Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev

By Douglas Messier
Parabolic Arc Managing Editor

Russian Ruler for Life Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan’s only president ever, Nursultan Nazarbayev, have directed the heads of their respective space agencies to develop a “comprehensive bilateral agreement governing the joint use of Baikonur, the development of its scientific and technological capacity, joint missile systems, training and participation of Kazakhstani specialists in launch services,” the KAZINFORM news agency reports.

The decision was announced last week during Putin’s official state visit to Almaty, a trip that corresponded with a gathering of the space agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The commonwealth is a loose association of Russia, Kazakhstan and eight other former Soviet republics.

(more…)

The Lurio Report FOR PRICING & SUBSCRIPTIONS: <https://www.thelurioreport.com/subscribe.html> SpaceX’s Astounding Dragon and Space Progress Vol. 7, No. 8, June 11, 2012 Contents: _Quicker_ Updates XCOR LOX Piston Pump, Their General Sales Agent Planetary Resources Drops a ‘Teaser’ Dear Acquaintances, –  Dragon’s Flight to ISS and Its Consequences – An Overview Observations and Developments A New “Tail Wind” for Commercial Crew (and Beyond)?

ORLANDO, FLA. — June 11, 2012 (Omega Envoy PR) — Omega Envoy, the Florida team competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE (GLXP), and its parent company, Earthrise Space Inc. (ESI), are proud to welcome Florida Institute of Technology as a new partner. Professors and students from Florida Tech will work in concert with Omega Envoy staff to design, analyze, build and test the team’s lunar spacecraft.

The Omega Envoy project is run by Earthrise Space, Inc. (ESI), a non-profit research institution dedicated to developing space technology in collaboration with industry and academic institutions. ESI seeks to provide students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience designing, building, testing and operating real spacecraft. Their efforts provide students with real-world experience that is unavailable to them in the classroom or through internships with large corporations.

(more…)

This week on The Space Show with David Livingston… 1. Monday, June 11, 2012, 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): We welcome back MARIMIKEL CHARRIER to talk about the upcoming New Space Conference. 2. Tuesday, May 12 2012, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): OPEN LINES. First time callers are welcome. All space related topics are welcome. 3. Friday, June 15, 2012, 9:30-11 AM […]

The latest entry on Scaled Composites’s test summaries page. They’re still examining the internal geometry of the burn. Fire: 11 Date: 7 June 12 Objectives: Eleventh full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire. Continued evaluation of all systems and components: – Pressurization – Valve/Injector – Fuel formulation and geometry – Nozzle – Structure – Performance Results: All objectives completed. Performed targeted 50 second hot fire as planned. Duration of burn chosen […]

Robert Bigelow

Congratulations SpaceX!
Statement From Robert T. Bigelow
June 4, 2012

“On behalf of all of us at Bigelow Aerospace congratulations to SpaceX on the successful completion of the Dragon’s historic demonstration mission to the International Space Station. Space operations are extraordinarily unforgiving, and for SpaceX to meet with such an unprecedented degree of success on their first attempt to visit the Station illustrates the company’s incredible capabilities and is a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of Elon Musk, Gwynne Shotwell, and the entire SpaceX team. Successful completion of this mission also represents a significant victory for the commercial crew program as a whole, and validates NASA’s current approach that avoids dependence on a single crew transportation provider and leverages the inherent efficiencies of the Space Act Agreement legal vehicle. The Dragon’s mission has been one small step for SpaceX, but is one giant leap for commercial space.”

(more…)

A taikonaut emerges from China's Shenzhou 7 spacecraft after a successful orbital flight

Xinhua has an update on China’s human spaceflight program:

China will launch its Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft sometime in mid-June to perform the country’s first manned space docking mission with the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab module, a spokesperson said here Saturday.

The spacecraft and its carrier rocket, the Long March-2F, were moved to the launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday, a spokesperson with the country’s manned space program said….

(more…)

The Terminal Hangar Facility at Spaceport America will house Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo. (Credit: David Wilson, Spaceport America)

LAS CRUCES, NM (NMSA PR) — Spaceport America congratulates Virgin Galactic on their receipt of an experimental launch permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for powered flight of the SpaceShipTwo spacecraft and their opening of a new office in Las Cruces.

Christine Anderson, Executive Director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA), said, “This is another major milestone for Virgin Galactic as they progress toward powered flight testing of their spaceflight system.”

(more…)