John Bounds of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Advanced Nuclear Technology Division makes final adjustments on the DUFF experiment, a demonstration of a simple, robust fission reactor prototype that could be used as a power system for space travel. DUFF is the first demonstration of a space nuclear reactor system to produce electricity in the United States since 1965.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Nov. 26, 2012—A team of researchers, including engineers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has demonstrated a new concept for a reliable nuclear reactor that could be used on space flights.

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SpaceX CRS-1 Mission – First commercial cargo resupply mission to space station – October 7-28, 2012

NASA has canceled its NanoSat Launch Challenge, a $3 million competition designed to foster the development of small satellite launch vehicle technology. Ben Brockert, who broke the news, forwarded me the following email from Percy Luney of Space Florida, the organization that NASA selected to run the competition: We are very sorry to announce that Space Florida has received the official notification that NASA is exercising its right to terminate […]

Flight Global reports that SpaceX has dropped out of Paul Allen’s Stratolaunch program with Orbital Sciences Corporation of Virginia, which files the air-launched Pegasus booster, taking over on the booster segment.

“Stratolaunch and SpaceX have amicably agreed to end our contractual relationship because the current launch vehicle design has departed significantly from the Falcon derivative vehicle envisioned by SpaceX and does not fit well with their long-term strategic business model,” says Gary Wentz, Stratolaunch CEO, in a 27 November email.

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The Russian government is embarking on an extensive and complicated reorganization of the nation’s space industry that could see Roscosmos transformed into a state-run corporation that would be in charge of the whole kit and caboodle.

A structural reform of Russia’s space industry will see its numerous enterprises united into five or six large holdings, Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said on Monday….

The draft list of industries to get separate holdings includes orbital spacecraft development, in-orbit operation, guidance systems, scientific research, testing and strategic rocketry, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said, also on Monday.

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X-51A hypersonic vehicle

The U.S. Air Force has developed a decadal technological road map for hypersonic vehicles that will help to focus the disparate development programs being pursued by America’s defense organizations.

However, anyone hoping this research will quickly find its way into civilian transports capable of whisking passengers from New York to Sydney in two hours is going to be disappointed. That’s likely to take a long time.

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COLOGNE, Germany (DLR PR) — On 20 and 21 November 2012, delegates from the 20 member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Canada met at the ‘Mostra d’Oltremare’ conference centre in Naples, Italy. The start of the ESA presidency of Switzerland and Luxembourg was characterised by intensive and success-oriented negotiations. After two days of thorough discussions, the Council Meeting at Ministerial Level was successfully completed and the German positions on the future of the European Ariane launcher and utilisation of the International Space Station until 2020 were adopted. The basis for this agreement was joint Franco-German discussions. The delegations agreed the financing and contents of European space programmes for the coming years.

In total, space programmes worth around 10 billion Euros have been decided upon. The German Federal Government will be responsible for a total of around 2.6 billion Euros over the next few years. This makes Germany the strongest contributor among the ESA partners, giving it the largest share of the overall programme.

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DENVER (Front Range Airport PR) — Front Range Airport is ready to launch its bid for spaceport licensing with full funding commitments from strategic partners.

“The Colorado Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics approved a grant request for $275,000, which is the last commitment needed to match a $200,000 grant received Sept. 25, 2012, from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation,” said Dennis Heap, executive director for Front Range Airport.

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Burned by a tax credit for Rocketplane Global that produced little, Oklahoma is reluctant to pony up the big bucks needed to attract leading companies such as Virgin Galactic and XCOR to its spaceport at Burns Flat. This has led to efforts to kill off the state’s space agency. However, an FAA plan to name six sites for the testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has renewed hopes for the spaceport. […]

The Mojave Air and Space Port’s Building 137, a.k.a., the Pool Building, may house a health club in its eastern section. Officials revealed last week that they have been in discussions with a company about leasing that section of the building for a health center. Officials believe that a health club would enhance the quality of life for people working at the airport, making Mojave a more attractive location for […]