article_snippet.sent: Billionaire Paul Allen has created a new company that will launch satellites and people into space from the world's biggest plane.
article_snippet.sent: Allen's vision is to create a giant air pad in the sky, allowing payloads to reach space faster and at a lower cost than existing technologies.
article_snippet.sent: Allen has previously said Allen project would 'keep America at the forefront of space exploration and give a new generation of children something to dream about'.
article_snippet.sent: Several companies are competing to develop spacecraft to deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.
article_snippet.sent: The Microsoft billionaire criticised the fact that government-sponsored space programmes are waning.
article_snippet.sent: the International Space Station is paying Boeing and SpaceX to build the capsules and fly Boeing and SpaceX from Cape Canaveral, which hasn't seen a manned launch since the shuttles retired in 2011.