Artist conception of WhiteKnightTwo and LauncherOne. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)

SpaceWorks Enterprise has released an update to its nano- and micro-satellite market analysis study that indicates that between 121 to 188 spacecraft weighing 1-50 kg will need to be launched in 2020.  This is a significant increase from the 33 satellites launched last year.

“The Nano/Microsatellite Market Assessment by SpaceWorks shows that nano/microsatellite launches have grown by an average of 8.6% per year since 2000, with an expected 16.8% growth per year over the next 7 years (2013-2020),” according to a SpaceWorks press release.

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Stratolaunch hangar under construction last year in Mojave.

Stratolaunch Systems completed work on its large hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port last Wednesday, opening it up for employees to begin to occupy, spaceport CEO Stu Witt said on Tuesday.

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Only a few days ago, everyone in Mojave was walking around in short-sleeve shirts as we enjoyed the false dawn of an early spring. But, today a Pacific storm rolled over the mountains and we got a belated taste of Christmas. There are reports of snow all up and down the Antelope Valley, from the Palmdale and Lancaster (“Palmcaster”) in the south all the up north through Mojave and California […]

In a move that could have a major impact on the Mojave Air and Space Port, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has solicited proposals from interested parties for the establishment of six unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research and test sites around the country.

Mojave spaceport officials have said they are seriously considering submitting a proposal for this designation. They have also brought in a NASA Dryden executive, John W. Kelly, to serve a one-year executive internship. One of Kelly’s main focuses will be on the research potential for UAS activity.

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John W. Kelly, program manager for NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, began a one-year executive internship at the Mojave Air and Space Port last week. Kelly will be focusing on access to space initiatives as well as the research potential of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Kelly also will help to build a closer working relationship between the spaceport and the nearby NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, where he is employed. Last […]

Steve Clark of The Brownsville Herald reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk met with Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez last week to discuss plans for a commercial launch facility south of the city.

…neither Musk nor his staff brought up any major obstacles to locating the launch site at Boca Chica, Martinez said.

“He just said where are we on the project; what else needs to be done?” he said.

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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. (NASA PR) — NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and The Boeing Company are focusing on the Launch Vehicle Adapter design as they close in on plans for the component that will connect the company’s CST-100 capsule to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V booster which will lift it into orbit. NASA’s Partner Integration Team, also called a PIT crew, is working with Boeing to successfully complete a […]

This week on The Space Show with David Livingston… 1. Monday, Feb.18, 2013: 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome the return of DR. JOHN HUNTER to discuss impulse launch, rail guns, etc. 2. Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 PM CST): OPEN LINES. First time callers welcome. Space, science, and STEM topics welcome. 3. Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013:, 7-8:30 PM […]

Opportunities for Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles and Payload Integration Services for Maturing Crosscutting Technologies that Advance Multiple Future Space Mission to Flight Readiness Status

General Information

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center, Code A, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 93523-0273

Description

NASA/DFRC is hereby soliciting information and feedback from both current and potential flight service providers, as well as the technology payload providers and potential sources for Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles And Payload Integration Services For Maturing Crosscutting Technologies That Advance Multiple Future Space Missions To Flight Readiness Status.

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Two of Orion’s three main parachutes fully inflate during the latest parachute test at the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The third, seen hanging below the vehicle, was rigged not to inflate by engineers to prove that the Orion spacecraft – represented here by a dart-shaped test article – could make it safely to the ground with only two working main parachutes. (Credit: NASA)

YUMA, Ariz. (NASA PR) — NASA engineers have demonstrated the agency’s Orion spacecraft can land safely if one of its three main parachutes fails to inflate during deployment.

The test was conducted Tuesday in Yuma, Ariz., with the parachutes attached to a test article. Engineers rigged the parachutes so only two would inflate, leaving the third to flag behind, when the test capsule was dropped from a plane 25,000 feet above the Arizona desert.

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