3 ms·

Nope. Both Richard and Jeff are playing with suborbital flights.

• fastball 5y ago
  Not really accurate. Most people consider space to be above the Karman line, which both flights will indeed surpass. Virgin Galactic by NASA's definition (50mi+), Blue Origin by FAI definition (100km+). Yes, neither are orbital flights, but achieving orbit is not so much about distance from earth as it is about your tangential velocity. Said another way: both flights will be entering the same "-sphere" as the ISS, the thermosphere. This is above the other spheres you typically hear about, like the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere.