Washington, DC / Hawthorne, CA May 29, 2012 (SPACEX PR) — Today, Intelsat, the world’s leading provider of satellite services, and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), the world’s fastest growing space launch company, announced the first commercial contract for the Falcon Heavy rocket.
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Doug Messier
This Week on The Space Show with David Livingston…. 1. Monday, May 28, 2012, 2-3:30 PM PDT (5-6:30 PM EDT, 4-5:30 PM CDT): We welcome back DR. JOHN LEWIS to discuss asteroid mining, the Chinese space program and more. 2. Tuesday, May 29 2012, 7-8:30 PM PDT (10-11:30 PM EDT, 9-10:30 PM CDT): We welcome back GARY HUDSON to discuss his G-Lab concept with the Space Studies Institute for a […]
The Angara rocket family. (Credit: Allocer)
MOSCOW (Khrunichev PR) — The Khrunichev Space Center continue to process a test article for shipment to the Plesetsk launch base where this device will be used in the tests aimed at finalizing the design of the launch complex of the Angara Launch System.
At Plesetsk, engineers and technicians from the space industry together with combat teams of the Aerospace Defense Force will carry out a test sequence using this test article. The aim of these tests is to certify the ground Processing Facility and the Launch Complex belonging to the Angara Launch System and to verify this system’s operational availability.
UKube-1. (Credit: Clyde Space)
UKSA PR — UKube-1, the programme to launch the UK Space Agency’s first Cubesat mission, has reached an important milestone. Two payloads have now undergone pre-integration testing at Clyde Space’s facilities in Glasgow.
Excalibur Almaz's space tourism vehicle concept. (Credit: Excalibur Almaz)
Excalibur Almaz is looking beyond sending its Soviet-era space vehicles and stations into Earth orbit and is actively working on human missions to the moon, asteroids and lagrange points.
Excalibur Almaz CEO Art Dula outlined the company’s plans on Sunday during the International Space Development Conference in Washington. Based upon Twitter posts by attendees, here are the highlights:
- The company has four reusable capsules (with four seats) and two space station pressure vessels that it is upgrading with modern technology
- Planned services include crew and cargo transportation from Earth to LEO, lunar orbits and lagrange point 2 (L2)
- EA is working with: MDA and Ad Astra (VASIMR engine) on asteroid rendezvous scenarios; ULA (launchers); Astrium (ATV-based propulsion system); NASA (Space Act Agreement on commercial crew); and Futron (marketing studies)
- Company appears to be no longer interested in providing commercial crew services to ISS (more…)
The ISS crew describes Dragon’s arrival at the station.
Russian media are reporting that it is “very likely” that the nation will stop launching Dnepr rockets, ending a 13-year joint program with Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The articles cite the high cost of launching payloads on the converted Soviet-era SS-18 Satan missiles. They also point to the rocket’s toxic hypergolic fuel as being unsafe for the environment. Dnepr rockets are converted in Ukraine and launched at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome and […]
Texas is working on incentives for SpaceX to build a commercial spaceport near Brownsville, the Houston Chronicle reports: Two sources familiar with the negotiations said the state is working on a multimillion-dollar package that could include funding from the Texas Enterprise Fund, infrastructure support from the state Department of Transportation and assistance from the Texas Workforce Commission, among others… On Friday a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry confirmed that the […]
MISSION UPDATE VIA SPACEX This morning, at 2:53 AM Pacific/5:53 AM Eastern, NASA astronauts stationed on board the International Space Station opened the hatch to SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Astronaut Don Pettit opened the hatch and he and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, Station Commander, entered the Dragon for initial inspections. They were joined at the entrance of the hatch by ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka. The operation […]
Flight: 80 Date: 16 May 12 Flight Time: 0.8 hr WK2 Pilot: Siebold WK2 CoPilot: Colmer WK2 FTE: Inks Objectives: Pilot familiarization Cold soak gear extension retraction Dump valve evaluation Results: Primary objectives achieved. Early return due to increasing surface winds.