Energia Prepping Conical Space Capsule
(Source: Space Daily)
Russia's Energia rocket and space corporation is getting ready for the
production of the Federatsiya spacecraft. Russia's Korolev Rocket and
Space Corporation (RSC) Energia is developing two modifications of the
Federatsiya spacecraft, which could carry four or six cosmonauts
respectively, the corporation's general director told Sputnik.
"We speak about the two versions of one spacecraft. We are developing a
modification able to carry six people because it would make it possible
to evacuate two extra crew members from the International Space Station
in case of a serious emergency," Vladimir Solntsev said. He added that
at the moment the corporation had finished the engineering design
phase. The corporation is currently preparing design documentation and
getting ready for the production of the spacecraft. (2/22)
Boeing Plans to Build 3D-Printed
Modular Satellites (Source: Engadget)
Boeing is known for building huge, high-end satellites that cost
roughly $150 million each, but that could change in the future. The
aerospace corporation plans to adopt new production practices that
involve the use of modular 3D-printed parts and far fewer workers than
it's used to. Its current procedures that require customized manual
assembly cost too much and take far too long -- apparently, you can
count the number of satellites it builds in a year on two hands.
Boeing's satellite business chief Paul Rusnock told the WSJ that the
company can't continue what it's been doing and remain competitive.
Companies that maker smaller, cheaper satellites are already using
modular components to save costs and pump out as many as possible.
Airbus and a startup called OneWeb (a venture founded by Richard
Branson's Virgin and Qualcomm), for instance, are in the midst of
building an automated assembly line in Florida. It'll be capable of
cranking out hundreds of small satellites a year that cost roughly
$500,000 each. (2/22)
NASA Preps for Space-Based Laser
Communications (Source: GCN)
Communications engineers have learned over the last several decades how
to squeeze the maximum amount of bandwidth out of radio waves. But
soaring data volumes and crowded spectrum are creating logjams that
have prompted new efforts ranging from spectrum sharing technologies to
laser communications. NASA is preparing its next steps in its effort to
demonstrate the feasibility of using high-capacity laser communications
in space.
The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), scheduled to
launch in 2019, will beam laser signals almost 25,000 miles from a
ground station in California to a satellite in geostationary orbit,
then relay that signal to another ground station.
Meanwhile, the Deep Space Optical Communications project is scheduled
to launch in 2023 as part of an upcoming NASA Discovery mission. That
mission will fly to a metallic asteroid, testing laser communications
from a much greater distance than LCRD, program officials said. (2/21)
Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1 Engine Sets
U.S. Record (Source: SpaceRef)
Aerojet Rocketdyne has demonstrated the highest chamber pressure of any
U.S. produced liquid oxygen and kerosene main combustion system. This
milestone occurred during test firings of the AR1’s staged combustion
system at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. Aerojet Rocketdyne combined the
engine’s preburner with the main injector in order to validate injector
design parameters and performance. (2/22)
Space Florida Invites Proposals for
Spaceport Infrastructure Projects (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida invites proposals to continue the development of space
transportation infrastructure that supports Space Florida's legislative
intent and Florida's spaceport territory master plans (Cape Canaveral
Spaceport, Cecil Field Spaceport). Each year, Space Florida issues this
Call for Projects to allow the aerospace industry the opportunity to
submit projects for consideration into the subsequent year's Work
Program and Spaceport Improvement Program.
This year, Space Florida will be accepting Space Transportation
Infrastructure Matching Fund applications for fiscal years 2019 to
2023. Applications for FY19-23 and updates to previously submitted FY18
projects are due Monday, April 17, 2017. Applications are accepted on a
continuous basis for future fiscal years. Applications and additional
information can be found at http://www.spaceflorida.gov/STIMF/.
Blue Origin Plans for Big Seattle-Area
Expansion for Engine Production (Source: GeekWire)
Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff
Bezos, has out-of-this-world ambitions – with expansion plans to match.
Permit filings at the city of Kent, Wash., reveal plans for a
236,000-square-foot warehouse complex and 102,900 square feet of office
space, southwest of Blue Origin’s current 300,000-square-foot
headquarters and rocket production facility in an industrial area of
the city.
Last year, Blue Origin purchased a 120,000-square-foot warehouse
building across the street from its headquarters to support the
production of the company’s BE-3 and BE-4 rocket engines, as well as
its New Shepard suborbital boosters and crew capsules. Blue Origin’s
workforce is growing along with its expansion plans. Last March, the
company said it had 600 employees, but the number has since risen
closer to 1,000. More than 100 job openings are listed on its website.
(2/22)
Astronaut Firepower Headed to
Tallahassee for Space Day (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida’s space industry has some astronaut firepower heading to
Tallahassee. Chris Ferguson, pilot for the space shuttle Atlantis’
final mission in 2011, and Samuel Durrance, who logged more than 25
days in space, will head to the capital city for Florida Space Day on
March 8. Durrance is professor of physics and space science at Florida
Institute of Technology. Ferguson, a retired U.S. Navy captain, has
served as director of Starliner Crew and Mission Systems for Boeing’s
commercial crew program. (2/22)
SpaceX Carries the Future of Satellite
Maintenance to ISS (Source: Popular Mechanics)
SpaceX has launched an important piece of satellite maintenance
technology for testing on the Space Station. The Raven module will be
used to test techniques to achieve autonomous rendezvous in space, a
critical step toward sending a repair bot up to maintain the hundreds
of satellites we have orbiting our planet.
The Raven module includes three optical instruments, which has lead the
team that built it to start calling it the three-eyed Raven, a nod to
Game of Thrones that is all the more apt because the Raven will be
riding on a Dragon spacecraft. Data acquired by the three-eyed Raven
will be crucial to the operations of the future Restore-L satellite—a
robotic spacecraft that will service and repair other satellites in
orbit. (2/17)
Mystery Surrounds Return of Pentagon's
Secretive X-37B Spaceplane (Source: Space Daily)
After nearly two years in space, one of the US Air Force's biggest
mysteries may be returning to Earth. The Air Force has denied that
rumors that its X-37B spaceplane, whose mission is classified, will be
landing at Florida's Kennedy Space Center in the near future.
The experimental X-37B spaceplane was scheduled to return to Earth,
according to space news outlet NASA Spaceflight. Despite its name, NASA
Spaceflight is not affiliated with the US space agency but they are
seen as a reputable source for independent news on the subject.
The Air Force claimed that there was no landing planned, merely a test.
"The X-37 is still on-orbit. The program is conducting a regularly
scheduled exercise this week," the Air Force wrote in an email to the
press. Previous X-37Bs have landed in California, not Florida. (2/21)
Mae Jemison Works To Prime Future
Scientists (Source: NPR)
At the Oscars this weekend, one spotlight will shine on
African-American women in the space race, thanks to the movie Hidden
Figures, which is nominated for three academy awards, including best
picture. Dr. Mae Jemison made history in this field as the first
African-American woman in space, as part of the crew on the Space
Shuttle Endeavor in 1992. Click here.
(2/22)
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