Dream Chaser (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

Ahead of a scheduled press conference later this morning, ESA has issued a press release providing a few more details on its cooperation with Sierra Nevada Corporation on the Dream Chaser shuttle. The joint work involves “an understanding to identify areas of collaboration with European industry for developing hardware and mission concepts for the Dream Chaser orbital transportation system.”

ESA will work with Sierra Nevada Corporation to identify how European hardware, software and expertise can be used to further the capabilities of the Dream Chaserorbital crew vehicle. ESA and SNC will also study the possibilities for creating an industrial consortium including European partners to use Dream Chaser for European missions.

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The 18-foot-diameter (5.5-meter) cryogenic propellant tank, currently being manufactured at the Boeing Developmental Center in Tukwila, Wash., will be one of the largest composite propellant tanks ever made and is scheduled to be pressure tested in 2014 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. (Credit: Boeing)

NASA Looks Back on 2013

Developing Technologies for the Future

This year, NASA created a Space Technology Mission Directorate to help advance the cutting-edge technologies it will need for future missions. The agency completed testing on a prototype composite cryogenic propellant tank with a 25 percent reduction in cost and 30 percent reduction in weight, resulting in increased payload capacity.

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Sierra Nevada Corporation Press Conference Dream Chaser® Space System Global Cooperation with the European Space Agency and German Aerospace Center WHAT: Prior to The International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF) and the IAA Space Exploration Conference/Heads of Agencies Summit on Exploration, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will host a press conference to announce the global expansion of its Dream Chaser Space System based on recently finalized technical understandings to identify areas of […]

A chemical-sensing prototype plugged into an iTouch 30-pin dock connector with the display-side up. (Credit: NASA Ames/Dominic Hart)

REDWOOD CITY, CA, Jan 7, 2014 (Vantage Health PR) – Vantage Health Inc., (OTCQB: VNTH) and its parent company Nanobeak Inc. today announced that NASA and Nanobeak have entered into an exclusive 5-year license agreement to commercialize mobile healthcare products derived from NASA patented chemical sensing technology. This exclusive 5-year license agreement has been sublicensed to Vantage Health Inc.

Telemedicine and mobile healthcare is formed by the intersection of medicine and digital technology. Nanobeak and Vantage Health have been developing sensor based mobile applications based on patented NASA technology, for non-invasive disease screening at the earliest stages, to be implemented for point of care and individualized healthcare screening using a proprietary breathalyzer attached to a smartphone.

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An Ariane 5 rocket soars into orbit on Dec. 29, 2010. Credits: ESA / CNES / Arianespace / Photo Optique vidéo du CSG

Despite a government subsidy of 100 million euros, Arianespace expects to lose money in 2013 when all the accounts are totalled up. However, the European launch company is looking toward a record breaking year in 2014 as it works through a large manifest, Space News reports.

Arianespace launch consortium expects to report a ‘slight loss’ for 2013 following a revenue drop of some 27 percent compared to 2012 as a result of lower-than-planned launch activity, Arianespace Chief Executive Stephane Israel said Jan. 7.

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NASA Orbital-1 Cargo Mission Update At a Launch Readiness Review Monday, managers for Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., and NASA gave a “go” to proceed toward the Wednesday, Jan. 8, launch of the Orbital-1 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, pending the completion of remaining testing, data reviews and a Wallops Range Authority to Proceed. Orbital is targeting a 1:32 p.m. EST launch. Join the conversation on […]

Photo taken by the Expedition 34 crew aboard the International Space Station during the March 3, 2013 approach, capture and docking of the SpaceX Dragon. (Credit: NASA)

NASA Looks Back at 2013

Commercial Space Progress

A little more than two years after the end of the Space Shuttle Program, NASA has returned the International Space Station resupply missions to the United States in a powerful partnership with U.S. companies SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, who are investing here and creating good-paying jobs for American workers.

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Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space (AES-1) consists of Commercial Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus and 16 Group Activation Packs. Here, astronaut Mark Kelly works with similar hardware used in the NLP-Vaccine-10 investigation. (Credit:
BioServe Space Technologies)

HOUSTON (NASA PR) — Delivering ants to space, sloshy fluids for robotic satellites, a study on antibiotic drug resistance and other small satellites to the International Space Station can be a tough job, and now Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., can help carry the load. In its first commercial resupply journey after completion of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, the Orbital-1 mission will deliver some very interesting new scientific investigations to the space station.

Orbital’s Antares rocket is planned to launch Jan. 8 from Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. Antares is scheduled to deliver the Cygnus spacecraft full of new research investigations, supplies and other space station hardware to the space station on Jan. 12.

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Falcon 9 lifts off with the Thaicom-6 satellite. (Credit: SpaceX)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral this evening and placed the Thaicom-6 communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. SpaceX says that deployment of the satellite was confirmed at 5:37 p.m. EST.

It was the second successful deployment of a communications satellite by SpaceX following the launch of the SES-8 spacecraft last month.

Below is SpaceX’s press release issued following the launch:

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida – Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) successfully launched the THAICOM 6 satellite for leading Asian satellite operator THAICOM.  Falcon 9 delivered THAICOM 6 to its targeted 295 x 90,000 km geosynchronous transfer orbit at 22.5 degrees inclination.  The Falcon 9 launch vehicle performed as expected, meeting 100% of mission objectives.

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Launch Update From SpaceX SpaceX is targeted to launch the THAICOM 6 telecommunications satellite for the satellite provider THAICOM today, January 6, 2014. The satellite will launch aboard an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX’s Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. The launch window opens at 5:06pm EST, with additional launch opportunities available January 7-12, 2014. The launch will be broadcast live at www.spacex.com/webcast beginning at 4:25pm EST. A full […]