The U.S. Air Force has awarded contracts worth a maximum of $494.9 million each to 14 companies under its Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) program.

‘The purpose of the multiple awarded HoPS IDIQ [indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity] contract is to provide a rapid and flexible means for the government to acquire commercial hosting capabilities for government payloads,” according to the contract announcement. “The contract is designed to create a pool of qualified vendors to meet the government’s needs for various hosted payload missions.”

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SpaceX CCiCAP Milestone Status Award Period: August 2012 – March 2015 Milestones: 20 Milestones Completed: 14 Milestones Remaining: 6 Total Possible Award: $460 Million Total Award to Date: $357 Million Total Award Remaining: $103 Million Several notable changes have occurred in SpaceX’s milestones and timelines. First, the time period has been extended from August 2014 to March 2015. This change will allow the company to complete an in-flight abort test […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jul 09, 2014 (Aerojet Rocketdyne PR) — Aerojet Rocketdyne, a GenCorp GY company, has completed a study with Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to develop a common upper stage service for NASA, designed to enhance the performance of the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II medium and heavy launch vehicles for planetary and heliophysics missions, and pave the way for additional missions by providing more affordable launch services.

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SpaceShipTwo on final approach during a glide flight on Jan. 17, 2014. (Credit: Douglas Messier)

By Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Virgin Galactic’s application for a launch license for SpaceShipTwo has been on hold since January while legislators in Washington attempt to fix a quirk in the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulations governing licenses and experimental permits, the company said.

The specific issue involves a provision in the law that makes an experimental permit invalid once a launch license is issued for a vehicle, according to Will Pomerantz, Virgin Galactic’s vice president for special projects. Flight testing of SpaceShipTwo and its WhiteKnightTwo mother ship is continuing at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

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Dream Chaser (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

SPARKS, Nev. (SNC PR) – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces it completed the acquisition of Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. The company will continue its operations in Madison, while supporting SNC’s Space Systems in Louisville, Colorado.

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Xaero-B first flight!!! Looked good. Now getting ready for more! — David Masten (@dmasten) July 11, 2014

An announcement from SpaceX: The Air Force has certified SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch system as having conducted three successful flights, a prerequisite for companies seeking to win business from the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program. Under Air Force standards, SpaceX is already qualified to compete for EELV missions, but SpaceX must also be certified by the Air Force before any contract can be awarded to the company. […]

Schematic view of asteroid (25143) Itokawa. (Credit: ESO)

Proving that there is some vision in Congress after all, U.S. Representatives Bill Posey (R-FL) and Derek Kilmer (D-WA) have introduced introduced the American Space Technology for Exploring Resource Opportunities in Deep Space (ASTEROIDS) Act of 2014, which “establishes and protects property rights for commercial space exploration and utilization of asteroid resources.”

Now, if they can only get a budget passed by the end of the fiscal year, Congress could demonstrate vision and basic competence at governance, something it hasn’t achieved in many years. (It’s looking like another continuing resolution for NASA.)

But, I digress.

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SEATTLE, WA, July 11, 2014 (Space Angels PR) – Space Angels Network will be hosting an exclusive Members’ Expedition in Southern California, from Wednesday, September 10th to Friday, September 12th, 2014.

The Expedition will include tours of launch, space vehicle, propulsion, flight test, and other space companies in Los Angeles and Mojave. As part of the program, there will also be two aerospace investment panels, a visit to the Space Shuttle Endeavor, and a group hike overlooking the Mojave Space Port. This event is offered only to Space Angels Network members and select guests.

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Orbital Mission Update – July 11, 2014 Orbital announced this morning that the launch of the Antares rocket for the Orb-2 Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station for NASA has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 13 at 12:52 p.m. EDT. Over the past several days, Orbital’s launch team has made great progress in preparing the rocket for the Orb-2 mission, which will be the fourth flight of […]