September 10 News Items

Striking Spaceport Machinists: Contract Talks to Resume (Source: Florida Today)
Striking machinists and NASA's prime shuttle contractor apparently are set to return to the bargaining table, a move that would kick-start stalled contract negotiations after a standstill of nearly three months. In a flash notice to its members, leaders with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 2061 said that labor relations officials with United Space Alliance have proposed a return to the bargaining table. USA officials say the company is willing to reopen negotiations as long as there are no preconditions.

RpK's COTS Contract Terminated (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA has informed Congress it is terminating its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) agreement with Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) because the company has failed to meet financial milestones. Aides said that after reviewing the company's performance, the space agency sent RpK formal notification Sept. 7 saying that additional activity under the agreement is "not in the best interest" of NASA. RpK and SpaceX had been sharing about $500 million in NASA seed money to spur development of commercial vehicles able to resupply the Space Station with cargo and eventually crew after the space shuttle retires. RpK had negotiated a July 31 deadline with NASA to raise $500 million in private funds to complete development of K-1.

Russia Unveils Aggressive Space Plan (Source: RIA Novosti)
On the last day of summer, the Russian Space Agency made a sensational announcement. Its head Anatoly Perminov painted an epic picture of Russia's immediate future in space, specifically its manned part. What are these ambitions? 1) A new manned space transport system by 2015; 2) A new spaceport on Russian territory built from scratch; 3) A Russian manned station in a polar orbit, after the International Space Station (ISS) outlives its usefulness in about 2020; 4) A manned mission to the Moon in 2025, and a permanent base on the Moon in 2028-2032; and 5) A possible manned flight to Mars after 2035.

Russia to Launch UAE Spacecraft in 2008 From Baikonur (Source: RIA Novosti)
The chief of Russia's space agency said Russia would launch a spacecraft for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008 from the launch site in Kazakhstan. A related agreement had been signed on the sidelines of President Vladimir Putin's first visit to the Arab state. Perminov said he hoped the agreement with Kazakhstan, which suspended Russian Proton booster launches from the Baikonur spaceport following a crash last week, would be reached within a month.

European Satellite Servicing Competitors Announce Customers and New Spacecraft (Source: Flight International)
The two competing on-orbit satellite servicing companies, UK based-Orbital Satellite Services (OSS) and Greco-German company Kosmas Georing Services (KGS) announced new designs and new customers. OSS was formed by Spain's SENER, Germany's Kayser-Threde, and the Swedish Space Corporation. Their redesigned SMART-orbital life-extension (OLEV) spacecraft is based on the European Space Agency's lunar orbiter SMART-1. SMART-OLEV is 500kg lighter than its 1,500kg predecessor and will service one satellite by docking with its apogee kick motor. No fuel is transferred, as SMART-OLEV will use its own rocket motor. OSS has an undisclosed customer for its first mission, and has identified 140 commercial satellites that can be serviced over the next decade.

KGS announced that it signed an MOU with Arabsat for the development of methods for the on-orbit servicing of its spacecraft by KGS' Hermes vehicle. The MOU also gives Arabsat preferential client status and an opportunity to invest in KGS. Refuelling by Hermes requires the client satellite's fuel valve to be fitted with a special coupling before launch. Each refuelling costs up to $13.6 million per 50kg of propellant. Hermes can refuel up to three satellites before itself requiring refuelling and can attach a refuellable rocket motor. KGS is working with eight technical partners including Franco-Italian joint venture Thales-Alenia Space and German space technology provider OHB-System. The US DARPA successfully carried out an in-orbit servicing demonstration mission in June and July of this year with its Orbital Express vehicle.

SpaceX Signs British Firm for Falcon 9 Launch (Source: Space News)
Start-up commercial satellite operator Avanti Communications Group of London has contracted with SpaceX to launch Avanti's Hylas broadband telecommunications satellite aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in mid-2009, Avanti announced Sept. 10.

Thuraya Plans Asia-Pacific Launch Soon (Source: Reuters)
UAE-based Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co plans to start services in the Asia Pacific region in late 2007 after it launches its delayed third satellite next month, the company's CEO said yesterday. "Following the launch of Thuraya-3 satellite, the company expects to... start commercial services in Asia Pacific markets by December 23," Yousuf Al Sayed said, adding that the launch would be on October 28. The new satellite is part of the company's plans to expand coverage to countries including China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia, doubling the market size under its footprint.

Virgin Galactic Spaceship Designer Reveals Changing Ideas (Source: Flight International)
Virgin Galactic's suborbital rocket glider SpaceShipTwo (SS2) could have a low wing and its carrier aircraft, White Knight II (WK2), a 43m (140ft) wingspan and four engines, chief designer Burt Rutan has said. Rutan is chief executive of Scaled Composites and a director of the Virgin Group-Scaled WK2/SS2 intellectual rights joint venture The Spaceship Company. In Virgin Galactic's conceptual images, SS2 has a high wing, like its predecessor SpaceShipOne (SS1), and WK2 has two engines, like SS1's carrier aircraft White Knight. The low wing is a possible solution to SS1's dihedral effect-induced spin on its ascent.
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Amid NASA Turbelence, Congress Stays on Board (Source: Houston Chronicle)
With NASA pushing ahead with plans for exploring the moon and Mars, administrator Michael Griffin acknowledged last week that scandals and reports of astronaut misconduct have "shaken public confidence" in his agency. Congress, however, is standing by NASA, ignoring a veto threat in an attempt to fund space endeavors with more money than President Bush's $17.3 billion request for the 2008 fiscal year. The House approved $17.8 billion in funding for the space agency this summer, and the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of the budget at $17.5 billion. The full Senate has yet to vote on most of its spending bills and the NASA budget is likely to be rolled into a much broader package later this year.

Schools' Spaceport Tax Money on Hold (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
Dona Ana County has run into a hurdle that could delay its spending of revenue from a spaceport sales tax. The county can't allocate funding aimed at boosting spaceport-related education in local schools until it becomes part of a spaceport district — a requirement of state law. Under state law, a spaceport district can be formed by at least two local governments that approve a spaceport sales tax before Dec. 31, 2008. Dona Ana County so far is the only local government that has approved — through a voter referendum — a sales tax to fund Spaceport America. The Dona Ana County commission will consider authorizing their County Manager to enter into talks with other local governments about forming a tax district.

22 Crash Sites of Proton-M Discovered (Source: KazInform)
A commission studying aftermath of the Proton-M rocket’s wreck discovered 22 sites of the fall of the rocket’s debris. Veterinary service completed work on medical examination of farm and domestic animals in the region the rocket fell down. Checkpoints for protection of public order were positioned near Zhezdinsk water storages, Karsakpai village and Satpayev town. First results of soil samples at the sites of Proton-M fall will be known today.

Thruster May Shorten Mars Trip (Source: Photonics.com)
An amplified photon thruster that could potentially shorten the trip to Mars from six months to a week has reportedly attracted the attention of aerospace agencies and contractors. Young Bae, founder of the Bae Institute in Tustin, Calif., first demonstrated his photonic laser thruster (PLT), which he built with off-the-shelf components, in December. The demonstration produced a photon thrust of 35 µN and is scalable to achieve much greater thrust for future space missions, the institute said. Applications include highly precise satellite formation flying configurations for building large synthetic apertures in space for earth or space observation, precision contaminant-free spacecraft docking operations, and propelling spacecraft to unprecedented speeds -- faster than 100 km/sec. Visit http://www.photonics.com/content/news/2007/September/7/88894.aspx for information.