October 22 News Items

ATK, Boeing, Lockheed to Launch at SLC 36 (Source: Florida Today)
Hours after being dedicated for commercial launch operations, Launch Complex 36 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport got its first potential customer. PlanetSpace, a consortium of ATK, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, announced today that it proposes to launch a 158-foot solid-fuel rocket by 2011 from the historic launch pad at Cape Canaveral, which the Air Force has agreed to lease to Space Florida. The rocket would be capable of carrying about two metric tons of cargo to the International Space Station. NASA plans to announce who gets the award on Dec. 23. The company says its plan would create 350 new jobs in Florida, with an economic impact of $300 million. PlanetSpace expects to have at least two competitors for the award.

The state has appropriated some $14.5 million for the project and has bonding authority for another $40 million. "We hope that the first phase of development could reach $55 million to build it out," said Space Florida's Steve Kohler. PlanetSpace hopes to be first to use the new launch pad in 2011. Under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services program, the group hopes to win a $3.1 billion NASA contract to move 20 metric tons of cargo to the space station with 10 to 12 rocket launches.

PlanetSpace proposes to cobble together existing rocket stages into a workable vehicle that could reach the space station. The first stage would consist of 2.5 solid rocket segments and a steering skirt similar to a solid rocket booster on the space shuttle. The second stage is the ATK CASTOR 120, which is topped by an ATK CASTOR 30 and a flight-proven cargo module. (10/22)

SPACErPORT Online With Daily Updates and Search (Source: ERAU)
The FLORIDA SPACErePORT e-newsletter is distributed weekly to about 2000 people worldwide. Recipients interested in more frequent news updates, or in finding items from past newsletters, can visit http://spacereport.blogspot.com.

Congress Demands US Rocket Engine Report (Source: Flight International)
A report on the US industry's ability to develop rocket engines must be supplied to the US Congress by 15 January. The demand for the report is contained within the NASA Authorization Act and requires the president's executive office's office of science and technology policy director to produce a report that assesses "the capacity of the US industrial base for development and production of engines to meet [US government] and commercial requirements for space launch vehicles".

The report must include information on existing, pending, and planned engine developments for suborbital and small, medium, and heavylift rockets. Space Exploration Technologies' is developing its Merlin engine to deliver more thrust for its Falcon 9 booster, while for suborbital flights Scaled Composites is working with Spacedev to produce a hybrid rocket motor for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. (10/22)

NASA Chief: Criticism Hurting Space Agency Morale (Source: AP)
Unfounded criticism of America's next-generation moon rocket is hurting NASA morale but hasn't stopped progress on the craft, the space agency's administrator Michael Griffin said. Griffin said critics in the media and on anonymous Internet blogs can "chip away" at the agency by questioning the motives and ethics of engineers designing the new rockets. Briefing charts used by NASA managers sometimes show up on Web sites without the proper context, he said, and opponents of the agency's plans to replace the space shuttle with two new rockets have wrongly accused NASA managers of incompetence and worse.

"Are we at a place where differences of engineering (opinion) are cited as evidence of lying or malfeasance? This is not how any of us were taught to conduct an engineering discussion," he said at a symposium of top NASA leaders and industry executives in Alabama. Griffin said the criticism hasn't slowed development of the Ares rockets being designed for the Constellation program to lift astronauts and cargo to the space station, the Moon and eventually Mars, but it is still hurting. (10/22)

Obama: Indian Lunar Launch Must Spur U.S. Space Development (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Senator Obama released a statement on space after India's moon launch..."With India’s launch of its first unmanned lunar spacecraft following closely on the heels of China’s first spacewalk, we are reminded just how urgently the United States must revitalize its space program if we are to remain the undisputed leader in space, science, and technology. My comprehensive plan to revitalize the space program and close the gap between the Space Shuttle’s retirement and its next-generation replacement includes $2 billion more for NASA – but more money alone is not enough."

"We must not only retain our space workforce so that we don’t let other countries surpass our technical capabilities; we must train new scientists and engineers for the next generation. My comprehensive space policy focuses on reaching new frontiers through human space exploration, tapping the ingenuity of our commercial space entrepreneurs, fostering a broad research agenda to break new ground on the world’s leading scientific discoveries, and engaging students through educational programs that excite them about space and science."

"It’s time for a space program that inspires our children again. As President, I will lead our space program boldly into the 21st Century – so when my daughters, and all our children, look up to the skies, they see Americans leading the way into the deepest reaches of our solar system." (10/22)

Congress Cuts Out Appropriation for Pentagon Satellites (Source: AIA)
Intelligence appropriations committees in both the House and Senate have cut all funds for the Pentagon's planned acquisition of two commercial imaging satellites intended to complement a network of spy satellites. The move comes shortly after a decision by the Defense Department to delay awarding a $6.5 billion Transformational Communications Satellite contract until the fourth quarter of 2010. (10/22)

Jury Orders Boeing to Pay $370.6 Million in Satellite Dispute (Source: AIA)
After weeks of deliberation, a California jury has awarded a $370.6 million judgment against Boeing Co. in a dispute over satellites with ICO Global Communications Ltd. ICO alleged breach of contract after Boeing failed to complete a fleet of communications satellites following its acquisition of Hughes Electronics Corp. in 2000. ICO's claim totaled $2 billion, but punitive damages, if any, will be decided later. Boeing has announced it will appeal, citing "fundamental errors in the conduct of the trial." (10/22)

Private Companies Could Take Up Slack in U.S. Space Flight (Source: New York Times)
China's successful space walk and NASA's uncertain future might seem to indicate the U.S. is ceding its dominance in space. But William Pomerantz, senior director of the X Prize Foundation, says that conclusion ignores NASA's increased reliance on the private sector. Pomerantz says a handful of companies are "hard at work developing the technology that could lead to commercial manned spaceflight in the not too distant future," and "NASA is taking note." The space agency knows it must find ways to cut costs, and private companies could be the answer. "Offloading financial risk to the private markets and taking advantage of lower prices offered by lean entrepreneurial firms could be just the ticket," he writes. (10/22)

India Shoots For The Moon In Asian Space Race (Source: SpaceDaily.com)
India successfully launched its first lunar mission Wednesday, marking a major boost for the country's space programme and a new step in the fast-developing Asian space race. There were cheers in mission control as the unmanned lunar orbiting spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 was launched with an Indian-built rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on the southeastern coast. Officials said the lift-off, which took place in cloudy skies at 6:22 am (0052 GMT), was a "great success", with the rocket placing the craft into a transfer orbit around the globe within 19 minutes. (10/22)

New Rocket Airplane for Space Tourists (Source: Russia IC)
Russian engineers develop a rocket airplane, which will deliver space tourists to Earth’s orbit. Researchers plan to demonstrate ready and tested vehicle in 2011-2012. Russian experimental machine-building plant signed the contract with the Russian investor, who prefers to be anonymous. The contract provides funding for development of M-91 aviation and space system – six months of preliminary engineering and couple of years for all necessary tests. (10/22)

Virgin Galactic Ready to Sign New Mexico Spaceport Deal (Source: Las Cruces Sun-News)
The state's spaceport agency is on the verge of signing a formal development agreement with Virgin Galactic, the British firm with plans to base its space tourism operations at Spaceport America. The agreement has been finalized and could be signed as early as today, New Mexico Spaceport Authority Executive Director Steve Landeene said. Landeene said the only delay to signing is Virgin Galactic designating who will act as the firm's signator. Virgin Galactic project director Jonathan Firth said in an e-mail Tuesday that he would not comment until the agreement is signed. (10/22)