May 12 News Items

KSC Chief Says More Tech Work Needed (Source: Florida Today)
Kennedy Space Center is facing tough times, and new business will have to be lured to keep the workforce at its current level when the nation's shuttle fleet is retired in 2010, the center's director said. An extended gap between the shuttle's final mission and the first piloted flights of the Ares/Orion system also will make it difficult to retain critical skilled workers, he said. The state of Florida and local economic-development leaders consequently need to seal more deals like one which will bring final integration and assembly of the Orion spacecraft to NASA's prime launch operations center.

The spaceport now is the largest employer in Brevard County, with about 15,000 contractor and civil-service workers. The NASA work done there pumps about $3.7 billion into the state economy each year. Potential post-shuttle job loss estimates range from 5,000 to 8,000, and NASA is trying to avoid the type of exodus of expertise that followed the shutdown of the Apollo moon-landing program in the 1970s. The multiplier effect raises the number of potential job losses to 12,250 to 19,560. "We're going to need fewer people (to launch moon missions). So it's going to be very important that we try to capture different kinds of jobs here at the Kennedy Space Center," Bill Parsons said. "We may not have the exact same number of people working here at the Kennedy Space Center, but we need to make it just as close as we possibly can. And that's what we're all trying to do, trying to accomplish."

Japan/Europe Rocket Agreement Raises Questions for Government (Source: Yomiuri Shimbun)
Arianespace and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have agreed to work together to offer launch services to customers. The joint venture was prompted by the limited demand for commercial launch services, with Europe, Russia and the United States competing in a market limited to about 20 launches each year. According to the FAA, there were 21 commercial launches in 2006, with Russia having 43 percent of the market and Europe 24 percent. Arianespace and MHI are trying to add value to their services by offering better schedule capabilities, with one launcher being readily available if the other is not. They hope that by cooperating, Arianespace will be able to retain its customers, while MHI will not be exposed to the difficulties, especially with pricing, usually encountered by new entrants to the market, as it will be able to rely on Arianespace's experience, the two companies said.

At present, Japan does not have systems in place allowing for a flexible launch schedule, and the cost of launching the H2-A is about 20-30 percent higher than a typical commercial launch. It is therefore unclear whether MHI can meet customer budget and launch date expectations. Meanwhile, Arianespace maintains price competitiveness through European governments' bulk-buy of Ariane rockets. MHI has asked the Japanese government for similar support.

Russian Cargo Ship Blasts Off to Space Station (Source: AP)
An unmanned Russian cargo ship carrying 2.5 tons of supplies, equipment and gifts blasted off Saturday en route to the international space station. The Progress M-60 mounted atop a Soyuz-U booster rocket lifted off as scheduled from the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. The ship is scheduled to moor at the orbiting outpost Tuesday. It will deliver oxygen, water, food and scientific equipment.