September 20 News Items

Boeing Wins Delta-2 Launch Contract for Italian Satellite (Source: Boeing)
Boeing has been awarded a contract to launch the third COSMO-Skymed commercial satellite for Thales Alenia Space Italia, the prime contractor of the Italian Space Agency. A Delta-2 7420-10 launch vehicle will loft the satellite in 2008 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Boeing will procure the launch vehicle and related support from United Launch Alliance, a Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture.

NASA Researchers Find Snowmelt in Antarctica Creeping Inland (Source: SpaceRef.com)
On the world's coldest continent of Antarctica, the landscape is so vast and varied that only satellites can fully capture the extent of changes in the snow melting across its valleys, mountains, glaciers and ice shelves. In a new NASA study, researchers using 20 years of data from space-based sensors have confirmed that Antarctic snow is melting farther inland from the coast over time, melting at higher altitudes than ever and increasingly melting on Antarctica's largest ice shelf.

Space Based Solar Power Fuels Vision of Global Energy Security (Source: Space News)
The deployment of space platforms that capture sunlight for beaming down electrical power to Earth is under review by the Pentagon, as a way to offer global energy and security benefits – including the prospect of short-circuiting future resource wars between increasingly energy-starved nations. A proposal is being vetted by U.S. military space strategists that 10 percent of the U.S. baseload of energy by 2050, perhaps sooner, could be produced by space based solar power (SBSP). Furthermore, a demonstration of the concept is being eyed to occur within the next five to seven years. Visit http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/070919_sps_airforce.html to view the article.

Dealing with Threatening Space Rocks (Source: ESA)
Every now and then a space rock hits the world's media – sometimes almost literally. Threatening asteroids that zoom past the Earth, fireballs in the sky seen by hundreds of people and mysterious craters which may have been caused by impacting meteorites; all make ESA's planned mission Don Quijote look increasingly timely. ESA has always been interested in such endeavours and conducted a number of studies into how it might best help. Those studies showed that it is probably the smaller pieces of rock, at most a few hundred metres across, rather than the larger ones that we should be more worried about for the time being. A worldwide network of astronomers is currently cataloguing most of the larger objects, those above 1 km in diameter. A number of survey telescopes have taken up the challenge to detect as many as 90 percent of all near Earth objects down to a size of 140 metres by around 2020. Only after this time will we know whether space-based observatories will be needed to find the rest.

Islamic Body Rules on How to Pray, Wash and Die in Space (Source: Space Daily)
Malaysia's first astronaut will blast off into space armed with guidelines from Muslim authorities on how to pray, wash and even be "buried" in space. Other Muslims have ventured into space, but none during the fasting month of Ramadan, and Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) is hopeful the astronaut will choose to fast during his voyage. "Conditions at the International Space Station...are not a hindrance for the astronaut to fulfil his obligations as a Muslim," it said in a 20-page booklet. Because the space station circles the Earth 16 times a day, theoretically a Muslim would have to pray 80 times a day while staying there. But the guidelines stipulate that the astronaut need only pray five times a day, just as on Earth.

The booklet covers Islamic washing rituals required before prayer, saying that if water is not available the astronaut can symbolically "sweep holy dust" onto the face and hands "even if there is no dust" in the space station. In the unlikely event the Muslim astronaut dies in space, the religious directives said his body should be brought back to Earth for the usual burial rituals. If that's not possible, he should be "interred" in Space after a brief ceremony, though the guidelines failed to explain how that should be done. Visit http://www.spacedaily.com/2006/070920054704.4yrxlpq1.html to view the article.

Rocket Gap Could Keep U.S. Earthbound (Source: WIRED)
Space industry executives lamented Wednesday that the United States will likely have to rely on other countries to send men, women and materials into space. The nation's most visible launch vehicle, the space shuttle, will have its wings clipped in 2010, and current plans for a successor rocket to lift cargo and crew into orbit won't come to fruition until at least 2015, when the first manned Ares rockets make it to the launch pad.

"Frankly, as a nation, it is stupid," said John Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), at the Space 2007 conference Tuesday. "For the four years that we are sitting around watching other people and nations put vehicles in space, there (are) going to be questions about how we got there." The U.S. military has long used other means of getting payloads to orbit, so "the gap" -- as executives here referred to the five-year delay -- will not likely affect national security.

