China's Jade Rabbit Lunar Rover Dies
in Blaze of Oonline Glory (Source: Space Daily)
China's troubled but beloved Jade Rabbit lunar rover has whirred its
last, state media said Wednesday, after it bid humanity farewell on
social media. The device, designed for a lifespan of a mere three
months, surveyed the moon's surface for 31 months, the official Xinhua
new service said, overcoming numerous technical problems and design
flaws to become a national icon. (8/3)
Boeing Wants To Restart $200M Claim
Against Sea Launch Partner (Source: Law360)
Boeing urged a California federal judge Tuesday to lift a stay to allow
the aerospace giant to pursue a $200 million judgment against Ukrainian
rocket and satellite maker Yuzhnoye over their failed Sea Launch joint
venture, saying Yuzhnoye isn’t a party to ongoing settlement
negotiations. Boeing asked a judge to lift a July 22 order granting an
emergency motion to stay the case, saying the purpose of its stay
request was to hammer out a settlement with co-defendant RSC Energia.
(8/2)
SpaceX to Build New Ground Stations in
Texas (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
In addition to building a commercial spaceport for orbital launches
along Boca Chica Beach in south Texas, SpaceX is also adding a couple
of NASA-heritage ground tracking radars to track the Dragon spacecraft.
A local Texas television station reported that the antennas will be
shipped to SpaceX’s ground tracking facility from Cape Canaveral in
Florida.
The $100 million, 49-acre Boca Chica property, located adjacent to Boca
Chica State Park, has been a work in progress since SpaceX first
discussed their plans with the Texas state government in 2011.
Groundbreaking on the facility began in 2014. With the dirt continuing
to be moved, the Brownsville Herald reports that company plans to
conduct its first launch in September 2018. (8/3)
Does Clinton vs. Trump Matter For
Defense? (Source: Aviation Week)
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has been specific regarding
their plans for U.S. defense spending if they win the Nov. 8 election.
Defense stocks generally fare well in presidential election years
because candidates are supportive of national security but vague on
precise plans. So far, 2016 is conforming to this pattern.
Now that the two major nominating conventions are out of the way and
running mates have been chosen, there should be a bit more detail on
who is planning what. One traditional window on this has been the
American Legion’s annual convention in late August and early September.
However, in past election campaigns, candidates made speeches
articulating their national security vision during September or
October, and national security is bound to come up during one of the
three presidential debates.
Consensus now is that a Trump win could be more bullish for defense
than a Clinton win. Trump has only promised to make the U.S. military
the strongest in the world. He has made some disparaging comments about
the F-35 program and, while promising to bomb the so-called Islamic
State group, he has not said he will commit ground forces in
significant quantity. (8/3)
Moon Express Gets FAA's First Approval
for Commercial Lunar Payload (Source: FAA)
On April 8, 2016, Moon Express submitted a request to FAA for a Payload
Review and Determination on the MX-1E spacecraft. On April 21, 2016,
the FAA accepted this application and proceeded with review. The MX-1E
is a spacecraft/lander capable of transfer from Earth orbit to the
Moon, making a soft landing on the lunar surface, and performing
post-landing relocations through propulsive “hops.”
On July 20, 2016, the FAA made a favorable payload determination for
the Moon Express MX-1E mission. The FAA has determined that the launch
of the payload does not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of
property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or U.S.
international obligations. As long as none of the information provided
to the FAA changes in a material manner and the FAA does not become
aware of any issues the review did not consider that could affect the
determination, the FAA considers this determination final.
Editor's Note:
I guess this has triggered Moon Express to proceed with plans to hire
engineering staff in Florida. They are advertising for several
positions. Click here.
(8/3)
Nat Geo's 'Mars' Series Takes Viewers
on Journey to Red Planet (Source: Space.com)
Humans have long been fascinated with Mars, and a new TV special on the
National Geographic Channel will combine real-world stories with a
scripted narrative to take viewers on a journey to the Red Planet.
Called "Mars," the six-part series will tell the story of a fictional
astronaut crew on the very first human Mars mission in 2033. In the TV
special, the crew of the Daedalus, led by American Mission Commander
Ben Sawyer (played by Ben Cotton) lands on Mars and sets up a
preliminary base. (8/3)
Hydros Thruster Developed for
Microsatellites (Source: GeekWire)
A Seattle-area company has won more than $2 million in contracts for a
new kind of satellite thruster. The Hydros thruster, developed by
Tethers Unlimited, electrolyzes water into hydrogen and oxygen, which
are then ignited to create thrust. The company said it has a
public-private partnership with NASA to provide a Hydros thruster for a
NASA cubesat mission, and a separate contract with Millennium Space
Systems for three of its Altair microsatellites. (8/2)
Navy Looks for Plan B to Salvage MUOS
Satellite (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The U.S. Navy has declared the primary orbit-raising system aboard its
new MUOS No. 5 communications satellite failed, leaving controllers
scrambling to design a rescue plan. The final Mobile User Objective
System satellite was launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit on
June 24 by a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral.
The Lockheed Martin-built spacecraft was supposed to perform 7 burns of
its main engine to raise and circularize the orbit to geosynchronous
altitude 22,300 miles over the equator in view of Hawaii. After
completing an unspecified number of maneuvers, an “anomaly” struck June
29 that has rendered the main propulsion system failed.
The satellite was launched into a customized high-perigee
geosynchronous transfer orbit as planned, stretching from 2,379 by
22,219 miles at an inclination of 19.1 degrees. With some maneuvering
already accomplished, MUOS 5 lifted its perigee to around 9,471 miles
and reduced inclination to 9.8 degrees, hobbyist observers tracking the
satellite reported in early July. They were the first to notice and
publicly reveal that the craft has suddenly stopped maneuvering. (8/2)
Boeing Nears Fix for CST-100 Starliner
Design Hitch (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Boeing says engineers are resolving concerns with the mass and
aerodynamic shape of the company’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew
carrier, and officials are optimistic the spaceship will be ready to
deliver astronauts to the International Space Station in early 2018.
“If everything goes well, we’ll meet schedule,” said Chris Ferguson, a
former space shuttle astronaut and deputy program manager for Boeing’s
CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, in a recent interview with Spaceflight
Now. “It’s the unknown unknowns (we’re concerned about), but we’re
optimistic.” According to Ferguson, Boeing engineers are wrapping up
analyses of two design concerns that combined to trigger a delay in the
first CST-100 crewed test flight from late 2017 until February 2018.
(8/2)
2017 NDAA Skirts Base Closures, But
Congress Shows Interest (Source: Law360)
The Pentagon's threat to go it alone on base realignment and closure is
more likely rhetorical than realistic as lawmakers work to finalize the
2017 National Defense Authorization Act, but recent moves by senior
lawmakers show that Congress may be growing more willing to consider a
new BRAC round. The Depart. of Defense has been clamoring for five
years for Congress to allow a reduction in its infrastructure through a
new BRAC round, which would include several years of lead time and
planning. (8/1)
Opportunity Surpasses 43 Kilometers on
the Odometer (Source: Space Daily)
Opportunity is wrapping up the exploration 'Marathon Valley' on the rim
of Endeavour crater. The rover did experience an unexpected drive
termination caused by the right-front wheel. Total odometry is 26.75
miles (43.05 kilometers). (8/2)
NASA Visits Comic-Con, Science Fiction
Meets Space Inspirations (Source: Space.com)
From "Star Trek" to science fiction to real-life space, NASA employees
paid tribute to the role of inspiration at the Comic-Con International
in San Diego last weekend. In a new video, NASA highlighted a series of
interviews and panel discussion clips from the convention on how
several NASA employees got to where they are today. Click here.
