ASRC Wins Air Force
Launch Support Contract at Cape Canaveral Spaceport
(Source: DOD)
ASRC has been awarded a $395,000,000 Air Force IDIQ contract for launch
operations and infrastructure support at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport
and Eastern Range annexes. This award is the result of a competitive
acquisition, and four offers were received. (12/26)
Russia Restores Contact
with Angosat Satellite (Source: TASS)
Russian officials said they have restored contact with the newly
launched Angosat-1 satellite. In a statement, satellite manufacturer
RSC Energia said they were again receiving telemetry from the satellite
and that "all its systems settings are in order." The communications
satellite, launched Tuesday on a Zenit, stopped transmitting shortly
after deployment from the rocket's upper stage. Energia suggested an
issue with the satellite's battery may have caused the temporary loss
of communications. (12/29)
Orlando Magic Unveil
Space-Themed Jersey (Source: WBDO)
The NBA's Orlando Magic will have a space-themed jersey. The team
revealed the jersey this week, featuring its logo on a star field
background intended to pay homage to Central Florida's history of space
exploration. The jersey is part of the league's "City Edition" series
of alternative jerseys, and the Magic will wear it for the first time
in a game in late January. (12/27)
Failed Space Launches
Haunt Russia; Kremlin Eyes Probe (Source: Seattle Times)
Russia’s latest space launch failures have prompted authorities to take
a closer look into the nation’s struggling space industry, the Kremlin
said Thursday. A Russian weather satellite and nearly 20
micro-satellites from other nations were lost following a failed launch
from Russia’s new cosmodrome in the Far East on Nov. 28. And in another
blow to the Russian space industry, communications with a Russian-built
communications satellite for Angola, the African nation’s first space
vehicle, were lost following its launch on Tuesday.
Asked about the failures, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry
Peskov, said Thursday that authorities warrant a thorough analysis of
the situation in the space industry. Amid the failures, Russian
officials have engaged in a round of finger-pointing. Click here.
(12/28)
China Tests New Ballistic
Missiles with Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (Source: Space
Daily)
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force has conducted two flight
tests of a new ballistic missile attached to a hypersonic glide vehicle
(HGV), US officials confirmed in a recent intelligence assessment. The
two DF-17 ballistic missile tests occurred November 1 and November 15,
respectively, a US official briefed on the intelligence assessment told
the Diplomat on December 28. (12/29)
2018 a Big Year of
Transition for Military Space (Source: Space News)
A controversial shakeup of the military space organization mandated by
Congress will get underway in 2018. Details of how and when the changes
will unfold are slowly emerging. A laundry list of provisions in the
National Defense Authorization Act will reshape the military space
chain of command and oversight of programs. Pentagon and Air Force
officials are still grappling with the full extent of the reforms, the
most significant of which is the removal of the role of principal
Defense Department space adviser from the secretary of the Air Force.
(12/29)
Italy's Avio Expanding
Vega Launch Abilities, Mulls “Light” Mini-Variant (Source:
Space News)
Designers of Europe’s light-lift Vega rocket are creating a slew of new
products intended to lure prospective customers away from India’s Polar
Satellite Launch Vehicle and to fend off the coming wave of launch
startups that are developing dedicated rockets for cubesats and other
small satellites.
Avio’s product mix includes a suite of advanced offerings meant to
challenge PSLV on grounds other than price — a factor both Avio and the
European Space Agency admit plays to India’s advantage — as well as a
possible “mini-launcher” variant, to perform dedicated missions for
cubesats and larger but still low-mass satellites. (12/28)
NASA, American Girl
Inspire Next Generation of Space Explorers (Source: NASA)
NASA is collaborating with a well-known doll and book company to
inspire children to dream big and reach for the stars. Through a Space
Act Agreement, NASA partnered with American Girl to share the
excitement of space with the public, and in particular, inspire young
girls to learn about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
NASA provided the company subject matter experts for their advisory
board, provided input for an upcoming book series, and also reviewed
merchandise as it was developed for a new STEM-inspired character to
ensure authenticity and adherence to agency graphic and media usage
standards. In addition to technical advice, NASA provided imagery and
content for a new American Girl app and educational website. The app
and website will offer children space simulations, educational quizzes,
challenges, and more. (12/28)
This Aerospace Company Is
Ready To Blast Off (Source: ValueWalk)
It would be great to be able to invest in a company with such a unique
and monopoly-like focus as SpaceX and Blue Horizon, but unfortunately
that’s not an easy option; these companies are not publicly traded.
