By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

Hailing what it calls a “sea change” in space costs, Bigelow Aerospace has unveiled pricing information for governments, companies and individuals interested in using its planned private Alpha Space Station.

Transportation costs to the station begin at $26.25 million per seat for a 60-day visit. Leases for exclusive use and control over part of the space station begin at $25 million. Naming rights for the entire station will cost an additional $25 million per year.

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This week on The Space Show with David Livingston…. 1. Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome MICHAEL LAINE back to the show to discuss the Lunar Space Elevator. Visit www.liftport.com for more information. 2. Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 7-8:30 PM PST (10-11:30 PM EST, 9-10:30 PM CST): We welcome ZAC MANCHESTER to the show. Zac will be discussing the KickSat project […]

Multi-dome lunar base being constructed, based on the 3D printing concept. Once assembled, the inflated domes are covered with a layer of 3D-printed lunar regolith by robots to help protect the occupants against space radiation and micrometeoroids. (Credit: Foster + Partners)

PARIS (ESA PR) — Setting up a lunar base could be made much simpler by using a 3D printer to build it from local materials. Industrial partners including renowned architects Foster + Partners have joined with ESA to test the feasibility of 3D printing using lunar soil.

“Terrestrial 3D printing technology has produced entire structures,” said Laurent Pambaguian, heading the project for ESA.

“Our industrial team investigated if it could similarly be employed to build a lunar habitat.”

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SpaceShipTwo in flight on Dec. 19, 2012. (Credit: Virgin Galactic)

The National out of the UAE has the latest schedule prediction from Virgin Galactic, which features the usual if, then we hope qualifiers and promises of great benefits once the blessed day arrives when commercial operations actually begin:

“Depending on the progress of the last portion of the experimental test flight programme and the federal aviation authority licensing process we hope to be undertaking full space test flights by the end of 2013 and in commercial operations within a relatively short period thereafter,” says Sean Wilson, a Virgin Galactic spokeswoman.

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The ad above was shown about midway through the third quarter.

Workers inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center position the orbital replacement unit for the space station’s main bus switching unit as they prepare to pack the unit in a shipping container Dec. 4. The unit, which was processed at Kennedy, will be shipped to Japan for the HTV-4 launch, which currently is scheduled later this month. (Credit: NASA/Charisse Nahser)

By Linda Herridge
NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center continues to serve as NASA’s lead center for several programs and offices while transforming into a joint commercial and government launch complex.

“This is an exciting time as we continue to prepare the center for future space exploration programs,” said Kennedy Center Director Bob Cabana. “We are making great progress toward a viable commercial spaceflight program and developing a heavy-lift capability that will allow us to once again send humans to explore beyond planet Earth.”

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Antares Update Via Orbital Sciences Corporation January 2013 Orbital recently completed an extensive series of cold flow propellant tests, also known as wet dress rehearsals, at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) launch complex at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. The series of tests were performed to confirm that the launch complex’s propellant handling systems were performing according to specifications and were fully compatible with the liquid fuel first stage of the […]

By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

China’s surging space program moved into second place in 2012 in terms of both orbital launches and payloads, passing the United States and inching closer to Russia.

China successfully launched 19 rockets last year, placing a total of 30 payloads into orbit, according to an annual report released by the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST). Russia led all nations with 34 payloads on 24 launches, while the United States came in third with 28 payloads on 13 launches.
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The first hint of trouble came when the Sea Launch webcast suddenly cut out less than a minute after launch of the Zenit-3SL booster. Was there some problem with the streaming? Or was it something more serious? The latter. Sea Launch AG announced today that approximately 40 seconds after liftoff of the launch of the Intelsat 27 spacecraft, all telemetry was lost indicating a loss of mission. The spacecraft, built […]