A couple of brief updates on the XCOR move to Midland, Texas. It looks as though the FAA is about to complete its environmental assessment of Midland International Airport’s spaceport license application: In the next two weeks, the Federal Aviation Administration General Council is expected to approve the airport’s environmental assessment portion of their application. The application will then be published in the federal register. CBS-7 News is also reporting […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS-L, spacecraft is moved into position for mating atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 41. (Credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis)
By Steven Siceloff,
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
The next element in the communications network that links NASA’s ground controllers to orbiting spacecraft is ready for launch Jan. 23 following several weeks of preparations.
TDRS-L will become the 11th member of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System orbiting Earth following its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Liftoff is scheduled for Jan. 23 during a launch window that opens at 9:05 p.m. EST.
MOJAVE, Calif. (VG PR) – Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, announced today that it has reached a significant milestone in the testing of a new family of liquid rocket engines for LauncherOne, the company’s small satellite launch vehicle.
As part of a rapid development program, Virgin Galactic has now hot-fired both a 3,500 lbf thrust rocket engine and a 47,500 lbf thrust rocket engine, called the “NewtonOne” and “NewtonTwo” respectively. Further, the NewtonOne engine has successfully completed a full-mission duty cycle on the test stand, firing for the five-minute duration expected of the upper stage engine on a typical flight to orbit. These tests are being conducted on two new state-of-the-art test stands that the team designed, assembled and installed internally.
Nitrous nylon engine test on Jan. 16, 2014 at the Mojave Air and Space Port. (Credit: Ken Brown)
After a two-month gap, Scaled Composites has updated the RocketMotorTwo Hot-Fire Test Summaries page on its website with details of four motor tests run since Nov. 14.
Before you get too excited about this, be aware that the updates actually obscure more than they reveal. The summaries indicate that engine tests took place on specific days, but they provide no real details on what was tested, how long it was fired, or how the tests fit into the overall engine development program. The logs provide an impression of progress and openness while hiding deeper problems in the engine program.
Why are they doing these things? And what exactly are they hiding? Those are really good questions that I will attempt to answer.
BOULDER, CO, January 22, 2014 (Golden Spike PR) – The Golden Spike Company—the world’s first enterprise planning to undertake human lunar expeditions for countries, corporations and individuals— announced today a partnership with Draper Laboratory to examine the range of landing sites that Golden Spike can offer for its commercial human missions to the Moon.
Draper provides advanced Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) systems, high-performance, reliable space science instruments, and processing systems for NASA and the U.S. military. Draper provided similar landing site selection studies to NASA’s Constellation lunar landing program.
Mojave Air and Space Port CEO Stu Witt (Credit: Bill Deaver)
Mojave Air & Space Port New Year’s Greeting
By Stuart O. Witt
Happy New Year!
On January 1, 1914 America entered the commercial air service arena with a flight that lasted just a few minutes and carried one passenger sitting on a wood seat across a short distance in south Florida. Today millions of passengers will board commercial aircraft and statistically all will reach their destination safely, in large part because of the robust industry in which we are a central participant.
Things occurred in the first 100 years of commercial air travel that no one could have predicted 100, 80 or even 70 years ago. If you asked anyone in 1925, “Within the next 70 years will people board a pressurized aircraft powered by jet engines and be fed steak and lobster, watch the latest movies or television while talking via telephone to their home or office?” they would have laughed in your face. But it did happen and the quality of life for all people has grown exponentially with our industry.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (Space Florida PR) — This month, Space Florida and MATIMOP (Israel’s industrial center for research and development), on behalf of the Israeli Chief Scientist Office, issued a joint Request For Proposals (RFP) for research and development projects sponsored by companies in both states.
In October 2013, the States of Florida and Israel formed a $2 million joint industrial research funding program to support research, development and commercialization of aerospace and technology projects that benefit both States.
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) of Sparks, Nev., will announce expansion plans for its Dream Chaser Space System program in a news conference Thursday, Jan. 23, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The announcement will be carried live on NASA Television and the agency’s website at 3 p.m. EST. SNC officials will discuss the company’s plans for expansion in the Kennedy area and the current status of the Dream Chaser […]
The Stuart O. Witt Event Center. (Credit: Douglas Messier)
Mojave residents can officially say goodbye to the Pool Building on Poole Street (No Relation).
The Mojave Air and Space Port Board of Directors voted on Tuesday to rename the structure after CEO and General Manager Stu Witt, who spearheaded the renovation of the building where military pilots once underwent emergency water egress training.
The Stuart O. Witt Event Center will host its first public gathering next month when the Antelope Valley Board of Trade holds its Business Outlook Conference on Feb. 21.
Market Brief reports that XCOR Aerospace has raised $14.2 million in equity investment as part of a $20 million private offering. Xcor Aerospace Inc did not disclose revenue figures according to the SEC Filing detailing the transaction. The type of investment being offered was listed as equity (opposed to debt, warrants, or other types of investment options). Xcor Aerospace Inc noted they began raising the money on December 30, 2013. […]