The “Dream Chaser” vehicle is a combination of the NASA’s and the U.S. Air Force’s Bell X-2, North American X-15, and Northrop T-38 vehicles. This model was accepted after research found it was the safest and most aerodynamic of all the designs.

The spacecraft is also designed to achieve a suborbital altitude of about 65 miles, while having plenty of windows for tourists to see the Earth and outer space. Paying customers will also experience lessened gravity forces (g-forces) due to the new design.

The company hopes to begin commercial space tourism (personal spaceflight) service in 2009.

Benson Space Company (BSC) was founded in September 2006. Previously, Benson founded publicly owned SpaceDev in 1997 to explore and develop space. (He also founded Compusearch.) SpaceDev has developed many different rocket motor technologies. For instance, it provided Paul Allen’s SpaceShipOne with the rocket motor that succeeded in winning the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004.

In addition, SpaceDev contributed to the final design of the Dream Chaser vehicle.

The home website of Benson Space Company, based in Poway, California, is: http://www.bensonspace.com/. The company’s goal is to be the first company to market commercial suborbital flights to the public.

Benson Space’s mission statement is: “Space is the infinite frontier, which assures infinite opportunities. Benson Space Company will profitably lead the way to the Moon, Asteroids, Mars, and beyond the stars.”

For more information about National Space Society’s 2007 International Space Development Conference (ISDC), go to http://isdc.nss.org/2007/.

The ITWire article “World of space highlighted at 2007 Space Conference” provides more information about the 2007 ISDC: http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/12404/1066/.

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