November 28 News Items

Kosmas and Calvert Lead Bipartisan Call to Increase NASA Funding (Source: CSA)
Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL-24) and Congressman Ken Calvert (R-CA-44) sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama signed by 81 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from across the country calling for additional funding for NASA’s human spaceflight program. The large number of cosigners is an indication of the strong national support for human spaceflight and its many benefits. Click here to view the article. (11/27)

Alaska Spaceport Picks Quintron for Comm System (Source: CSA)
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) has selected California-based Quintron Systems to provide "DICES" systems to support enhanced communications operability for launches from the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC). Click here for information. (11/27)

Third Congressional Space Hearing Planned This Week (Source: SpacePolicyOnline)
In addition to the two simultaneous space-focused hearings planned for Dec. 2 by House science and transportation subcommittees, the same science subcommittee plans a third hearing on Dec. 3, focused on an Independent Audit of NASA. (11/28)

Musk Comments on SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Readiness (Source: SpaceFlightNow.com)
Elon Musk set odds for success on the Falcon-9's maiden flight early next year. Hardware for the rocket is again streaming into the Cape, Musk said. The launcher's first stage, nine main engines, interstage, payload adapter and stripped down Dragon spacecraft have already arrived at the launch pad. The second stage is finishing testing in Texas before being shipped.

Musk said the Falcon 9 launch won't happen before early February, but the high-tech tycoon cautioned not to read into target dates. "I definitely want to be clear about any dates that are specified by SpaceX because it's often mischaracterized in the media as SpaceX delays again or some nonsense like that," Musk told Spaceflight Now. "The only thing we can really predict with some degree of accuracy, at least, is when the rockets will get to the launch pad." (11/28)

Japan Launches Satellite to Spy on North Korea (Source: RIA Novosti)
Japan successfully orbited on Saturday an information gathering satellite. A Japanese H-2A rocket carrying the satellite lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center. Japan's national space agency JAXA launched the satellite, the third of its kind, to replace an earlier model. Japan spent $566 million to design the satellite, and it cost another $109 million to build and launch the rocket.

China's Xinhua news agency said the satellite whose digital cameras can identify objects of around 60 cm in size from space would reportedly be used to watch missile and military developments in North Korea. Japan has been launching spy satellites since 1998, when Pyongyang test-fired a missile over its territory. (11/28)