BOULDER, CO (March 18, 2013) – Golden Spike, the first company planning to undertake human lunar expeditions for countries, individuals and corporations around the world, announced today that it will hold an international scientific workshop in October to explore the kinds of landing sites, experiments, and geological traverses their astronauts will undertake on the Moon starting by 2020. The theme of the workshop is what lunar science will be like after 20 Golden Spike human expeditions to different places around the Moon.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Credit: Matt Wade
Fact Sheet: Implementation of Export Control Reform
The White House
March 8, 2013
Today, the Administration announced two key steps to further the goals of President Obama’s Export Control Reform Initiative, which is a common sense approach to overhauling the nation’s export control system. President Obama signed an Executive Order today to update delegated presidential authorities over the administration of certain export and import controls under the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, and yesterday the Administration notified Congress of the first in a series of changes to the U.S. Munitions List.
PARIS (ESA PR) — ESA is offering software developers the opportunity to use its new testbed in space. The robust nanosat will allow individuals, companies and institutions to try out pioneering software without the danger of losing a mission.
Satellites are so complex and costly that their controllers cannot afford to take risks. The need for reliability means that onboard and ground control software has not altered significantly in the past 20 years.
But the tiny Ops-Sat, a CubeSat combining commercial off-the-shelf technology and ESA expertise, is a chance to try out new ideas in space as early as 2015.
By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor
The European Union outlined elements of its proposed new space policy for the continent recently in a press release. The document describes a series of actions the Union feels are required to allow Europe to thrive in an increasingly competitive global market where it is significantly outspent by the United States.
The document, which is reproduced below, is quite dry, but I did spot one proposed action that appears to be the equivalent of throwing gasoline on the smouldering embers of a fire that everyone involved spent about a year putting out.
Establish and implement a real European launcher policy
EU autonomy in strategic sectors such as launch services is of fundamental importance. A real European launcher policy must be established by the institutional actors – as is the case in the other space-faring nations – to avoid short term or case by case decision taking.
Statement from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski
on Facilitating Commercial Space Launches
Washington, D.C. – The following statement is attributable to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: “Our actions today are designed to accelerate the growth of a new American industry with major growth potential, commercial space launches. Companies can’t launch or operate space vehicles without spectrum, and today the U.S. is leading the way in developing rules of the road for commercial space launches. Our measures to streamline processes and increase predictability will help boost U.S. leadership in the commercial space industry.”
Soprano Sarah Brightman’s 2015 trip to the International Space Station could be delayed or canceled, Roscosmos Head Vladimir Popovkin told reporters on Saturday. The British soprano was set to go on an eight-day trip to the station, but NASA and Roskosmos are considering extending the visiting flight to one month, in which case she would have to give up her seat to a professional spaceman, Popovkin said. “If it’s a […]
Space Florida President Frank DiBello
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., March 12, 2013 (Space Florida PR) – On Thursday, March 7, the UK Trade & Investment Group (UKTI) granted Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello the “Consul General’s Special Recognition Award” at its Innovation Awards and Gala Dinner in Miami.
UKTI helps companies establish and grow their high-value investments in the UK and assists UK-based companies succeed in the global economy. UKTI recognized DiBello for his role in driving prosperity, and commercial and research opportunities between the UK and Florida, including signing a Memorandum of Understanding that has led to trade missions and job creation in both the UK and Florida.
An artist concept shows Orion as it will appear in space for the Exploration Flight Test-1 attached to a Delta IV second stage. (Credit: NASA)
Steven Siceloff,
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center
The first spacecraft NASA has designed to fly astronauts beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo era is well on its way to making a flight test next year, agency officials say. The mission is planned for launch in September 2014, and will see an Orion capsule orbit Earth without a crew and return through the atmosphere at speeds unseen since astronauts last returned from the moon in 1972.
Greetings from the High Desert! Here is my end-of-the-week roundup of all things Mojave. It’s been an eventful week. WhiteKnightTwo flew twice on solo flights as Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic begin to ramp up for a series of powered tests of SpaceShipTwo. There was an engine test this afternoon at around 2:40 p.m. PDT. A cloud of dirt rose over the desert at the Scaled Composites test stand. The […]
The first flight will carry a test vehicle to approximate a Cygnus freighter.