EchoStar Picks Atlas Over Ariane for
Orbital Accuracy (Source: Space News)
EchoStar switched launch vehicles for its broadband satellite because
of scheduling issues. The company said Thursday that Arianespace had no
openings in its Ariane 5 launch schedule for the second half of 2016
for the EchoStar 19 satellite, which will be ready for launch no
earlier than July. EchoStar, seeking to get the satellite launched as
soon as possible to provide additional capacity, elected to purchase an
Atlas 5 launch for late 2016. The company said the Atlas launch will
cost more than the Ariane, but the schedule and a longer in-orbit life,
given a more favorable orbit insertion by the dedicated Atlas launch,
made it worthwhile. (8/7)
ViaSat Sticks with SpaceX Despite
Launch Delay (Source: San Diego Union-Tribune)
ViaSat says it is sticking with SpaceX – for now – to launch its latest
broadband satellite. The ViaSat-2 satellite is scheduled for launch in
the fourth quarter of 2016 on a Falcon Heavy rocket, but that vehicle's
schedule is uncertain as SpaceX focuses on returning the Falcon 9 to
flight, pushing back the first Falcon Heavy launch into 2016. ViaSat
still expects to launch on the Falcon Heavy, but is keeping its options
open. (8/7)
Stratolaunch to Choose Second-Stage
Vehicle(s) Soon (Source: Space News)
Stratolaunch expects to make a decision this fall on the launch
vehicle, or vehicles, it will use for the air launch of small
satellites. Vulcan Aerospace president Chuck Beames said the company
was examining dozens of options for rockets that would be deployed from
a giant aircraft the company is building in California. The company is
focusing on the growing smallsat market after earlier versions of its
rocket, by SpaceX and later Orbital, were designed for heavier
payloads. Test flights of the plane, the largest in the world by
wingspan, will begin in the middle of next year and take up to two
years. (8/7)
China Progresses with Next-Generation
Rocket Development (Source: Aviation Week)
China has passed a milestone in the development of its next-generation
Long March 5 rocket. The propulsion system of the rocket has passed a
series of hot-fire tests of its new engines, which use liquid oxygen
and liquid hydrogen propellants. The tests appear to put the vehicle on
track for a first launch in 2016. Long March 5 will be China's largest
rocket to date, capable of placing up to 14 metric tons into
geostationary transfer orbit. (8/7)
How to Build a City on the Moon
(Source: The Atlantic)
Humans haven’t set foot on the moon since 1972. That hasn’t stopped
Johann-Dietrich Woerner, the new director general of the Paris-based
European Space Agency, from pushing mankind toward more of a giant
lunar leap than another small step. Woerner kicked off his tenure by
telling BBC he not only wants to go back to the moon but hopes to build
a village there—on the far side, no less.
The very idea of a moon city ignites a constellation of questions about
what it would look like and how we would build it. So CityLab called
Woerner to find out. With the International Space Station potentially
coming offline around 2024, he says, it’s time to envision the next era
of human presence beyond Earth. The moon-city project would be a prime
driver of technological advancement as well as basic scientific
research.
“Why not have a moon village?” says Woerner. “A moon village not
meaning a few houses, the town hall, and a church—the moon village
would consist of a settlement using the capabilities of different
space-faring nations in the fields of robotic as well as human
activities.” Click here.
(8/4)
Launch Pad 39C Ready For Small Class
Rockets At Kennedy Space Center (Source: Space Coast Daily)
NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program, or GSDO,
developed Launch Pad 39C to serve as a multi-purpose site and proving
ground for commercial companies to test and launch their small class
vehicles. As part of this capability, NASA’s Ground Systems Development
and Operations Program also developed a Universal Propellant Servicing
System (UPSS), which can provide liquid oxygen and liquid methane
fueling capabilities for a variety of small class rockets.
Additionally, KSC offers various other resources such as, but not
limited to, vehicle and payload processing facilities, command and
control capabilities, and payload testing and processing. Click here. (8/6)
Cygnus Set for December Atlas V Ride
to Space Station (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft is set to return to International Space
Station (ISS) resupply duties in December, hitching a ride on an Atlas
V, prior to resuming operations with the modified Antares rocket in
2016. Cygnus has been out of action since the CRS-3/OrB-3 failure that
occurred in October 2014 – with the full investigation results yet to
be released to the public.
