The Suborbital Institute

The SubOrbital Institute (SOI) is a trade association that aims to promote the cause of practical human suborbital rocket powered flight. Suborbital spaceflight provides for numerous applications including personal space transport (i.e. space tourism), reconnaissance and remote sensing, high-altitude scientific measurements, testing and calibration of equipment intended for commercial and exploration spacecraft.

SOI seeks to inform the public and their elected officials about these exciting new applications and capabilities. SOI promotes policies and legislation that will enable this infant industry to grow and develop into a major contributor to the US economy. SOI works with regulatory agencies to insure that the industry develops safe and reliable vehicles while avoiding excess regulation that stifles the industry in the crib.

A suborbital vehicle goes into the space environment (100Km or 60 miles are commonly considered borderlines to space) and returns without going around the earth. Generally, a suborbital spacecraft gets a boost from a rocket and then simply coasts up and back down on a ballistic trajectory for most of the rest of its flight as shown by the graph below:

Credits: 2004 Report on Space Transportation Developments and Concepts
Typical trajectory for an X PRIZE or commercial suborbital vehicle

SOI built this website to inform the public about an exciting new industry. The site features the following sections:

Introduction to Suborbital Spaceflight - more details on the basics of suborbital spaceflight.
Frequently Asked Questions - answers to common queries on topics such as the markets for suborbital spaceflight, regulations, technical challenges and so forth.
SOI News - highlights of recent events regarding suborbital spaceflight and SOI, plus institute press releases.
News Media - links to recent articles about suborbital spaceflight in the aerospace and general news media.
Resources - links to study reports, legislation, regulatory documents, and other reference materials.
Web Links - links to other websites involved in suborbital spaceflight.
Contact info - if you have further questions about SOI and suborbital spaceflight, please contact us.

Modified August 11, 2005