Good morning world! It’s 0640 here in Mojave. Dawn has broken, sunrise is in about 11 minutes. Clear skies, light winds and with the exception of subfreezing temperatures (25 degrees F right now), it’s a good day to fly. And it looks like that’s what SpaceShipTwo is going to do this morning. Follow me at www.twitter.com/spacecom for updates. The reflective coating that I mentioned on SpaceShipTwo is Kapton.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Credit: Douglas Messier
UPDATE: The reflective coating is Kapton. Virgin Galactic just Tweeted it. There is a flight this morning.
SpaceShipTwo was outside on the ramp at the Mojave Air and Space Port on Monday, slung under its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft and sporting some blast-from-the-past modifications that appear to be right out of the Eisenhower era.
Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides has been in the United Kingdom, where he said that the company is “on track” for the start of commercial spaceflights despite the relatively slow pace of SpaceShipTwo flight test program.
Menlo Park, CA., Dec 9, 2013 (Team Phoenicia PR) – Team Phoenicia LLC, a space payload services provider, announced today an agreement with Space Exploration Engineering Corporation of Friday Harbor, WA to provide “space traffic control” for the multiple spacecraft to be launched on the 2015 Phoenicia-‐1 launch.
The Phoenicia‐1 launch will be one of the most complex missions ever attempted. With multiple spacecraft simultaneously heading to the Moon, each of these spacecraft will require simultaneous tracking and maneuver planning, which requires shared ground tracking resources and cooperative collision avoidance. This requires a system similar to Air Traffic Control used for commercial aviation. Space Exploration Engineering (SEE) will provide “space traffic control” for the Phoenicia‐1 launch.
Credit: Orbital Sciences Corporation
ISS Commercial Resupply Mission 1 (ORB-1)
Status Update
Via Orbital Sciences Corporation
December 10, 2013
Preparations for next week’s launch continue at the Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF) on Wallops Island, Virginia. Yesterday, Antares was lifted onto the Transporter/Erector/Launcher (TEL). The TEL acts as a support structure as Antares is transported on the approximately 1 mile route from the HIF to Pad 0A. At the pad, hydraulic erection actuators rotate the TEL and the rocket to a vertical position, where the TEL functions as Antares’ umbilical support structure.Click on Images & Videos for more.
Mars One 2018 lander (Credit: Mars One)
Amersfoort, 10th December 2013 (Mars One PR) — Mars One has secured lead suppliers for its first mission to Mars. The mission, slated for a 2018 launch, will include a robotic lander and a communications satellite. Mars One has contracted Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) to develop mission concept studies. The Mars lander will be built by Lockheed Martin and the communications satellite will be built by SSTL.
This 2018 mission will be a demonstration mission and will provide proof of concept for some of the technologies that are important for a permanent human settlement on Mars; the ultimate goal of the non-profit Mars One foundation.
BOULDER, CO, December 10, 2013 (GS 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 Honeybee Robotics—a premier provider of robotic systems for space—to design unmanned rovers capable of enhancing the next human missions to the Moon.
Working with technical staff at Golden Spike, Honeybee engineers will conduct trade studies for the design of configurable robotic rovers that can collect and store scientific samples from the Moon’s surface in support of Golden Spike’s expeditions. The results of the study will be complete by mid-2014.
Gwynne Shotwell
December 9, 2013 (FDSC PR) — Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), has been named the 2013 winner of the Florida Space Development Council (FSDC) Bumper Award. Named after the first rocket launched from Florida (on July 24, 1950), the Bumper Award recognizes individuals or organizations that have had the greatest positive impact on Florida’s space industry, or Floridians who have had the greatest impact nationally.
“Under Gwynne Shotwell’s leadership, SpaceX has become a force for positive change at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, disrupting the status quo for NASA, Air Force, and the commercial launch industry,” said FSDC President Laura Seward. “SpaceX’s growing manifest and its push for new launch sites has also challenged Florida’s state and local governments to more aggressively support the space industry.”
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TUCSON (World View PR) – World View® Enterprises, Inc. (World View) has announced that former astronaut Mark Kelly will be Director of Flight Crew Operations. A retired U.S. Navy test pilot and Space Shuttle Commander, Kelly will play a central role in the start-up commercial space business, which began taking reservations today for its accessible, affordable trips to the edge of space via high-altitude balloon.
During his career in the U.S. Navy, Kelly accumulated 6,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft with 375 aircraft carrier landings. He flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. He later joined NASA’s astronaut corps, where he piloted two Space Shuttle flights and commanded two others, including Endeavour on its final mission.
This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome back MICHELLE EVANTS for updates regarding X-15 and her book on the subject, “The X-15 Rocket Plane: Flying the First Wings into Space.” 2. Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 PM CST): We welcome back DR. WENDELL MENDELL. Dr. Mendell […]
UPDATE, 12/10/13: Space News is reporting the failure was caused by an unspecified malfunction in the rocket’s third stage. The vehicle’s builder, the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, is investigating.
The failure of a Long March 4B rocket has destroyed the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS-3).
“There was a malfunction of a launch vehicle during flight and hence satellite positioned in orbit has not been provided. Preliminary evaluations suggest that the CBERS-3 has returned to the planet,” according to a statement posted on the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) website.