New Jobs, More Companies in the Works
at Midland Spaceport (Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram)
It has always been the goal of the Midland Development Corp. since its
formation in 2002 to diversify Midland’s job market and economy beyond
the dominant oil and gas industry. With the official acquisition of an
FAA-issued spaceport license on Wednesday, and the previous efforts
made to lure space companies to the Tall City, Midland International
Air & Space Port might be MDC and the city’s key to job diversity.
Because the commercial spaceflight industry is still maturing, MDC
wanted to be at the forefront of the industry’s growth. Rendall
predicts that, just as how local oil expertise and knowledge have been
exported throughout the world, expertise gained at the spaceport also
will be exported. Rendall also compared the two industries by way of
their engineer and technician workforces. “And those skills transfer
back and forth very well,” Rendall said.
XCOR Aerospace and Orbital Outfitters are the first two tenants of the
spaceport. XCOR, the anchor tenant, plans to launch suborbital flights
from the spaceport by late 2015, and Orbital Outfitters plans to build
spacesuits for XCOR’s vehicles and operate a multi-use altitude chamber
complex from the spaceport. MDC incentivized both companies to come to
Midland with multi-million dollar agreements -- $10 million for XCOR
and $7 million for Orbital Outfitters. Both agreements were made with
the intent that both companies will create more jobs for Midland. (9/22)
Virgin Galactic Still Isn't Ready Six
Years After Promised Blast-Off (Source: Nigeria Daily News)
The extraordinary array of facilities, called Spaceport America, was
built on an 18,000-acre patch of remote ranch-land between 2006 and
2011. No expense was spared. Indeed, it cost local taxpayers, who
footed the entire bill, almost a quarter of a billion U.S. dollars.
Remarkably, every penny of this huge sum, every brick that was laid,
and every tonne of publicly-funded concrete poured into the desert, has
been devoted to a singular cause: putting Sir Richard Branson into
space.
Back in 2005, the British billionaire convinced New Mexico’s Governor,
Bill Richardson, to finance the entire construction of Spaceport
America on the basis that it would become the bustling headquarters of
his ambitious new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic. The $225
million cost of construction was therefore, Branson argued, less an
expense, more a canny investment. Virgin Galactic had committed itself
to launching at least 100 space flights a year from Spaceport America
from 2010 onwards, they were told.
It would put New Mexico at the epicenter of a great technological leap
forward which was, under Sir Richard’s stewardship, about to reshape
the global travel and transport industries. Voters in the deprived
region were promptly asked (and agreed) to approve special taxes to pay
for the project, swayed by promises that the facility would earn their
community a lucrative place in the history books. Click here.
(9/22)
India Eyes to Beat China in Race to
Reach Mars (Source: India TV)
China has beaten India in space in almost every aspect but when it
comes to explore the plant Mars, India sees the Mangalyaan, its first
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), as an opportunity to beat its regional
rival China in reaching the Red Plant. Past records say that probes to
the Red Planet have a high failure rate. And if the Rs 450 crore
mission turns out to be a success, India will be the first Asian nation
to have reached Mars in the first shot itself and ISRO will be the
fourth space agency in the world after the United States, Russia and
Europe to have undertake a successful Mars mission.
In November 2011, a Russian mission carrying the Chinese satellite,
Yinghuo-1, to Mars failed. Japan also failed in a similar effort in
1998. On Monday, ISRO will perform the crucial fourth trajectory
correction manoeuvre and test fire of the main liquid engine on the
spacecraft. Mangalyaan is scheduled to leave the solar orbit and enter
an orbit around Mars in the early hours of September 24. (9/22)
Commercial Crew and Commercial Engines
(Source: Space Review)
Last week, NASA made its long-awaited announcements about the companies
that will develop commercial crew transportation systems. Jeff Foust
reports that this announcement had to share the spotlight with a
surprise commercial partnership that could affect the future of space
launch. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2605/1
to view the article. (9/22)
The ASTEROIDS Act and Hearing:
Observations on International Obligations (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month, a House Science Committee hearing examined
legislation that would grant some types of property rights to space
resources. Charles Stotler explores some of the international space law
issues associated with that bill. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2604/1
to view the article. (9/22)
In Space No One Can Hear You Sigh
(Source: Space Review)
The cover story of the latest issue of "Newsweek" claims to tell
newly-revealed stories about the US-USSR Space Race. Dwayne Day notes
that these stories aren't that new or properly told. Visit
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2603/1 to view the article.
(9/22)
Are Solar Power Satellites Sitting
Ducks for Orbital Debris? (Source: Space Review)
Proliferation of orbital debris could have adverse effects not just on
existing spacecraft but future ones as well. Three authors examine some
of the technical and other solutions needed for cleaning up orbital
debris that are essential to making applications like space-based solar
power possible. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2602/1
to view the article. (9/22)
Editorial: SpaceX Deal Bodes Well for
New Mexico (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
New Mexico may have lost out on Tesla’s $5 billion battery plant, but
its link to launching Americans into space again from U.S. soil grew
stronger with NASA’s selection of Boeing and SpaceX to fly astronauts
to the International Space Station. SpaceX, another enterprise of
Tesla’s daddy, billionaire Elon Musk, has a contract with New Mexico’s
Spaceport America to test its reusable rocket.
For years, the goal has been for NASA to use private companies for
space station transportation and to focus on getting astronauts into
true outer space. These contract awards are one more big step for
mankind toward that goal. And that is good economic news for New Mexico
and a big boost to Spaceport America’s place in space travel. (9/22)
Indian Orbiter Enters Mars Influence
(Source: Financial Express)
Cruising towards its historic rendezvous with the red planet, India's
Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) today entered the Mars Gravitational Sphere
of Influence ahead of its scheduled orbit insertion on September 24.
After being launched from ISRO's spaceport of Sriharikota on November 5
last year, the MOM had left Earth's orbit on December 1 and began its
historic voyage to put India on the list of elite nations, which has
sent a mission to Mars.
"MOM has entered the Mars Gravitational Sphere of Influence this
morning and we will perform certain procedures on the mission today.
The fourth trajectory correction manoeuvre and test firing of Main
Liquid Engine will be test fired for 3.968 seconds," an ISRO official
told PTI. Now that the spacecraft has entered the Mars' influence, its
velocity has to be controlled so that it does not escape the Mars'
influence, he said, adding, the spacecraft is scheduled to enter the
Mars Orbit Insertion at 7.30 AM IST on September 24. (9/22)
NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft Set to Enter
Orbit at Mars (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
On the final stretch of a marathon 442 million-mile voyage, NASA's
MAVEN spacecraft will perform a make-or-break rocket burn Sunday to
slip into orbit around Mars and begin an extensive study of the red
planet's atmosphere. The critical engine firing is due to begin at 9:50
p.m. EDT. (9/21)
NMSU Grads to Lead NASA 'Space Taxi'
Program (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Two of three team leaders in the recently announced deal that will see
Boeing, SpaceX and NASA working together to once again ferry U.S.
astronauts to the International Space Station are New Mexico State
University graduates and both spent early portions of their careers
working at White Sands Missile Range test facility. They are John
Mulholland, vice president and program manager of commercial programs
for Boeing, and Kathy Lueders, program manager for NASA's Commercial
Crew Program.
How did two NMSU graduates end up in leading roles for the new
partnership? Was it our proximity to White Sands? Was it our university
turning out such talented leaders? Was it our budding space tourism
industry? Yes. But those weren't the first response from the project
leaders. "It probably has something to do with the green chile," said
Mulholland. "New Mexico has always felt like home to me," Lueders
added. (9/21)
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