Key processing milestones are expected to pick up the pace this month,
with the OrB-4 Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) – built by Thales Alenia
Space in Italy – set to arrive in the United States as soon as this
weekend. It is then scheduled to be trucked to the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) early next week. (8/7)
SpaceX Completes Road to Launch Pad 39A
(Source: NASA)
Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, continues to
take shape as SpaceX has completed the road from its processing hangar
to the top of the launch stand. A transporter-erector will move the
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets to position them above the flame
trench for liftoff on flights carrying astronauts to the International
Space Station and other launches. (8/7)
Globalstar Satellite Company Denies
Hacking Claims (CNN)
This week, a security researcher claimed Globalstar's satellite network
doesn't properly guard its communication. The potential danger? GPS
signals could be spoofed to make shipping and rescue operations run off
course. Colby Moore, a researcher with cybersecurity firm Synack,
presented his findings at this week's Black Hat hacking conference in
Las Vegas. But on Wednesday, Globalstar (GSAT) issued a statement
blasting the research. The company said it actually does use encryption
to prevent the hack that Moore described.
Globalstar called Synack's research merely a ploy for money, "like an
auto mechanic who discloses a minute problem in a car that he proposes
to repair for a substantial price." Moore's research set off alarm
bells, particularly when it comes to airline safety. Lots of planes
transmit their location using Globalstar's system. Lockheed Martin
Flight Service, which collects pilots' flight plans, signed a deal with
the satellite company in June. (8/7)
Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
Realigns (Source: SpaceRef)
Northrop Grumman Corp. announced an organizational realignment to
improve performance and drive profitable growth across the company's
Aerospace Systems portfolio. Chris Hernandez has been appointed vice
president of the newly formed research, technology and advanced design
organization. He will integrate resources to drive basic and advanced
research; technology development; and advanced design, including the
rapid prototyping expertise of the company's business unit, Scaled
Composites, to continue delivering unparalleled solutions to customers.
(8/6)
US, Russia, China to Explore Benefits
of Outer Space for ASEAN (Source: Sputnik)
The United States will co-chair a workshop together with Russia, China
and Laos to review the outer space benefits and security for the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, US State
Department said in a statement on Thursday. The workshop will also
address “current issues facing the space environment, and assess
approaches to space security to ensure the benefits for future
generations,” according to the State Department. (8/6)
You Can Talk to the ISS With Nothing
But a Ham Radio (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Adrian Lane of Gloucestershire, England, got in touch with the
International Space Station the other day. Thanks to impeccable timing
and a prime location under the ISS's path above the Earth, Lane was
able to have a brief conversation with space station's crew via ham
radio. It must be surreal to have a casual chat with humans who are
floating up there in the void, but technologically, it's really not
even that hard.
The use of amateur-grade ham radio as a means to talk to Earth from
spaces goes back decades to when astronaut Owen Garriott brought a
handheld ham radio with him as part of the Shuttle Amateur Radio
Experiment (SAREX) and used it to chat with students and other amateur
radio while careening around the Earth at 17,000 mph. (8/7)
Lawmakers Question NASA's Handling of
Failed SpaceX Launch (Source: Reuters)
Members of Congress are questioning NASA's decision not to conduct an
independent investigation into the failed launch of a SpaceX rocket on
June 28, especially given NASA's investigation of an Orbital ATK
failure last year. "The discrepancy between the approaches taken by
NASA in response to these two similar events raises questions about not
only the equity and fairness of NASA's process for initiating
independent accident investigations, but also the fidelity of the
investigations themselves," said House Committee on Science, Space and
Technology Chairman Lamar Smith. (8/6)
Diminutive Lunar IceCube Satellite to
Scan Moon for Water and Other Resources (Source: Gizmag)
Recently, NASA has been looking at CubeSats as a way of carrying out
economical deep space missions. One of the first of these may be
shoebox-sized satellite called the Lunar IceCube, which is designed to
look for water ice and other resources on the Moon. Tentatively aimed
to launch on the first Orion mission scheduled to fly by 2018, it is
intended to not only uncover materials for future deep-space missions
and lunar colonization, but also as a technology demonstrator for a new
class of interplanetary probes.
Probes like Lunar Prospector, Clementine, Chandrayaan-1, and the Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter have been very successful at finding traces of
ice, but, according to NASA, they lacked instruments operating in the
infrared wavelength bands, which are most suitable for detecting water
molecules.
Developed by a team led by Morehead State University in Kentucky and
including members from Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Busek
Company in Massachusetts, IceCube is one of the projects in NASA’s Next
Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) program.
NASA describes IceCube as a six-unit CubeSat. That is, it's a
rectangular satellite made up of six standard CubeSat units, each
measuring 10 cm (4 in) on a side. It was built by MSU, which will also
use its 21-m (69-ft) ground station antenna for tracking and
communications during the mission. (8/6)
Generation Orbit Wins SBIR Phase Two
Grant for Air-Launch System Development (Source: Generation
Orbit)
Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) has been awarded a Phase II
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract from the Air Force
Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ) for
continued development of the GOLauncher 1, a single-stage air launched
liquid rocket vehicle designed to fly suppressed trajectories for
hypersonic flight research applications.
