NASASpaceflight.com reports on a failure of an AJ-26 engine during a static fire on Thursday: One of the AJ-26 engines set to launch with a future Antares rocket has failed during testing at the Stennis Space Center on Thursday. Sources claim the engine “exploded” on a Stand located in the E Complex at the famous rocket facility. The failure is currently under evaluation, although it may delay the next Antares […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Launch of Atlas V with NROL-33 satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 22, 2014. (Credit: ULA)
United Launch Alliance Successfully Launches Four Missions in Just Seven Weeks
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., May 22, 2014 (ULA PR) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 on May 22 at 9:09 a.m. EDT. Designated NROL-33, the mission is in support of national defense.
“Congratulations to all of our mission partners on today’s successful launch of the NROL-33 mission! The ULA team is honored to deliver another critical national security asset to orbit together with the NRO Office of Space Launch and the Air Force,” said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. “Today’s launch occurred six days after last week’s GPS IIF-6 launch – the second time this year that this team has launched back-to-back missions within a week. Successfully launching at this tempo is a testament to the team’s focus on mission success, one-launch-at-a-time, and continuous improvement of our launch processes.”
Stylist.co.uk has a story on Virgin Galactic astronaut relations manager Gemma Vigor, whose job it is to keep the company’s 700 ticket holders informed and happy. It contains a bit of an interesting passage: “The first commercial flight is likely to take place in early 2015. The Winklevoss twins, Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber and Leonardo DiCaprio have already signed up to fly, although we hope that Richard [Branson] and his […]
Veterans of John Carmack’s hibernating Armadillo Aerospace have formed a new company dedicated to picking up with the game developer’s side project left off. Exos Aerospace has an ambitious agenda to build four suborbital rockets within a year, and begin development of a human-rated rocket during that same time period. The goal is to provide customers “with affordable, repeatable, and reliable commercial spaceflight with accelerated turnaround,” according to the company’s […]
When I heard last week that FedEx was going to make some incredibly exciting space-related announcement, my imagination went wild. Would the freight carrier announce an agreement with Swiss Space Systems to develop a hypersonic suborbital point to point delivery system capable of getting my package to a destination where it absolutely, positively had to be yesterday? Or maybe a deal with Virgin Galactic would render all of Richard Branson’s New York to Tokyo in under an hour talk into something more than just…well, talk.
Nope, no such luck. If this has seriously depressed you and you don’t want to know more, then move on to another story. If not, read the press release below.
PAVERNE, Switzerland, May 20th, 2014 (S3 PR) — In 2015, Swiss Space Systems (S3) will put the ZeroG experience within everyone’s reach. S3 is launching affordable zero gravity flights from more than 15 locations across the world including, for the first time ever, Asia, the Middle East and Central America.
ZeroG flights make it possible to experience true weightlessness, allowing bodies and materials to float free of the earth’s gravitational pull. The S3 parabolic flights are completely safe, and supervised by space professionals and a crew of qualified personnel. All flights last less than 2 hours, during which 15 parabolas are performed, each providing an experience of weightlessness for 20 to 25 seconds.
LAS CRUCES, NM (NMSA PR) — In recognition of the energy-efficient design and construction of Spaceport America, the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) received Gold status from the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) this month. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification was awarded to the 110,000 sq.-ft. “Gateway to Space” terminal hangar building at Spaceport America, now under a 20-year lease to Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline.
The LEED is the USGBC’s rating system for design and construction of energy-efficient and high-performing buildings. The Virgin Galactic “Gateway to Space” building was designed by the team of Foster + Partners and URS, and was planned from the start to meet LEED Gold certification. The facility was designed and constructed to be sensitive to the environment with an organic structure created to blend into the scenic surroundings while protecting the El Camino Real National Historic Trail view shed.
SLS, Orion, and GSDO Capabilities: NASA plans for SLS Block IA to utilize advanced boosters, Block IB an exploration upper stage, and Block II the advanced boosters and exploration upper stage. The agency has not yet determined whether it will first develop the Block IA or Block IB variant. (Credit: NASA)
A review by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that NASA’s cost estimates for the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft are….well, crap. Although that’s not technically what the agency said, it’s pretty close.
“The scope of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) preliminary cost estimates for the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion), and associated ground systems encompasses only the programs’ initial capabilities and does not include the long-term, life cycle costs associated with the programs or significant prior costs,” the report states.
The review, titled, “NASA: Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Assess Long-Term Affordability of Human Exploration Programs,” was submitted to Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, who is the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Key excerpts from the report follow.
NASA technician Ricky Hall prepares a scale model of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft for tests inside the Unitary Plan wind tunnel at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. (Credit: NASA/David C. Bowman)
By Sasha Congiu
NASA’s Langley Research Center, Va.
With meticulous effort and attention to detail, NASA technician Ricky Hall hand-glued 250 grains of sand across a 22-inch long model of Sierra Nevada Corporation’s (SNC) Dream Chaser spacecraft. Each individually placed grain of sand creates turbulent flow along the vehicle, simulating what the actual spacecraft will experience during flight.
ARLINGTON, Va., May 20, 2014 (OmniEarth PR)– OmniEarth LLC announced today a partnership with Harris Corp., Draper Laboratory and Dynetics to create a constellation of satellites to deliver high resolution analytics-grade, multispectral imagery data and products, and hosted payloads to commercial and government customers. Imagery data and products will be for subscribers in the agriculture, energy, natural resources, mobile services and government communities.
The planned OmniEarth constellation of up to 18 satellites will cover 100% of the Earth once per day. OmniEarth’s imagery and analytics will enhance users’ ability to detect, analyze, react to and predict economic and environmental change in near real time.