What's the point of Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin space craft if they can't achieve orbit and are just going to fall back down to earth?

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answers:
tham153 say: test flights of test vehicles, be patient
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PhotonX say: Rubbish. The tourist trade alone is massive, limited only by price. And soundig rockets don't enter orbit either, yet we launch them regularly. You lack both imagination and information.
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It takes roughly 40 times as much energy to enter orbit as it does for the suborbital flights you're talking about.
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quantumclaustrophobe say: Virgin Galactic is basically a roller coaster for clients capable of affording a $200,000 ticket. It's not really designed to take anyone anywhere, except up to the edge of space and back; as that's the *point* of the vehicle - then, if there's a market for it, great...

Blue Origin is starting in much the same way - taking people up to the edge of space in a suborbital rocket - but that's not the end goal; Blue Origin is currently designing an orbital vehicle to do more. While they're not as advanced as SpaceX in designs & hardward - that is the direction they're heading.
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poldi2 say: They are in the process of running various tests.
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Nyx say: Virgin Galactic was designed as a suborbital flight craft, for well heeled tourists.

Blue Origin's craft is a lot more ambitious, but it has to start somewhere.
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Kenny say: Should they start with a trip to Saturn ? you got to start small .
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