Transorbital trailblazer mission

[n_kitson]

I was wondering what happened to the Transorbital Trailblazer mission. If I recall correctly, it was slated for launch early this year.<br /><br />What has been the hold up with this project?

 

[kdavis007]

Did not there was going to be one.. Probaly some paperwork snafu...

 

[n_kitson]

Was it meant to be privately funded?

 

[kdavis007]

Yep....

 

[ldyaidan]

I started following the Trailblazer mission several years ago. They've had several announced launch dates that have come and gone, and last I checked, their website had not been updated in ages. Sounds to me like it may be dead in the water.<br /><br />Rae

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">Sounds to me like it may be dead in the water.</font>/i><br /><br />I am not impressed by their web site, and I think at best they were a trial balloon to see if they could raise money. At worst, they may have simply been a scam (send us your personal item plus $2,500 per gram).<br /><br />However, there is another potential issue: NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission killed off investor interests in funding this mission. From their web site: "The premier product of the mission will be a high-resolution atlas of the lunar surface." LRO will also do this. What investor is going to show up if one of the main competitors is the government?<br /><br />Lunar measurements would have been a good chance to test the commercial market place. NASA could have placed a "bounty" on different types of data, e.g., visual imagry at a certain resolution and/or certain locations (e.g., the poles), radiation measurements, topography measurements, etc. NASA sets a price, and if no one shows up, it boosts the money until someone does claim the prize.</i>