Neat little rankings of the commercial space race going on right now.  No big surprise in the top two: Ranking the Players In the Private Race to Space

They show them in a neat little gallery, but if you just want the quick list here it is.

1. Virgin Galactic
2. SpaceX
3. Orbital Sciences Corporation
4. Scaled Composites (How is this different than Virgin Galactic)
5. Masten Space Systems
6. Armadillo Aerospace
7. Planetary Society
8. Bigelow Aerospace
9. XCOR Aerospace
10. Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos)
11. Ad Astra Rocket Co.
12. Interorbital Systems
13. ARCA
14. Da Vinci Project / The Dreamspace Group
15. Space Adventures

My opinion is Number 4 is a repeat of Number 1 and once you get down to number 10 the quality of companies drops off a bit.  Also can Space Adventures really be on this list, it is really just a travel agency…

Dateline: Kiruna, Sweden.

The northernmost city in Sweden, home of the famed Icehotel, will now be the European launch point for Virgin Galactic.

So why there?

Outside of Kiruna is the rocket range and research center: Esrange Space Centre.

"We hope Kiruna will become Europe's main launch pad for the tourist flights," Bergstroem-Roos said, pointing out that the town located some 145 kilometres (90 miles) north of the Arctic Circle has been home to the Esrange Space Centre since 1966.

Article link: breitbart.com: Space tourism to take flight in 2012

Breaking news, at the Northrup Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson announced a private partnership between the Rocket Racing League and Armadillo Aerospace to offer commercial space flights from Spaceport America at Las Cruces, New Mexico.  Test flights will begin next year.  The concept vehicle will have 8 rocket motors, using the same engine developed by Armadillo for the LLC, with a full 360 degree view crew cabin (looks like either glass or polycarbonate sphere).  Rocket Racing League CEO Peter Diamandis also made an appearance.

This is fascinating.  We have a private Space Race fully underway.

Several companies pursuing several different strategies.  A couple, like Virgin Galactic, are promoting space tourism with a sub-orbital flight.  SpaceX is looking to create ISS capable rockets.  Bigelow is looking create space hotels.

Heinlein would love it right now.

Anyways check out the pictures of the construction of SpaceShip Two.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4256017.html

...Commercial...Space...Station...

Look, I don't mean to keep talking about all this accelerating change and stuff, but I really think we're on the verge of something here.

1. We have Virgin Galactic releasing their spaceship design and preparing for launches at some undetermined time.

2. We have SpaceX developing a new cost effective rocket system with the intent to be the only ISS supportable US based space system at the time the Shuttle fleet is finally grounded.  They have already had two launches and have several scheduled this year.

And now this news from Bigelow.

Bigelow Aerospace and Denver-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) have been working together for over a year studying what it would take to human-rate the Atlas 5 rocket. Industry sources said Bigelow Aerospace is ready to place an order that includes six launches starting in 2011 to begin assembly and early operation of the new station.

We live in unprecedented times in so many ways this is merely one more manifestation of the change that is taking place all around us.

Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShip Two model.

$200k per trip.

What will be the rate of failure?

What are you chances of getting blowed up?

There are more than 200 people that have already signed up to fly on the SpaceShip Two. I wonder if Branson will fly on one of the early flights. I suppose owing to his nature that he will.

I mean I'm all for space travel and all that, but this is the FIRST commercial spacecraft.  I'm not sure I'd be all fired up to be part of the early adopter crowd in this space.  I think I would prefer to hang back with the pragmatists.

Wait until the statistics get boring and the price comes down a bit...juuuust a bit.