The following statement was issued on The Spaceship Company’s Facebook page on Thursday: “This afternoon, a small fire broke out on a pallet of scrap material in an outside area of the Mojave Air and Space Port near a building used by The Spaceship Company. The local fire department was quickly called in, and successfully extinguished the fire. All airport and tenant employees are safe and accounted for. As a […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Fire outside a Virgin Galactic hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port. (Credit: Douglas Messier)
At just after 5:15, I got a rather alarming text message.
“Loud boom from airport, followed by billowing black smoke.”
At the airport? That’s where I was. I thought I’d heard something. An engine explosion in the test area? A plane crash?
I ran out the door and around the building when I saw it.
PITTSBURGH, Penn. (Astrobotic PR) — Astrobotic’s mission to Lacus Mortis is aiming for several firsts – first demonstration of autonomous precision landing within 100m, first flyover and circumnavigation of a lunar skylight, first winner of the Google Lunar XPRIZE, and now, delivery of the first marketing campaign to the Moon. Astrobotic is taking Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s “Lunar Dream” time capsule as a payload on its inaugural mission. The Japanese beverage maker […]
Zero2inifinity is looking to raise $12 million euros ($16.4 million) for its Bloon project, which is designed to carry passengers in a pressurized cabin on high-altitude trips. Founder José Mariano López-Urdiale said the company has 7 million euros ($9.5 million) in commitments if it can close the 12 million euro round of funding.
The good folks at the Florida Space Development Council have provided this handy final report on the fates of space initiatives during the current legislative session. It was a good session overall, with most objectives achieved. In all, Gov. Rick Scott approved $22 million in space spending, includes funding for Space Florida, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Institute of Technology, Cecil Field Spaceport, Shuttle Landing Facility, space tourism marketing, and a […]
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a FY 2015 budget for NASA that totals $17.9 billion. The amount $439 million above the Obama Administration’s request and $254 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. The spending plan is also in line with the $17.896 billion approved by the House. Details on the Senate spending measure are still a bit sparse, but the Commercial Crew Program would receive $805 million, […]
Credit: Ken Brown
BOULDER, Colo. (UC-Boulder PR) — A University of Colorado Boulder payload carrying a novel device designed to reduce the weight and cost of spacecraft fuel pumping systems has been manifested for launch on a suborbital space plane called SpaceShipTwo developed by the aerospace company Virgin Galactic.
The CU-Boulder payload consists of a lubrication-free, pistonless rocket fuel pump, said aerospace engineering sciences Associate Professor Ryan Starkey, principal investigator on the project. The device represents a potential advancement for rocket propellant pressurization and transfer that would reduce the weight and cost of spacecraft fuel systems.
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — With two companies now providing commercial cargo launch services for the International Space Station, NASA is issuing its final report on the now-complete Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program that laid the groundwork for those flights.
The report, titled “Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, A New Era in Spaceflight” (NASA/SP-2014-617), documents the work of NASA’s Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office (C3PO) between 2005 and 2013 to partner with private industry to take over more routine operations in low-Earth orbit. This move toward more cooperative engagement with industry partners allowed NASA to focus more on scientific research, technology development and exploration goals.
Final Frontier Design’s 3G suit with cover garment with a Starfighters F-104 in the taxi area of the Shuttle Landing Facility at KSC. (Credit: Final Frontier Design)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., June 4, 2014 (SFA/FFD PR) — Starfighters Aerospace (SFA) and Final Frontier Design (FFD) are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to integrate and optimize the FFD 3G Space Suit for SFA’s F-104 supersonic jets.
The 3G Space Suit is an Intra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) safety garment designed to protect pilots in a high altitude environment. Integration with life support and ejection systems, as well as design optimization for the fighter’s cockpit, will take place in 2014. The 3G suit will enable SFA high altitude research flights and suborbital point-to-point pathfinder missions within the next year.
JACKSONVILLE, FL, June 2, 2014 (JAA PR) — The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) today applauded Gov. Rick Scott for signing the 2014-2015 state budget, which includes $2 million to build infrastructure necessary for the development of Cecil Spaceport. JAA also expressed appreciation for the continued support of Cecil Spaceport by the Florida Legislature, including members of the First Coast Legislative Delegation, the Florida Department of Transportation and Space Florida. Cecil […]