April 15 News Items

Florida Senator Supports Space Funds (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
A powerful Senate chairman had encouraging words for Space Coast lawmakers who have had little luck finding $15 million in state tax incentives that they say is needed to rescue the industry. While legislators are haggling over how to cut the state's budget by as much as $4 billion, the economic incentive money is hard to come by. The money is not in a $65.1 House budget proposal or a $65.9 billion Senate spending plan that both chambers passed last week.

But Sen. Mike Fasano, who chairs a powerful transportation spending committee, said today that he is a big supporter of the space industry and hinted that Brevard County delegation members shouldn't give up hope. Brevard lawmakers want to use $15 million in transportation funding to refurbish a launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. One space contractor has promised to invest $150 million in the project if lawmakers provide the incentives. Local officials say the investment is desperately needed to blunt the expected loss of thousands of Kennedy Space Center jobs when the shuttle program is slated for retirement in 2010. (4/15)

Orbital Sciences Gets $40M Rocket Order (Source: AP)
Satellite and rocket maker Orbital Sciences Corp. received a $40 million order from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missiles Systems Center for three additional Minotaur space launch vehicles. The vehicles are set for launch in 2010 and 2011. The order brings the number of Minotaur rockets ordered by the Air Force to 24. Minotaur rockets are based, in part, on decommissioned Minuteman ballistic missiles. (4/15)

MDA Shares Drop as Doubts About Alliant Acquisition Grow (Source: Space News)
Shares in Canada's MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates (MDA) dropped sharply in early trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange April 15 following a report that the company's $1.3 billion sale of its space division to Alliant Techsystems (ATK) likely will not be permitted by the Canadian government. (4/15)

B-Sat Orders Lockheed Satellite, Ariane Launch (Source: Space News)
Japan's Broadcasting Satellite System Corp. (B-Sat) has contracted with Lockheed Martin to build the Bsat-3b high-definition-television broadcast satellite, to be launched in the third quarter of 2010 aboard a European Ariane 5 rocket, Lockheed Martin announced April 15. (4/15)

Milky Way's Black Hole Awoke 300 Years Ago (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
A black hole slumbering at the center of our galaxy went into a "feeding frenzy" three centuries ago, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Tuesday. Located around 26,000 light years from Earth, the black hole, known as Sagittarius A-star (Sgr A*), is a monster with a mass four million times that of the Sun. Japanese astronomers, using ESA's XMM-Newton orbital telescope and US and Japanese X-ray satellites, discovered that clouds of gas brightened and faded in X-ray light when they passed near Sgr A*'s maw. (4/15)

Scrap Unlucky 13th Mission: Russian Space Chief (Source: AFP)
The next Russian spacecraft should be renamed to avoid the traditionally unlucky number 13, believes the head of Russia's space agency. "In Russia, many people have superstitious beliefs -- black cats, Mondays, the number 13. That's why I think that it is a good idea to change the number of the next space ship," said Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos. (4/14)

Astronomers Discover Coldest Brown Dwarf Star Ever Observed (Source: SpaceRef.com)
An international team of astronomers has discovered the coldest brown dwarf star ever observed. This finding is a new step toward filling the gap between stars and planets. An international team led by French and Canadian astronomers used multiple telescopes, including: Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Gemini North Telescope, both located in Hawaii, and the ESO/NTT located in Chile. The brown dwarf is named CFBDS J005910.83-011401.3. Its temperature is about 350 degrees C and its mass about 15-30 times the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet of our solar system [3]. Located about 40 light-years from our solar system, it is an isolated object, meaning that it doesn't orbit another star. (4/14)

United Launch Alliance Launches Heaviest Commercial Satellite on Atlas (Source: ULA)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket successfully launched the ICO-G1 satellite on Monday. Blasting off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, it marked the first ULA commercial launch of an Atlas V vehicle procured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services. The ICO-G1 satellite is also the heaviest satellite launched to date by an Atlas V, weighing 6,634 kg. (4/15)

Texan's Campaign Champions NASA, Gives Hope for KSC Jobs (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
A Texas congressman trying to keep his job could be the best hope for Kennedy Space Center workers trying to keep theirs. But it's a slim hope at best. Democrat Nick Lampson is defending a Houston-area seat once held by former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Like DeLay, Lampson is an avid NASA supporter with strong ties to nearby Johnson Space Center. Winning support from Johnson employees is crucial to his re-election chances. To do that, he has become NASA's biggest booster among House Democrats and might be able to use his campaign as leverage to persuade party leaders to support manned spaceflight.

If successful, the effort could mean more NASA dollars and a greater focus on developing the space shuttle's successor. Both would benefit KSC. But it's an uphill fight. Washington has rejected recent campaigns to sharply increase NASA's budget. The agency revealed this month that more than 8,000 workers nationwide -- including up to 6,400 at KSC -- could lose their jobs after the shuttle is retired in 2010. (4/15)

Rocket League Schedules New Mexico Race (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Rocket Racing League officials announced four exhibition races will be held later this year, one in Las Cruces. The league's third exhibition race will take place at the 2008 X Prize Cup.The date and time of the race were not announced. Exhibition races are also planned for Nevada at the Reno National Championship Air Races in September and for Aviation Nation, held at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas in early November.

The league plans to establish its world headquarters in Las Cruces and earlier this year broke ground on two hangars at Las Cruces International Airport. The league also plans to develop an aerospace park adjacent to the airport, bringing with it high-tech jobs to the area. (4/15)

British Space Policy Gets Revamp (Source: BBC)
UK space policy faces a major revamp with civil servants being moved out of London and stripped of some of their responsibilities. The British National Space Centre (BNSC) was set up to co-ordinate civil space activities across government. BNSC staff will be moved to Swindon to sit with the agencies that fund UK space science. BNSC will also lose some industrial duties to an agency tasked with fostering innovation in the UK economy. (4/15)