News Summaries for February 19

Audit Criticizes NASA for Award Fee Management (Source: Space News)
NASA needs to do a better job of following its own guidelines on determining contract award fees, the U.S. Government Accountability (GAO) said in a report released Feb. 16. The report was requested by House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.). The report says NASA has not consistently followed its own criteria for determining a contractor’s award-fee eligibility and has in some instances paid award fees when contractors did not meet specified cost, schedule or performance milestones.

SpaceTEC Partners Plan New Technology Workshops (Source: SpaceTEC)
SpaceTEC, a National Science Foundation center of excellence for aerospace technical training, announces two upcoming workshops for current and prospective aerospace technicians. There will be a Fiber Optic Workshop at Virginia's Thomas Nelson Community College in May, and a Composite Workshop at California's Antelope Valley College in June. Contact Barbara Eyer at SpaceTEC's Cape Canaveral headquarters for information at mailto:eyerb@brevardcc.edu. Space will be limited for both workshops so please sign up early.

Another Voice in the Wilderness (Source: Space Review)
A cut in NASA's final 2007 budget may put the development schedule of the Orion spacecraft and Ares 1 launcher in jeopardy. Stephen Metschan says that now is the time to reconsider NASA's current plan if the US is serious about returning humans to the Moon. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/814/1 to view the article.

Space Tourism and Carbon Dioxide Emissions (Source: Space Review)
The suborbital space tourism industry is emerging at the same time as concerns about greenhouse gas emissions grow. Steven Fawkes believes that tourism companies must carefully address this issue or risk incurring the wrath of environmental activists and government regulators. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/813/1 to view the article.

Past Futures (Source: Space Review)
One of the biggest questions about the emerging commercial space industry is how new companies plan to make money. Bob Clarebrough suggests that the best way to answer the question is to look at how previous industries and modes of transportation answered the same question. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/812/1 to view the article.

UF Starts Course in Astrobiology (Source: UF)
University of Florida students now have an opportunity to take a newly developed class in astrobiology. Offered through the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, the goals of “MCG 4934: Astrobiology” are to expose and familiarize students with: 1) the nature of science and the scientific method in astrobiology; and 2) the fundamental concepts of astrobiology and its application. With the popularity of the course already established, it will be offered each spring semester. The course and content were developed by Dr. Jamie Foster who is a permanent UF faculty member in residence at the Space Life Sciences Lab at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Additional information about the course can be found at http://microcell.ufl.edu/foster.html.

UCF/UF Space Research Funding Opportunity (Source: UF)
The University of Central Florida and the University of Florida are inviting proposals for their annual “Space Research Initiative” grant program, which provides funding to collaborators from UF and UCF faculty to pursue topics of interest to the space research community in Florida and throughout the U.S. This program requires both a UF and a UCF PI, with approximately 50% of the proposed funds for each university. This year the proposal due date has been advanced to March 12, 2007. The grants will be awarded with a start date of July 1, 2007 with the expenditure of funds to be completed by June 30, 2008. Additional information is at: http://www.research.ucf.edu/SponsoredPrograms/FundingOpportunities/internalprog/ucfufsri.htm.

Analysts Predict Accelerating Satellite Industry Recovery (Source: Aviation Week)
Communications satellite operators, manufacturers and launch providers see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, as the industry emerges from a decade of stagnation. Initial signs of a recovery appeared last year as plans firmed up for new geostationary (GEO) mobile satellite service (MSS) and broadband applications, and transponder lease and launch prices began inching back up. In recent months, the sector has witnessed the return of the low-Earth-orbit (LEO) constellations; their collapse helped trigger the sector's earlier slide. Operators bought 28 geostationary telecom spacecraft last year, up from 24 in 2005, and can look forward to increasing demand through the end of the decade, according to recent medium-term forecasts from Euroconsult

The return to health of the commercial satellite industry is running in step with a buildup on the military side--not only in the U.S., but also in Europe and other parts of the world. The combination of U.S. export controls and higher support for R&D elsewhere continues to erode American market share. There are even signs the industry may benefit from the Bush administration's space exploration plans. Euroconsult forecasts 237 civil government spacecraft launches over the period 2007-12, and another 105 military spacecraft deliveries (excluding classified programs). The bulk of milspace activity will come from North America, Russia and Western Europe.

Launch Market May Struggle to Meet Satellite Demand (Source: Aviation Week)
Arianespace's CEO said that even before the Sea Launch mishap, launch capacity was feeling the strain. "If there are any further constraints on capacity, operators may be encouraged to defer satellite purchases." However, Rachel Villain, an analyst with Euroconsult, says the U.S. Atlas V and Delta II, the Ariane 5 and Japan's H-IIA may be able to ease the capacity crunch. Euroconsult expects three of the remaining five Sea Launch missions to be picked up by another launch provider and the other two to be delayed until next year. Sea Launch had planned six missions this year, and was booked through 2010. It also intended to inaugurate a Land Launch version at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The real question, she says, is whether the incident could encourage Boeing, whose long-term commitment has been questioned, to pull out of the venture.

New capacity should be available to relieve the pressure. Arianespace itself plans to ramp up to seven launches by 2008 and eight by the end of the decade, and by 2009 will begin operating a higher thrust version of the Soyuz from the Kourou spaceport. Worldwide, launches are expected to average 22 a year over the 2007-16 period, or 223 in all, peaking at 26 in 2010. Although this will still be far below the record 30 launches in 1996, it will still be considerably above the trough of the last five years, when deliveries averaged less than 20 units annually.