(8/2)
Commercial Crew Delays Could Lead to
Gap in ISS Access (Source: Space News)
Although Boeing and SpaceX remain on schedule to have their commercial
crew vehicles completed by 2018, an advisory group is worried about a
potential gap in access to the International Space Station should they
experience delays. At a meeting of the NASA Advisory Council, members
discussed the possibility NASA may have no means to send crews to the
station should both companies fail to have their vehicles certified by
the end of 2018, when NASA’s current agreement with Russia for seats on
Soyuz spacecraft expires.
Schedules presented at a July 26 committee meeting showed Boeing
completing its certification review, the final milestone before
operational flights, in May 2018. That comes after an uncrewed test
flight of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in December 2017 and a
crewed test flight in February 2018. SpaceX currently has its
certification review scheduled for October 2017. It has an uncrewed
test flight of its Crew Dragon vehicle scheduled for May 2017, followed
by a crewed test flight in August 2017. (8/2)
Harris Corporation Stock Price
Increases as Company Reports Quarter (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Melbourne-based Harris Corporation reported a strong quarter, as the
military equipment manufacturer saw revenue jump at three of its four
major divisions, including space, electronics and critical networks.
Overall, the company saw revenue eclipse $1.9 billion, up from about
$1.5 billion during the same time period last year. Net income for the
company in the quarter was $160 million, one year after the company
reported a $56 million loss, partially because of a major acquisition.
(8/2)
The Space Wait Continues for Oklahoma
Town (Source: NewsOK)
When Bill Khourie stands on the concrete under the midday sun and
squints toward the end of the runway three miles to the south,
invisible behind the curving earth and dancing mirages, he believes
he's looking at the future. Khourie is the director of the Oklahoma
Space Industry Development Authority, which has been trying since 1999
to lure space companies to Oklahoma. For years, the authority's
leadership has preached patience, saying the future will come.
Now, Khourie believes the future is so close he can almost see it. The
commercial space industry is showing signs of growth as companies like
SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance have
successfully blasted their spacecraft into the sky in recent months.
(8/2)
Tiny Rocket Company Aims for 100
Launches a Year (Source: Ars Technica)
Alone in the Mojave desert, the tiny rocket stood barely as tall as a
basketball goal backboard. Launch control was a laptop inside a nearby
bunker, and the small gathering of aerospace engineers and investors
seemed almost like a rocket hobby club as it watched the vehicle soar
to about 5,000 feet before parachuting back to Earth. But this scene
may have represented something much more than that.
With its small-scale test Saturday, the company Vector Space Systems
took another step toward upending the rapidly expanding small satellite
launch market. Not since the Germans and their V-2 rockets during World
War II has anyone launched more than a few dozen of the same rockets
per year. Now, within about five years Vector intends to launch as many
as 100 of its 13-meter-tall Wolverine vehicles annually, with a
capability to put a 50kg satellite into low-Earth orbit.
The company aims to fill a niche below the current generation of
launchers being developed by companies such as RocketLab and Virgin
Galactic, with rockets capable of delivering 200 to 250kg satellites to
low-Earth orbit. So far, it seems like a good bet. On Tuesday morning,
Vector announced that it has acquired its first customer, Finnish-based
Iceye, to conduct 21 launches of the company’s commercial synthetic
aperture radar satellite constellation. (8/2)
FAA Seeks New Tools to Track Spacecraft
(Source: Wall Street Journal)
After wrestling for months over how to allow unmanned aircraft to begin
flying in U.S. skies, the Federal Aviation Administration is now
grappling with a loftier challenge: keeping conventional aircraft safe
amid an expected boom in commercial space launches. Having played
catch-up with the proliferation of drones, FAA officials are taking
preliminary steps toward enhanced monitoring of space missions. They
hope to eventually expand their management of the nation’s airspace to
include real-time tracking of rockets. (8/2)
4 Aerospace Startups That Will Take
You 'To Infinity And Beyond' (Source: Entrepreneur)
Elon Musk's SpaceX has set a new horizon of expectations for the space
industry since its inception in 2010. The young billionaire wants to
make space available to everyone, and send people to Mars and moon. The
new space race has been taken over by the startup world led by
entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Click here. (8/1)
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