Discovery Repair Ahead of Schedule (Source: AIA)
Discovery might still make its launch on schedule, as technicians repairing faulty seals on the orbiter's landing gear were able to complete the work faster than expected. "Right now, we're still targeting Oct. 23. That's not off the table," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said. "We didn't encounter any glitches while we were putting it back together. There's nothing else we think would pop up."

Nobel Laureate Disses Manned Spaceflight (Source: MSNBC)
While praising NASA's robotic missions such as the Mars Exploration Rovers, Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg said the manned part of the space program has contributed essentially nothing to science. The physics Nobel Laureate issued a scathing critique of NASA's manned spaceflight program and questioned the scientific usefulness of the international space station. "The international space station is an orbital turkey," said Weinberg. "No important science has come out of it. I could almost say no science has come out of it. And I would go beyond that and say that the whole manned spaceflight program, which is so enormously expensive, has produced nothing of scientific value." Weinberg made the comments while speaking at a dark energy workshop at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. Visit http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20869407/ to view the article.

Israel to Launch Spy Satellite in India (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israeli space capabilities will take a giant leap this week when an Indian rocket launches the IDF's most-advanced satellite to date, capable of transmitting tiny images in all weather conditions. The takeoff from India follow's the June launch of the Ofek-7 spy satellite. The satellite to be placed in orbit this week is called Tecsar and was developed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries. It will be the first Israeli satellite with Synthetic Aperture Radar capabilities, allowing the camera to take pictures of targets under cloudy and foggy conditions, a capability not available in Israel's Ofek satellite series.

Florida Governor Names New Economic Development Chief (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
Gov. Charlie Crist named a former Florida State University professor as the man responsible for leading Florida's Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED). Dale Brill takes over at OTTED on Oct. 1. Brill told reporters that he has already met with executives of one of the state's signature industries, space. He said he was aware of the intense competition from other states that are already developing aerospace industries, but he said he's still optimistic. Crist praised Brill's public- and private-sector background, and pledged that Brill would ''nurture an economic climate that encourages diverse, high-wage business to expand and relocate to Florida.'' His new job pays $120,000 a year.

Iridium Sets Record Summer Numbers (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Satellite announces a record-breaking summer with unprecedented worldwide growth in both subscribers and airtime. In August, Iridium added 8,150 total subscribers -- the most ever in a single month. Over the past three months, Iridium has added a combined total of 22,000 net subscribers compared to 9,000 and 7,000 during the same period in 2006 and 2005 respectively.

Falcon 9 Could Soar from Cape Next Year (Source: Florida Today)
A heavier-lift version of a new American-made rocket could launch from a former Titan pad at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport as early as next year. The first Falcon 9, which is similar in scale to United Launch Alliance's Delta 4 and Atlas 5 rockets, is scheduled to be erected on dormant pad 40 next fall. A launch could come within months, according to SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk.

Editorial: NASA Should Dump RpK in COTS Competition (Source: Florida Today)
When the space shuttle fleet retires in three years, NASA will be grounded and must rely on Russian rockets, at least through 2011. That's why NASA is rightly poised to dump a company that has gotten government seed money to develop a new privately operated rocket that could ship the station supplies and crews. The company, Rocketplane Kistler, has failed to meet financial and technical benchmarks, earning it a default letter from NASA. It's time for NASA to quickly move on and determine if the other company involved -- California-based SpaceX -- can deliver a rocket that could do the job.

The project's importance is underscored by its potential to boost the local space industry at a time when thousands of Kennedy Space Center jobs will be lost after the shuttle program ends in 2010. That's because the private rockets, if developed, would likely be launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. NASA deserves credit for launching the innovative competition at a time when the nation's space program is speeding toward a massive transition. No one knows if the project will work, but the only way to find out is pressing ahead toward the competition's 2010 deadline with the company with the best chance of success. And right now, that looks like SpaceX.

Galileo Gets Funding Kiss of Life (Source: VNUnet.com)
The European Commission will meet the €2.4 billion funding shortfall for the Galileo European satellite navigation system by reshuffling resources. Additional taxpayer funds will not be needed. Instead money will be transferred from agriculture, administration and research budgets. The project hit delays when eight companies from France, Germany, Spain, Britain and Italy clashed over the development of the system. EU member states must now decide whether to accept the Commission proposal and carry on with the project.

