Space News reports that Orbital Sciences Corporation and the Commonwealth of Virginia have settled a lawsuit over the ownership of the transport system that carries the company’s Antares rocket from its assembly building to its launch pad on Wallops Island. The publication reports that Virginia has agreed to take ownership of Transporter Erector Launcher. Neither side would disclose the terms of the out-of-court settlement. Orbital Sciences had been seeking for the […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
I received a copy earlier this week of Tom Bower’s new book, “Branson: Behind the Mask.” I’ve started to read the new biography, which has substantial information about Virgin Galactic and its SpaceShipTwo program mixed within accounts of the British billionaire’s other business ventures. I’m going to hold off on any reviews until I’m finished with the book and can digest its contents. I’ve already reported some of the information […]
The annual Antelope Valley Board of Trade’s Business Outlook Conference — held on Friday at the Mojave Air and Space Port — featured addresses by Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, Scaled Composites President Kevin Mickey, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, and spaceport CEO/General Manager Stu Witt. Here are the highlights: Whitesides promised a “fun announcement” next week of Virgin Galactic’s 700th and 701st customers. (fAny speculation out there among Parabolic […]
Video Caption: The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well at the Mojave Air & Space Port. Mojave Air & Space Port CEO Stuart Witt highlights three visionary leaders – Jeff Greason, George Whitesides and Kevin Mickey – who are leading the private space revolution. Much like Kitty Hawk, North Carolina was the birthplace of the modern aviation movement, now Mojave, California has become the hot spot for emerging aviation and […]
The Russian head of the Baikonur Cosmodrome has resigned. Yevgeny Anisimov, who headed the space center since 2010, was recently summoned to Moscow and pressured to sign a letter of resignation. RIA Novosti reports that Anisimov, who had worked at Baikonur for almost 30 years, “will likely be reappointed to a position at Russia’s space launch coordination body.” Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported that Anisimov had reportedly clashed with his superiors […]
Greetings from the Antelope Valley Board of Trade’s Business Outlook Conference! During lunch, Mojave Air and Space Port Stu Witt announced that Masten Space Systems successfully flew a vehicle this morning. He said the vehicle went to an altitude of 300 meters, translated over and touched down safely on another landing pad. Witt did not say which vehicle it was, but I’m guessing it was a Xombie. Masten has been […]
Blue Origin’s pusher escape system rockets the New Shepard crew capsule away from the launch pad. (Credit: Blue Origin)
The FAA recently approved Blue Origin’s application to expand operations at its West Texas test site “to include new development vehicles, which would use liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants.”
The supplemental environmental assessment was required because of a shift in propellants used in flight tests. The FAA conducted an earlier review in 2006 when it originally approved the testing of reusable propulsion modules and crew capsules (CCs) at the site.
A report from WTKR-TV on the possibiility of Bigelow Aerospace launching space stations and human crews from Wallops Island, Virginia.
After nearly 20 years of development, Russians new Angara rocket is on track to make its inaugural flight sometime during the second quarter of this year. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev spoke confidently of the rocket’s future as he toured the Plesetsk Cosmodrome where the launch vehicle is being prepped for the mission. “The rocket has been designed and produced entirely by domestic companies and uses environmentally-friendly propellants,” Medvedev […]
Delta IV lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (Credit: Ben Cooper, United Launch Alliance)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., Feb. 21, 2014 (ULA PR) – A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV rocket successfully launched the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-5 satellite for the U.S. Air Force on Feb. 20 at 8:59 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex-37. This is ULA’s second launch in 2014 and the 79th launch since the company was formed in December 2006.