GO Launcher. (Credit: Generation Orbit)

ATLANTA, GA, 22 July, 2013 (GO PR) — In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate, Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. (GO) announced today the initiation of a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA).

Under the agreement, the two parties will advance the technical maturity of a set of air launch rocket systems, designed to provide dedicated space transportation services to small payloads. The launch services will enable flexible, reliable, and affordable access to space for military, commercial, and academic customers.

(more…)

NASA astronaut Serena Aunon put on her iconic orange launch-and-entry suit and climbed aboard The Boeing Company’s CST-100 mock-up to perform fit checks of the spacecraft’s interior. Aunon is one of two astronauts who will spend a few hours inside the capsule to test maneuverability while Boeing engineers monitor communications equipment, ergonomics and crew interfaces. Boeing is one of three aerospace industry partners working with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP) […]

This trailer was recently unveiled at Comic-Con in San Diego. The big re-do of Carl Sagan’s classic series will air on the Fox Network next year. It’s a project of Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, and stars Neil deGrasse Tyson.

KERA News in Dallas has a report on Citizens in Space’s second Space Hacker Workshop, which attracted several dozen hackers, scientists and enginners to the Frontiers of Flight Museum over the weekend: Five years ago, if you wanted to send a science experiment into space, you either needed access to the international space station or several million dollars. Today, you just need a good idea, or a few grand. “Coming […]

This week on The Space Show with David Livingston: 1. Monday, July 22, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): We welcome back RICH GODWIN to talk about Zero Gravity Solutions & their new commercial space projects. 2. Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): We welcome back DR. DENNIS BUSHNELL, the Chief Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center. We will […]

The Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Lauren Hepler takes a look at some of the big and small space companies that are hiring right now: Elon Musk’s space transportation startup Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is currently looking for about 200 employees, including highly technical roles in engineering and manufacturing (see the graphic to the right for a breakdown of open jobs). And it’s not just SpaceX. “We’re hiring,” said Chris Lewicki, […]

Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module at Wallops. (Credit: NASA)

Second PCM Arrives at Wallops

Photos of the arrival of the Cygnus Pressurized Cargo Module to be used in the delivery of cargo to the International Space Station later this year in the first operational cargo delivery mission under the Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) agreement with NASA. (NASA photos) (more…)

NASA PR — A relationship that began more than 50 years ago between NASA and Textron Defense Systems continues today through the Orion Program, where the two are working together on a familiar project: a heat shield that will allow astronauts to safely return from deep-space missions.

(more…)

SWINDON, England (UKSA PR) — From the latest developments in the world’s first air-breathing rocket engine to a revitalised strategy for the UK space sector, innovation and growth were the key words this week as leading figures from the space industry met at the UK Space Conference in Glasgow.

In his opening speech at the conference, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts revealed further details of the Government’s £60 million [$91.5 million] investment in SABRE, an engine which could transform how we think about space and aviation.

(more…)

A laboratory model MEP thruster. (Credit: NASA)

HAMPTON, Va. (NASA PR) — NASA selected three proposals for the development of lightweight micro-thruster propulsion technologies that are small in size but have big potential.

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate selected the miniaturized electrospray propulsion technologies to perform stabilization, station keeping and pointing for small spacecraft. NASA hopes these technology demonstrations may lead to similar position control systems for larger spacecraft and satellites as well.

(more…)