Kamuela, Hawai`i – December 6, 2012 (ILOA PR): The International Lunar Observatory Association is dedicated to the mission of advancing human understanding of the cosmos through observation from our Moon. While already advancing 3 robotic lunar missions, ILOA’s ultimate goal is to help facilitate regular human activity and habitation of our nearest celestial neighbor. With this goal in mind, ILOA has joined the Golden Spike Company in its pioneering initiative.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
An update from NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program: Due to technical delays encountered during flight test operations, the planned C4 and C5 flights of the GENIE system on XA-0.1B have been delayed (see original campaign package). The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory and Masten Space Systems, in conjunction with the NASA Flight Opportunities Program, are looking to resume the activity after the holiday season. Please check back here or on Twitter for […]
Proton rocket
BAIKONUR COSMODROME, Kazakhstan (ILS/Khrunichev PR) -– Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center (Khrunichev) and International Launch Services (ILS) regret to announce an anomaly during the launch of the Yamal 402 satellite. The satellite had been built by Thales Alenia Space for Russian satellite operator, Gazprom Space Systems.
The Proton Breeze M rocket lifted off at 7:13 p.m. today local time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying the Yamal 402 satellite. Preliminary flight information indicates that the 4th and final burn of the Breeze M engine ended about four minutes early and subsequently separated the spacecraft.
Thales Alenia Space is recalculating all the Launch Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) parameters in order to propose the possible recovery plans to Gazprom Space Systems.
Most rockets take about nine minutes to put their payloads into low Earth orbit, going from a dead stop on terra firma to 17,500 miles per hour.
In the case of India’s GSLV rocket, it takes several years longer. That’s the typical interval between launch attempts. You then have to add on a couple of more years to account for all of the GSLV’s launch failures. Of seven launches over nearly 12 years, India’s largest rocket has notched only two successes and one partial success. The last fully successful flight occurred in September 2004.
But, ISRO is, if nothing else,doggedly persistent. In April, the Indian space agency will attempt to launch a GSLV rocket fitted with its second domestically produced cryogenic upper stage. The launch will take place exactly three years after the turbo pump on the first homemade cryogenic engine malfunctioned, sending the GSAT-4 communications satellite into the Bay of Bengal. That failure came after 17 years of work on cryogenic technology.
Michael Lopez-AlegriaPresident, Commercial Spaceflight Federation
“Conquering the space frontier requires leadership at NASA and a partnership between commercial companies and governments,” stated CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “I’m thrilled to see the Golden Spike announcement, which harnesses space leaders with years of experience to launch an exciting new private space venture. In the last few years we’ve learned that commercial space, by speaking to the dreams and aspirations of people around the world, can create new excitement for space travel, bringing us ever closer to our shared goal of sustainably extending human activity beyond Earth.”
Ottawa (Ontario), December 5, 2012 (AIAC PR) – Hélène V. Gagnon, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility, has been elected Chair of the Board of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada for 2012-2013. Ms. Gagnon succeeds David Schellenberg, President of Cascade Aerospace, who occupied the role over the course of the past year.
“I am greatly honoured to serve as Chair of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) for 2012-2013, and I look forward to working with the Board and membership over the coming year as we face the challenges and unparalleled opportunities which lie ahead,” said Ms. Gagnon.
WASHINGTON – December 6, 2012 (Paragon PR) – Paragon Space Development Corporation (Paragon) was represented today at the National Press Club in Washington DC for the Golden Spike Company announcement of its intention to provide human expeditions to the Moon on a commercial basis.
Paragon, of Tucson, AZ, is working with Golden Spike to design and provide the space suit systems for lunar surface operations as well as the environmental control and life support systems for the transit spacecraft and lunar lander. The space suit, thermal control and life support technologies will be a mix of systems developed by NASA and industry, providing a safe, robust and low cost, commercial solution for Golden Spike Company.
WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 4, 2012 (Space Foundation PR) – In a report released today, the Space Foundation made a number of recommendations for strengthening the focus, oversight and funding of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and strengthening the U.S. civil space program.
MOSCOW (Khunichev/Roscosmos PR) — Khrunichev has completed the fabrication and assembly of the flight product multifunctional Laboratory Module (MLM) for the International Space Station (ISS). During the night of December 6-7, the module was sent to the RSC Energia for further electrical testing of the on-board systems. The MLM provides the following functions for the Russian segment of the ISS: Provide docking ports for transport ships and research units (transport […]
Launch of Atlas V NRO satellite on June 20, 2012. (Credit: ULA)
Centennial, Colo., Dec. 7, 2012 (ULA PR) -– Today, United Launch Alliance (ULA) cleared the next launch of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) for Dec. 11, after a thorough flight clearance process was executed following a flight data anomaly that occurred on the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-3 launch on Oct. 4.