Booster systems capable of flying suppressed trajectories increase
flexibility for experimental payloads requiring high Mach number, high
dynamic pressure flight environments. The effort will focus on
preliminary design of GOLauncher 1, as well as design, build, and test
of an integrated, hardware-in-the-loop Engineering Development Unit for
the rocket vehicle. Partners on the program include Calspan
Corporation, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., and Ventions, LLC.
(8/4)
Lawmakers Question If SpaceX Should
Lead Blast Probe (Source: Law360)
U.S. lawmakers questioned Thursday whether it was appropriate for Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. to personally head up the investigation
into the June 28 explosion that destroyed SpaceX's unmanned Falcon 9
resupply rocket bound for the International Space Station. (8/3)
Space Collectibles Show and Sale at Air Force Space Museum (Source:
NSCFL)
The Air Force Space & Missile Museum Foundation is hosting a space
collectible show and sale on Saturday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
EDT to celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of the opening of the Air Force
Space & Missile History Center outside the south gate of Cape
Canaveral AFS. Tables are available for those interested in displaying
or selling their collectibles. For more information call 321-777-5907.
(8/3)
NASA 3D Prints Parts for Future Space
Drones — May Explore Volcanoes on Mars or Asteroids (Source:
3Dprint)
When one typically envisions a drone, images of either a tiny
notebook-size, multi-prop machine, or one of those giant unmanned
military aircraft fill their head. Drone technology has been improving
considerably over the past 4-5 years, even to a point where companies
like Amazon are considering their use for home delivery. What one
usually doesn’t envision when they hear the word ‘drone’ is an alien
type spacecraft buzzing around volcanoes on Mars, but that’s just what
a team at NASA is currently working to produce.
Particularly over the last couple of years there has been a convergence
between 3D printing and drone technology. 3D printing enables the rapid
production of custom, lightweight parts and sometimes even electronic
components, making designing and fabricating a drone much quicker and
the end product much more reliable. At the same time, NASA has been
exploring both technologies looking for ways to further their reach out
into space, exploring other planets and eventually sending human beings
to Mars.
As the space agency looks at ways to better explore other planets and
asteroids, it’s been revealed this past week that new research is being
conducted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to send robots into places
where traditional rover-like vehicles would not be able to access.
These robots, referred to as ‘Extreme Access Flyers,’ which are being
designed and fabricated as drone-like vehicles, would be able to
navigate the atmosphere (or lack thereof) on other planets using
cold-gas jets rather than propellers. (8/3)
L.A.-based Rocket Lab to Build a
Satellite Launch Site in New Zealand (Source: LA Times)
A small Los Angeles aerospace firm has ambitious plans to become the
first commercial company to build and operate its own satellite launch
site — in New Zealand. Currently, most rocket launch sites in the
United States are government owned and regulated. That puts
restrictions on when satellites can be launched into orbit and drives
up cost, experts say.
To bring down costs and improve the frequency of launches, Rocket Lab
intends to finish construction by the end of the year at a private
launch pad near Christchurch in southern New Zealand. Rocket Lab
estimates each launch will cost nearly $5 million — a fraction of the
average price that aerospace firms pay today to blast a satellite to
orbit.
Founded in 2007, Rocket Lab began as a start-up investment led by Chief
Executive Peter Beck and other entrepreneurs. The company now has 60
employees between its New Zealand and Los Angeles locations and hopes
to expand. A satellite industry analyst sees potential. "It could have
a huge impact on the market because right now we see a lot of growth in
demand for small satellites," said Carolyn Belle at Northern Sky
Research. "The Rocket Lab system provides a lot more flexibility to
operators in terms of where they can put their satellites and also
flexibility in terms of when they can actually launch them." (8/6)
India to Launch 9 US Satellites in
2015, 2016 (Source: Space Daily)
India will launch nine U.S. satellites in 2015 and 2016. "Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) will launch nine nano and micro satellites
for the U.S. this year and next year from the southern spaceport of
Sriharikota," an official said. The commercial arm of ISRO, Antrix
Corporation Ltd, has already inked pacts with the U.S. for the launch
of the satellites into space, the official said. India has so far
successfully launched 45 foreign satellites, belonging to nearly 20
countries, into space. (8/7)
Change of Command at 45th Space Wing
(Source: Florida Today)
With a loud "good morning" in unison, airmen at the 45th Space Wing and
others welcomed the new top commander at the base. Brig. Gen. Wayne
Monteith assumed command of the 45th Space Wing on Tuesday morning in a
ceremony steeped in military tradition in which the guidon — or unit
flag — is passed from the outgoing commander to the new.
Monteith took command of the wing that launched rockets within days of
each other last month and has plenty more to come. "We are blessed to
have the opportunity," he said. "I can't think of a job that is more
exciting." Monteith, who served as the senior military assistant to the
secretary of the Air Force before coming to the Space Coast, told
airmen he was ready to get to work with them in what he said was a
great assignment. "We have rockets to launch," he told airmen at the
conclusion of this speech. (8/6)
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