The inaugural launch of the Soyuz-2-1v rocket has been delayed from this year until sometime in 2013 due to a live test firing failure that damaged the rocket. RussianSpaceWeb.com reports that a planned 200-second firing of the first stage engine failed after only a few seconds, resulting in damage to the propulsion section of the rocket. The website’s sources indicated that “an erroneous shutdown command had been issued based on […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Elon Musk talks about the future of space, energy and humanity during an appearance at Oxford University’s Martin School.
ILS, the U.S.-based company that markets Khrunichev’s Proton launch vehicle, has charged that former Chief Technical Officer (CTO) bilked the company by funneling funds meant for safety analysis work through two fictitious companies he co-owned with an accomplice.
Reston, Va.-based ILS is further alleging that the actions of the former employee, James M. Bonner, violated the U.S. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a federal law commonly used to prosecute organized crime.
In documents submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, ILS says Bonner, who was fired in August, conspired with a friend, Thomas J. Dwyer, to create two fictitious companies that billed ILS for safety-related analysis.
Asteroid Ida
Roscosmos held a meeting last week during officials reviewed a plan for meeting threats to Russia from both near Earth objects (NEOs) and space debris. One of the key recommendations was the establishment of a new agency to oversee the effort:
“Proposed the creation of a single (national) Monitoring Space Administration (SMC) to integrate information from the space control system (SKKP) Russian Defense Ministry and a set of specialized tools to detect and monitor hazardous space objects operated by industry organizations (Roscosmos, Russia Ministry of Industry) and the Russian Academy of Sciences.”
A Roscosmos press release that outlines the recommendations is reproduced below via Google Translate.
OTTAWA, Ont. (AIAC PR) — Strong recommendations for industry and government contained in an independently conducted review of Canada’s aerospace industry and factors influencing its future competitiveness have garnered support from the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada.
Produced by the Honourable David Emerson, the recently completed report “Beyond the Horizon: Canada’s Interest and Future in Aerospace” is the product of an official Aerospace Review mandated by the Government of Canada in February 2012.
Dr. Alan Stern
The mysterious Golden Spike Company — which is said to be planning a privately-funded landing on the moon by 2020 — will hold a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., next Thursday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. EST.
Despite the company’s attempt to operate in stealth mode, quite a lot seems to be known about its plans.
NASASpaceflight.com, which first broke the news, reports that “the effort is led by a group of high profile individuals from the aerospace industry and backed by some big money and foreign investors.”
A Tumblr account run by an anonymous writer is providing additional details apparently swiped from NASASpaceflight.com’s subscription-only L-2 website. According to the information:
- Warren Buffet, Richard Branson and Guy Laliberte are reported to be among the investors.
- The company has signed a $120 million deal for a Falcon Heavy rocket
- Expeditions to be moon will cost about $2 billion apiece.
UPDATE: Parabolic Arc has learned from informed sources that Richard Branson is NOT involved in the company. Further, virtually all billionaires identified in the media as being investors are not involved. Full details will be available on Thursday.
Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) was at the Grand Hyatt São Paulo recently promoting XCOR’s Lynx suborbital vehicle.
The Aerospace Review report contains two volumes: Volume 1: Beyond the Horizon: Canada’s Interests and Future in Aerospace and Volume 2: Reaching Higher: Canada’s Interests and Future in Space.
The Space volume notes that Canada was a pioneer in space, and that Canada’s national interest demands that the country make effective use of space to unlock wealth, protect the environment and the population, and deliver services. This will be truer more than ever as the North opens and space technologies advance.
From Rand Simberg: In a Kickstarter project I got funding for last summer, I was funded to write what I called at the time a “paper” on the topic of our irrational approach to safety in human spaceflight, that is a significant contributor to its high cost and our slow progress. Well, the “paper” turned into at least a monograph, if not a book. It’s currently at 36,000 words (about […]
Ottawa, November 29, 2012—The aerospace and space sectors make critical contributions to Canada’s prosperity and security, but if those sectors are to remain vibrant and competitive over the next 20 to 30 years, relevant public policies and programs will need to keep pace with rapidly changing global conditions.
That is the central finding of the arm’s-length Aerospace Review, which was launched by the Government of Canada on February 27, 2012.