Update on Private Space Companies

• Google has teamed up with the X Prize foundation to offer a 30 million dollar prize for anyone able to land a privately funded rover on the moon before the end of 2012.
  
  
• Three workers from Scaled Composites were killed this summer when testing a rocket system for Virgin Galactic's ship.
  
  
• Last summer, NASA announced that Rocetplane Kistler and SpaceX had been chosen to develop crew and cargo launch services for the international space station. Demonstation flights will begin in 2008 and the companies can receive over 200 million if all milestones were met.
  
  
• The Galactic Suite hotel expects to be open for business in 2012 and will cost visitors 4 million dollars for a three day stay.
  
  
• Construction for Virgin Galactic's Spaceport in southern New Mexico is coming along nicely