Prospector 18 suborbital reusable launch vehicle. (Credit: Garvey Spacecraft)

NASA has selected Garvey Spacecraft of Long Beach, Calif., for a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for work on the development of a nanosat launch vehicle capable of lifting up to 20 kg into low Earth orbit. The maximum amount available under the space agency’s six-month SBIR Select Phase I award program is $200,000.

Garvey plans to use the award for “the continued functional evolution and concept refinement of an incremental series of test vehicles” to serve the nano- and micro-sat launch markets. Initial versions of the launch vehicle will be capable of delivering 10 kg payloads into a 250 km orbit. The ultimate goal is to place satellites weighing up to 20 kg into a 450 km orbit.

A synopsis of the project follows.

PROPOSAL TITLE: Incremental Evolution of a 10/250 NLV into a 20/450 NMSLV

SUBTOPIC TITLE: Nano/Micro Satellite Launch Vehicle Technology

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN
Garvey Spacecraft Corporation
Long Beach, CA

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER
Christopher M. Bostwick

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 7

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WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has selected 295 research and technology proposals from 216 American small businesses for negotiations that may lead to contract awards worth a combined $38.7 million.

The proposals are part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program.
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SXC has published a Q&A interview with one of their clients, who is set to fly into suborbital space on an XCOR Lynx vehicle from Curacao.

Name: Rowin Hellings [space enthusiast]
Age: 19
Occupation: Student Applied Physics

1. You have recently purchased a space ticket with SXC, what did this moment mean to you?

This was a very special moment, I really wanted to do this. It was my dream to become an astronaut.

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One week left till the conference. Our $120 advance Conference registration discount ends (along with advance registration) after midnight west coast time today, Wednesday April 3rd.  Register at https://www.space-access.org/updates/sa13PreRegister.html Late program additions: Ben Brockert, veteran of Masten Space and Armadillo Aerospace, will be talking about his new company Able Space, and Veronica Zabala will say a few words for NSS and the upcoming ISDC.  Full current program and other conference […]

The Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space terminal hangar facility (center), Spaceport Operations Center (Left) and “Spaceway” (Runway) at Spaceport America. (Credit: Bill Gutman/Spaceport America)

As engineers in Mojave prepared SpaceShipTwo for a glide flight this week, things were coming together at the suborbital vehicle’s future home in New Mexico.

On Tuesday, Gov. Susana Martinez visited Spaceport America to sign legislation that strengthens legal protections for Virgin Galactic, the company that will build and operate SpaceShipTwo vehicles from the $209 million desert facility near Truth or Consequences.

Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic and the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) appear to have resolved outstanding issues relating to the completion of construction work at the Spaceport.

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SpaceShipTwo in a glide test over Mojave on April 3, 2013. (Credit: Bill Deaver)

SpaceShipTwo had a successful glide flight this morning at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The suborbital space vehicle took off at 7:18 a.m. PDT underneath its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft. It landed on runway 30 at 8:40 a.m. PDT after a brief glide flight.

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SPACEPORT AMERICA (Susana Martinez PR) – Following unanimous passage by the state’s legislature, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed legislation today expanding existing liability protections for spaceflight operators to spaceflight manufacturers and suppliers. The New Mexico Expanded Space Flight Informed Consent Act prevents lawsuit abuse and addresses the inherent risks of space flight and is written to ensure New Mexico’s Spaceport America remains at the forefront of a nationally-competitive and rapidly-growing commercial space industry.

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RocketMotorTwo Hot-Fire Test Summaries Via Scaled Composites Fire: 27 Date: 30 Mar 13 Objectives: Twenty-seventh full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire. Continued evaluation of all systems and components: – Pressurization – Valve/Injector – Fuel formulation and geometry – Nozzle – Structure – Performance Results: All objectives completed.

Amy Butler at Aviation Week has a very informative story about how new medium-class launch vehicles and commercially available satellite buses will help the U.S. Air Force reduce the cost of its launch operations. The key points: ULA — a monopoly that operates Atlas V and Delta IV — will be facing future competition from SpaceX (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), Orbital Sciences Corporation (Antares), Lockheed Martin (Athena III, and ATK […]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 2, 2013 (Space Foundation PR) — The global space economy grew to $304.31 billion in commercial revenue and government budgets in 2012, reflecting growth of 6.7 percent from the 2011 total of $285.33 billion. Commercial activity — space products and services and commercial infrastructure — drove much of this increase. From 2007 through 2012, the total has grown by 37 percent.

Commercial space products and services revenue increased 6.5 percent since 2011, and commercial infrastructure and support industries increased by 11 percent.

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