Video Caption: 25 teams from around the world are currently building robots, rockets, and lunar landers to win the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE. Every year, we collect hardware video clips from the teams and showcase their progress. This year shows some impressive advancements in the rover designs, propulsion and avionics technology. Teams are stepping it up as the competition thickens and with all the recent headlining developments, the […]
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
HOUSTON, Sept. 14, 2012 (Boeing PR) — Boeing [NYSE: BA] and NASA recently established the firm baseline configuration for the company’s Commercial Crew Transportation System, achieving the first performance milestone in NASA’s Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative.
DEOS satellite servicing spacecraft. (Credit: Astrium)
Berlin, 13 September 2012 (Astrium PR)– Astrium, Europe’s leading space company, is preparing a new technology mission for the maintenance and disposal of satellites. Today, at the ILA Berlin Air Show, the DLR Space Administration announced that Astrium Friedrichshafen will be the prime contractor for the definition phase of the DEOS (German orbital servicing mission) project. The order is worth a total of around €13 million. The definition phase is the last, decisive step before construction begins on the space vehicles themselves.
The SSA programme is enabling Europe to detect hazards to critical space infrastructure. This artist’s impression shows a possible design for the future radar system, which will scan low Earth orbits to detect hazardous debris objects and deliver data to a catalogue database. (Credit: ESA – P. Carrill)
12 September 2012 (ESA PR) — ESA will boost European industrial expertise by developing a new radar as part of the Agency’s Space Situational Awareness programme. The radar will test future debris monitoring techniques, helping European satellite operators avoid space hazards and increase safety in Earth orbit.
PALO ALTO, CA and BERN, SWITZERLAND (SS/L & Sea Launch PR) — Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) (NASDAQ: LORL) and Sea Launch AG today announced the formation of a three person Independent Oversight Board to oversee the ongoing investigation into the root cause of an anomaly on a recently launched satellite. The Independent Oversight Board will be made up of impartial industry experts, nominated by the two companies.
The Independent Oversight Board will guide the joint SS/L-Sea Launch investigation team, which has been working together for several weeks to collect and analyze data with the objective of determining the root cause of damage to one solar array on an SS/L 1300 satellite that was launched on May 31, 2012 on a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL vehicle.
Maureen Adams (Credit: Citizens in Space)
Killeen, TX (Citizens in Space PR) -– Astronauts have lived and trained in Texas for 50 years, but no astronaut has ever flown into space from Texas. That will change in the next few years when XCOR Aerospace begins flights from a new spaceport in Midland, Texas.
Maureen Adams, a teacher and principal at West Ward Elementary School in Killeen, Texas hopes to be among the first Lone Star astronauts.
13 September 2012 (ESA PR) — Poland took a step further in its relations with ESA by exchanging Accession Agreements on the ESA Convention on 13 September 2012, to become the 20th ESA Member State.
The ceremony took place at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, with the participation of Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General, Waldemar Pawlak, Polish Minister of Economy, and Grażyna Henclewska, Under Secretary of State in the Polish Ministry of Economy. Other government officials and dignitaries attended the ceremony, including representatives from the Polish Parliamentary Group in charge of space affairs.
Richmond, BC (MDA PR) — MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., a provider of essential information solutions, announced that it has today received a request for additional information, often referred to as a “second request” from the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”), in connection with MDA’s proposed acquisition of Space Systems/Loral Inc. (“SS/L”). A second request may be a part of the review process under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (“HSR Act”). The second request seeks additional information primarily regarding MDA’s Montreal satellite communications antenna and payload business.
RocketMotorTwo Hot-Fire Test Summaries Via Scaled Composites Fire: 16 Date: 10 Sep 12 Objectives: Perform second full scale rocket motor hot-fire at Scaled’s test facility Test stand evaluation Data Acquisition system evaluation Rocket Motor Controller performance Pressurization System Controller performance Rocket system performance Valve / Injector / Igniter evaluation Fuel formulation evaluation CTN structural evaluation Results: Second full scale firing of a rocket motor at Scaled’s test site under full […]
Proton rocket
Wednesday, September 12, 2012 (ILS PR) — The Failure Review Oversight Board (FROB) concluded the review of the Russian State Commission report on September 11 concerning the root cause of the Russian Federal Telkom-3/Express MD-2 mission failure which occurred on August 7.
The FROB agreed with the Russian State Commission that the root cause of the failure was due to a component of the pressurization system that was not manufactured to specifications. This caused a shutdown of the Breeze M Main engine by the Breeze M flight control system 7 seconds into the planned 18 minute and 5 second 3rd burn.
The corrective action plan for all Breeze M upper stages that was established by the Russian State Commission and Khrunichev State Research and Space Production Center (KhSC) was also approved by the FROB. This includes stringent quality oversight of all rework procedures, testing, support equipment, and personnel, both at the KhSC production facilities and in Baikonur. In addition, ILS and KhSC will develop specific initiatives to enhance the unified Quality Management System (QMS) that is installed and operating at all KhSC production facilities.