Microgravity Enterprises Launches Commercial Payload From New Mexico Spaceport

LAUNCH PAD

A Spaceloft rocket.

by Staff Writers
Albuquerque NM (SPX) May 28, 2007
Microgravity Enterprises has successfully recovered ingredients that were successfully launched into space onboard UP Aerospace's SpaceLoft-2 (SL-2) rocket on April 28th. These ingredients will be used to make the world's first consumer food products fortified by elements that have been flown in space. MEI's initial product offering will include an energy drink called Antimatter, a purified water with important electrolytes called Space2O, and the world's first true space beer called Comet's Tail Ale.

"We flew enough ingredients to support almost a year's worth of production," said Darryl Hupfer, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, MEI. "This is just the beginning. In the next two years, we plan to introduce a broad family of commercial products that are made from ingredients flown in space."

MEI's objective is to speed the commercialization of space by integrating regular, reliable and profitable operations into the engineering and technology development equation.

"By developing and introducing space-based products with mass commercial appeal, we have created a business model that is sustained entirely by the consumer market through their daily purchases," said Hupfer.

Another key ingredient of MEI's business model is the company's ACCESS for Education program. MEI is donating payload space on every MEI launch for the purpose of conducting research and executing experiments aimed at advancing space commercialization. Payload space will be allocated for a full spectrum of activities, from K-12 inspirational experiments, to next generation commercial space demonstration payloads developed by U.S. universities.

"To date, space research and development has been primarily driven by either pure science or military applications," said Hupfer. "With ACCESS we want to integrate commercialization with traditional space science and technology development."

MEI is a small, privately held company founded on one principle - to commercialize space and make it a part of everyday life. MEI is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently uses Spaceport America, in Upham, N.M., to fly the company's products to space and back.

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Arianespace Maintains Launch Campaign Pace As Another Ariane 5 GEO Truck Takes Form

Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) May 28, 2007
Another Ariane 5 has started the assembly process at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana as Arianespace moves ahead with plans to conduct a total of six missions during 2007 with the workhorse launch vehicle. To meet the goal of performing its next two flights in an interval of less than one month, the vehicle now taking shape in the Launcher Integration Building is an Ariane 5 GS version, which is to orbit the Intelsat-11 and Horizons-2 satellites on a mission targeted for mid-September.

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