ILOA telescopes on the moon aboard a Moon Express lander. (Credit: Moon Express)

Kamuela, Hawai`i and Silicon Valley, USA — July 18, 2013 (ME/ILOA PR) — The world’s first mission to the South Pole of the Moon was announced today by the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and Moon Express, Inc.

The private enterprise mission will be both scientific and commercial, and will deliver the International Lunar Observatory (ILO) to the Moon’s South Pole aboard a Moon Express robotic lander, establishing permanent astrophysical observations and lunar commercial communications systems for professional and amateur researchers.

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Launch Pad 39A with the space shuttle Endeavour. (Credit: NASA)

NASA is evaluating proposals from SpaceX and Blue Origin for use of Pad 39A, which formerly launched space shuttles but is no longer needed for space agency missions:

NASA was close to an agreement on a 15-year lease of Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A to SpaceX, which could use it in the next few years for launches of astronauts to the International Space Station and for a planned heavy-lift Falcon rocket.

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Washington D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) applauds the Senate Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill approved yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill sends $18.1 billion to NASA for Fiscal Year 2014, including $775 million for the Commercial Crew Program and $670 million for Space Technology, of which $17 million is allocated for the Flight Opportunities Program.

“With this legislation, the Senate Appropriations Committee has recognized the key role NASA plays in American innovation, exploration, and inspiration,” stated CSF Chairman Stuart Witt. “We thank Chairwoman Mikulski and the rest of the Committee for their commitment to preserving America’s leadership in space and supporting the many American engineers and scientists working to bring the benefits of spaceflight to everyone.”

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is issuing the Draft Request for Proposal (dRFP) for the CCtCap contract for public review and comment. The dRFP is issued in accordance with NASA Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (NFS) 1815.201, Exchanges with Industry Before Receipt of Proposals, with the purpose of assisting the Government in developing the highest quality Request for Proposal. Accordingly, prospective offerors are invited to comment on all aspects […]

BOCA RATON, Fla., ZGSI — Zero Gravity Solutions, Inc. (“ZGSI or the “Company’), trading symbol PK:ZGSI.PK (Pink Sheets:ZGSI) announced today that it has completed the filings required to satisfy the financial reporting necessary to commence the trading of the Company’s stock under the trading symbol ZGSI.PK.

Zero Gravity Solutions, Inc., a zero gravity biotechnology company, is at the forefront of utilizing the unique effects of extended zero/micro gravity environments only available on the International Space Station (“ISS”), now a national lab. The Company’s intellectual property was developed and validated through six NASA-enabled flights to the ISS under the Company’s Space Act Agreement. ZGSI’s intellectual property is based upon the premise that genes and cells express differently in a zero/microgravity environment, allowing for the development of patentable plant, animal and human regenerative stem cells with unique and beneficial characteristics.

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WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has selected 12 proposals for study under Phase I of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program, which aims to turn science fiction into fact.

The selected proposals include a wide range of imaginative concepts, including 3-D printing of biomaterials, such as arrays of cells; using galactic rays to map the insides of asteroids; and an “eternal flight” platform that could hover in Earth’s atmosphere, potentially providing better imaging, Wi-Fi, power generation, and other applications.

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A proposal that would appoint the NASA administrator for a six year term and establish an 11-member advisory council to advise the administration and Congress  has been included in the House Appropriations bill covering funding for FY 2014 and FY 2015.

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Holy shi’ski! The rocket…it go KABOOMSKI! (Credit: Tsenki TV)

The Commission investigating the failure of the Proton rocket have concluded that the rocket lifted off .4 seconds early and then went out of control because three sensors designed to keep it on course were installed upside down.

“The Commission reached the following conclusions as a result of its work:

• the cause of the emergency start launch vehicle technology is a violation of the installation of three two-level systems via the yaw on the “Proton-M” in the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Khrunichev. Khrunichev “;
• applied methods and techniques of control during ground training and testing under the current design, technological and operational documents do not reveal improper installation on the CRS RN;
• defect manifested itself in flight, has a production nature.

The commission continues its investigation in order to establish the causes of the premature liftoff [of the Proton] from docking mechanism on the launch pad.”

Read the full Roscosmos press release below. It’s a bit rough because it was translated from Russia via Google Translate, but most of it is fairly clear.

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Tim Pickens

Mountain View, CA, July 16, 2013 (ME PR) — Moon Express, Inc., a lunar resource company, today announced the opening of a Propulsion Development Facility in Huntsville, Alabama that will be key to landing the world’s first commercial spacecraft on the Moon.

The announcement was made by rocket pioneer Tim Pickens, who joined Moon Express as the company’s Chief Propulsion Engineer earlier this year. Pickens made the announcement at the 2013 AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference in San Jose, California, revealing that the company has already successfully met several milestones in its propulsion development plans, including:

• Successfully test firing a “green” 400 pound demo rocket engine, demonstrating the new test facility checkout, as well as testing engine performance, deep throttling, and efficiency
• Developing new mono-prop and bi-prop propulsion systems for the Moon Express lander that range in thrust classes from 0.1-1000 pound thrust
• Investments into new local capabilities including design, fabrication, and remote hot fire test capabilities for “Green” propulsion systems

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