Colorado No. 2 in Private Aerospace Jobs (Source: Denver Post)
The Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. released a report today confirming that Colorado's aerospace industry is the second-largest nationwide when ranked by total private employment. Colorado has total private aerospace employment of 26,650 workers, an increase of 12.9 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the report. With direct and indirect employment, Colorado's aerospace industry totals 171,200 workers. California has the largest aerospace industry in the nation. Colorado moved ahead of Texas to become second-largest.

Aerospace companies look to Colorado for expansion because of its large aerospace industry with well-trained employees and cheaper costs than California. New projects and operations have been fueling the growth. The United Launch Alliance started operations in December 2006 and now has about 1,600 employees here. Lockheed Martin's work on an $8.2 billion NASA contract for the Orion crew-exploration vehicle that it won last year also has given the industry a huge boost, with nearly 500 employees here. Another 600 Orion-related jobs could be added in Colorado by 2009.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Space Exploration (Source: US News & World Report)
The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik I in 1957 is credited with launching the U.S. space program. In the past 20 years, the space shuttle has launched 3 million pounds of cargo, transported more than 600 passengers and pilots, cumulatively spent more than three years in flight, and logged more than 366 million miles. Click here to learn some other interesting facts about the U.S. space program.

Experts Confirm Meteorite Crash in Peru (Source: AP)
A fiery meteorite crashed into southern Peru over the weekend, experts confirmed on Wednesday. But they were still puzzling over claims that it gave off fumes that sickened 200 people. A geologist confirmed that it was a "rocky meteorite," based on the fragments analyzed. He said water in the meteorite's muddy crater boiled for maybe 10 minutes from the heat and could have given off a vapor that sickened people, and scientists were taking water samples.

Jorge Lopez, director of the health department in the state where the meteorite crashed, said that 200 people suffered headaches, nausea and respiratory problems caused by "toxic" fumes emanating from the crater, which is some 65 feet wide and 15 feet deep. But a team of doctors who reached the isolated site said Wednesday they found no evidence the meteorite had sickened people. Peasants living near the crater said they had smelled a sulfurous odor for at least an hour after the meteorite struck and that it had provoked upset stomachs and headaches. A member of the medical team said fear may have provoked psychosomatic ailments.

Spacehab Swings to Fourth-Quarter Loss (Source: BizJournals)
Spacehab reported a net loss of $13.2 million, on revenue of $12.8 million, for the period ended June 30, 2007. That compared with net income of $48,000, on revenue of $14.6 million, for the same period in 2006. For the full year, Spacehab reported a net loss of $16.3 million, on revenue of $52.8 million, compared with a net loss of $12.4 million, on revenue of $50.7 million, for 2006. Spacehab has until Oct. 3 to regain compliance with NASDAQ's $1 per share minimum bid price requirement. For the past year, the company's stock has traded between 39 cents and $1.23 a share.

SpaceDev Attracts European Aerospace Strategic Partner (Source: MarketWire)
SpaceDev has entered into a strategic relationship with the OHB Technology Group, a leading European Aerospace company with operations in satellite, space hardware manufacturing and advanced space payload systems development. The companies will establish a mutual high level management team to actively explore manufacturing, systems development, and program opportunities in Europe as well as in the US. As part of this effort, OHB and its subsidiary, MT Aerospace, has made an investment of approximately $4.4 million into SpaceDev. The investment will be used by SpaceDev for growth capital, to expand its research and to retire previous interest bearing preferred stock.

Arianespace to Launch Japanese Satellite JCSAT-12 (Source: Arianespace)
Japanese operator JSAT Corporation has chosen Arianespace to launch its JCSAT-12 communications satellite. This is the 24th launch contract won by Arianespace in Japan out of 33 commercial contracts in the competitive market. JCSAT-12 will be launched by an Ariane 5 during the summer of 2009 from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This satellite replaces the one lost recently in a Proton launch failure in Kazakhstan.

Universal Space Network Expands Satellite Ground Stations (Source: USN)
Universal Space Network, Inc. (USN), a provider of commercial space operations and ground station services, is dramatically expanding its network of satellite ground stations in Hawaii and Australia in response to USN's record backlog and growing customer demand for low-latitude ground station services. In addition to added capacity, each of the new full-motion antennas will provide a new capability for USN's customers--an X-band uplink service--and USN is one of the first in the industry to provide this service to its customers.