EML Electromagentic Levitator – Dennis Mitschke is fixing the Sample chamber to the Experiment module (Credit: Airbus Defence and Space)

TOULOUSE, France (Airbus PR) — Airbus Defence and Space, world’s number two in space technologies, has built the Electromagnetic Levitator (EML) facility which was developed under parallel contracts of the European Space Agency ESA and the DLR Space Administration.

EML is a containerless processing furnace for materials research in the European Columbus lab, set to uncover a deeper understanding of advanced alloy and semiconductor materials and their molten state properties for the optimisation of industrial scale casting as well as for basic research. The EML together with the first batch of samples is part of the cargo complement scheduled to be transported to the International Space Station (ISS) in June by the European resupply spacecraft ATV-5 (Automated Transfer Vehicle).

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ATLANTA, Feb. 28, 2014 (GO PR) — Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) is pleased to welcome Mr. Alex Adams to the team as an Aerospace Engineer. Mr. Adams will be responsible for design, prototyping, integration and testing of GOLauncher 2 subsystems being developed in-house at GO, as well as conducting system-level analyses.

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TOKYO (JAXA PR) — The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is making final preparations towards the development of our new flagship launch vehicle from Japan Fiscal Year (JFY) 2014. The new flagship launch vehicle will be freshly developed with a goal of securing Japan’s autonomous launch capability of satellites and other payloads while acquiring international competitiveness in the space transportation field and maintaining and developing technical and industrial bases. The […]

Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica (Ad Astra PR) — Ad Astra Rocket Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Ad Astra Rocket Company, Costa Rica, SRL (Ad Astra, CR) and Costa Rica’s state-owned Petroleum Refinery, RECOPE, have signed a US$400,000 contract setting forth the next phase of their ongoing collaboration in hydrogen technology development. The agreement was signed by Litleton Bolton Jones, President of the Board of RECOPE and Franklin Chang Díaz, Ad Astra’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The partnership, which was formed in 2010, is exploring the operational viability of a hydrogen-based transportation infrastructure in Costa Rica, the primary goal of which is to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported oil. Hydrogen is a clean, renewable fuel that can be produced from water by wind and/or solar energy.

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Rep. Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) has introduced the California Aerospace Innovation Hub Act, which would allow for the creation of special zones where aerospace companies would enjoy tax and regulatory privileges. “It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would create geographically based aerospace hubs around existing aerospace manufacturing clusters, and that within the aerospace hubs aerospace manufacturers and related businesses would benefit from special tax preferences, streamlined […]

One capture concept being explored through ESA’s e.Deorbit system study for Active Debris Removal – capturing the satellite in a net attached to either a flexible tether (as seen here) or a rigid connection. (Credit: ESA)

PARIS (ESA PR) –– Standard space dockings are difficult enough, but a future ESA mission plans to capture derelict satellites adrift in orbit. Part of an effort to control space debris, the shopping list of new technologies this ambitious mission requires is set for discussion with industry experts.

ESA’s Clean Space initiative is studying the e.DeOrbit mission for removing debris, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of the space industry on Earth and space alike.

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Friday was a big day for finding out more about the two leading suborbital companies. XCOR conducted a Q&A with CEO Jeff Greason using questions submitted via Facebook and Twitter. Read the transcript on XCOR’s blog and find out more about the status of the Lynx space plane, point-to-point travel, and the company’s plans for the future. Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic Vice President of Special Projects Will Pomerantz joined Richard Branson’s […]

Dream Chaser shuttle. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

Louisville, Colo., February 28, 2014 (Sierra Nevada PR) – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces the successful completion of a flight-profile data review milestone for its Dream Chaser^® spacecraft.

Completed under the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement, Milestone 4a gave engineers the opportunity to review data from the Dream Chaser flight test that was conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in collaboration with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center. To date, SNC has completed over 70 percent of its CCiCap agreement total award value, receiving 100 percent of the milestone value awarded for each milestone completed.

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Chris Ferguson, Boeing’s director of Crew and Mission Operations and commander of the final Space Shuttle flight, virtually returned to space recently in the Boeing [NYSE: BA] Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 simulator to satisfy a NASA testing requirement for the spacecraft. Pictured are Ferguson (center) and Boeing Commercial Crew Design Team lead Steve Everett. (Credit: Boeing)

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Video Caption: The Les Sayer Memorial Lecture given by Alan Bond (Aerospace Engineer, Reaction Engines) titled “Skylon: Shaping Tomorrow”