However, I believe the next best option is investing in the systems
that make these companies’ rockets “go.” I believe I’ve found the best
investment in the space industry right now. It’s a relatively small
aerospace and defense company here in the United States. Its specialty
is propulsion systems, which comes in handy when working with rockets
and other space-traveling vehicles. In fact, it’s the largest producer
of space propulsion and power systems in the U.S.
The company also has a huge client for whom it does most of its
business: NASA. In the past, most of the business it has done for NASA
involved the space shuttle. It also supplies the batteries used to keep
the station running. Another project this company has been selected to
work on is the propulsion system for the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA)’s Experimental Spaceplane. In this project, it
is collaborating with Boeing to make a hybrid airplane/traditional
launch vehicle that will be used to send military satellites into space.
Of course, any company can sound like a great investment, but it still
has to be financially stable to actually be a great investment. That’s
why I believe Aerojet Rocketdyne is on the verge of newfound growth in
revenue due to the revitalized space program. Looking at Aerojet’s
stock price, it’s obvious that the market has discovered the company’s
growth potential. The stock has gone up about 100% over the past year.
But I still believe it has plenty of room to grow going forward.
(12/27)
Presidential Visions for
Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump (Source: Space.com)
Kennedy, of course, isn't the only leader who had a vision for the
nation's space program. Since NASA's founding in 1958, every president
from Eisenhower to Obama has left his mark. Take a look at how each
U.S. commander-in-chief helped shape and steer American activities in
space. Click here.
(12/28)
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin
Buys More Land Near Kent HQ for Expansion (Source: Puget
Sound Business Journal)
Blue Origin has purchased 31 acres of agricultural land for $14
million. Owned by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, Kent-based Blue Origin
filed plans with the city to build office/warehouse structures on the
property. "The company employs over 750 people at its Kent headquarters
and anticipates adding hundreds more in the coming years," Kent Mayor
Suzette Cooke said in April.
"An expansion project is underway on what is known as the Barnier
Property near its current campus, and Blue Origin has additionally
purchased a 120,000-square-foot building across the street for further
growth." Blue Origin is using that building to manufacture some BE-4
rocket engines and reusable booster rockets. Bezos has sold $1 billion
worth of Amazon.com stock annually in recent years to fund the space
business. (12/27)
Emerging Technologies in
Healthcare Will Benefit the Future of Space Health
(Source: LinkedIn)
To ensure astronauts stay healthy on long-duration spaceflights to the
Moon, Mars and beyond, we can learn from terrestrial healthcare
innovation. New technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are
making tremendous progress to a point where they could possibly provide
real care. Conversational AI services are actually being set-up and
tested worldwide to play a role in psychological coaching for patients.
Virtual- and augmented-reality tools can also be used to train
astronauts for medical procedures in a realistic way, which is
something startups are working on for terrestrial healthcare, for
example for surgery. Digital solutions ensure on-demand availability of
care, focused on patients instead of centered around institutions. At
the same time, terrestrial healthcare might benefit from solutions that
are the result of designing for extreme environments. (12/28)
NASA Works with FAA to
Upgrade Air Traffic Control (Source: KJZZ)
The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA are joining on a new
system designed to smooth air traffic control operations by integrating
arrival, departure and surface control under one system. "NASA brings
some sort of scheduling capability and tools and interfaces it to the
existing systems, and on to the controller and flight crews in order
for them to conform to those schedules," said Leighton Quon, NASA
project manager. (12/26)
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