SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. (Credit: NASA)

NASA PR — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., Thursday, capping a tour of SpaceX facilities to thank employees for their part in making the first mission by a private company to the International Space Station a success.

Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk addressed more than 1,000 employees who helped design, launch and safely recover the company’s Dragon capsule in May following its trip to the space station.
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In addition to hosting a visit by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on Wednesday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also met with Texas Gov. Rick Perry to discuss state support for the company’s proposed commercial spaceport near Brownsville. Apparently, things went well. Prior to the meeting, Musk said that Texas is the leading candidate for the commercial launch site. The company is also looking at locations in Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. […]

Dream Chaser cockpit simulator. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)

HAMPTON, Va. (NASA PR) –– Engineers at NASA’s Langley Research Center are marking five years of collaboration with Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems in Louisville, Colo., as partners in the design and development of the Dream Chaser® Space System.

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Mojave Business Mixer Thursday, June 15 6 p.m. Location: TNR Hobbies, 15938 Sierra Highway (between El Jefe and Carl’s Jr.) Business leaders from town and the Mojave Air & Space Port are invited to meet each other and to learn about how they can participate in the Mojave Chamber of Commerce’s on-going efforts to revitalize the town. Members of the Economic Restructuring Committee will briefly address the gathering and answer […]

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden shakes hands with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in front of the Dragon capsule. (Credit: NASA)

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden joined SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk at the SpaceX Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas, Wednesday to see the first commercial space capsule to complete a mission to the International Space Station.

Bolden and Musk also thanked the more than 150 SpaceX employees working at the McGregor facility for their role in the historic mission. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule made history May 31 when it returned to Earth after delivering supplies to the space station.

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Reports indicate that the launch will take place on Saturday afternoon. The crew will spend two days to reach the Tiangong-1 space station and 10 days on board. China will send its first female astronaut into space on this flight.The space station is about half the size of the Soviet Salyut facilities launched during the 1970s.

Flight: 82 Date: 2 June 12 Flight Time: 1 hr WK2 Pilot: Siebold WK2 CoPilot: Alsbury WK2 FTE: Verderame Objectives: Pilot proficiency Results: All objectives achieved. Flight: 81 Date: 2 June 12 Flight Time: 1 hr WK2 Pilot: Siebold WK2 CoPilot: Nichols WK2 FTE: Verderame Objectives: Pilot proficiency Spoil flap evaluation Cold soak gear extension retraction CoPilot brake evaluation Results: All objectives achieved. UPDATE:  Multiple sources confirm that WhiteKnightTwo conducted […]

SXC video from the announcement last week with XCOR.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk will participate in a media availability at 11:30 a.m. CDT Wednesday, June 13, in the SpaceX facility at 1 Rocket Rd. in McGregor, Texas. Bolden and Musk will be there to view the Dragon spacecraft that returned to Earth May 31 following the first successful mission by a private company to carry supplies to the International Space Station.

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LONDON (UKSA PR) —  Tests on ‘green’ propellants for space propulsion, the demonstration of pultruded manufacturing of spacecraft components and a feasibility study into the use of Europe’s new radioisotope power systems for space are among the ten winners in the UK Space Agency’s latest competition within the National Space Technology Programme (NSTP).

The UK Space Agency is granting £0.5M [$775,450] to industry and academia following a call to the UK space community for innovative ideas in space technology research and development. The Future Technology Pathfinder Programme is part of the £27M NSTP which has already jump-started 50 high tech space projects since its launch in 2011.

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