BILLIONAIRE Jeff Bezos is planning to launch himself into space tomorrow, just over a week after rival Richard Branson.
Branson’s Virgin Galactic VSS Unity spaceplane and Bezos’s Blue Origin New Shepard rocket and capsule look pretty different but they do have some similarities.
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How do the VSS Unity spaceplane and the Blue Origin New Shepard compare?
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Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson successfully entered space on his VSS Unity spaceplane on July 11.
The craft was lifted to altitude by a carrier aircraft called the VMS Eve.
After being in suborbital space for a few minutes, the VSS Unity landed back on Earth on a runway like a plane.
Bezos’s trip to space will be a bit different to this.
In comparison, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket-and-capsule combo shoot from a launchpad into sub-orbit together before the capsule separates.
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The rocket returns to the launchpad and the capsule spends a few minutes in space before falling back to Earth via parachute.
Both spacecrafts allow passengers to experience a few minutes in weightless space.
The VSS Unity spaceplane requires two pilots and can have up to four passengers.
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The Blue Origin New Shepard rocket and capsule fly autonomously, which means they don’t need crew.
The capsule can fit up to six passengers.
Bezos plans to go to space in the capsule on July 20 with his brother.
A teenage Dutch student and an 82-year-old man will also be going on the trop as the first paying customers.
The top altitude for the VSS Unity is said to be around 293,000 feet.
The top altitude for New Shepard is said to be around 327,360 feet.
Both spaceship methods are reusable.
Inside Blue Origin’s 60ft New Shepard rocket where everyone gets a window seat – as Bezos readies for launch
In other news, scientists have identified the place where aliens are most likely lurking in the Milky Way.
Aliens may have dropped life-detecting sensors onto Earth, according to a Harvard University professor.
And, China has successfully launched three astronauts into orbit to build its own space station.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
