition was published in 1990, was the first book to seriously discuss the vital importance of space tourism for generating commercial revenues from crewed space activities, and so for opening the space frontier to humanity. As of 1998 it remains the only book on the subject, although space tourism is likely to become one of the largest commercial activities in space.

Being selected as the leading reference in NASA's first ever report on this subject is perhaps the start of this book's achieving full recognition as the pioneering document that it is. With the recent growth of interest in low-cost reusable launch vehicles, the sub-title's prediction for 2010 is still on target!

More reactions at: NASA/STA General Public Space Travel and Tourism Report a "Landmark"

Bristol Spaceplanes was one of the X Prize contenders attending the X Prize Foundation's second annual Gala which took place at the Saint Louis Science Center in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. The event's co-chairs were Apollo astronaut Dr. "Buzz" Aldrin and members of the New Spirit of St. Louis Organization.