Mountain View, CA (Moon Express PR) – Moon Express, a Google Lunar X PRIZE contender, announced today that it has won an additional task order from NASA under its Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data (ILDD) Program contract. The newest task order in the $10M ILDD contract calls for Moon Express to provide NASA with data about the company’s progress through a Preliminary Design Checkpoint Technical Package that documents details of mission operations, spacecraft development, payload  accommodations and Planetary Protection Plans.

Silicon Valley-based Moon Express was one of only three U.S. companies awarded the first $500K Task Order under NASA’s ILDD program. Successful completion of the newest task order will bring the company’s ILDD awards to $610,000. Although an important substantiation of NASA’s interest in commercial lunar providers, the ILDD contract represents a fraction of the investment needed to execute a commercial lunar mission. The majority of Moon Express funding is coming from private investors and is supplemented by revenues from payload customers.

(more…)

Virgin Galactic's WhiteKnightTwo with Burt Rutan and Richard Branson

MOJAVE, Calif. (TSC PR) ― The Spaceship Company (TSC), the aerospace production joint venture of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites, continues to make strides in making commercial space travel a reality with the qualification of three primary aerostructure suppliers. Each approved company is now officially qualified to fabricate structural composite components for the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwospace tourism vehicles.

TSC’s qualified primary aerospace structure suppliers include:

Applied Aerospace Structures Corp (AASC)
3437 South Airport Way
Stockton, CA 95206

GFMI Aerospace & Defense
17375 Mount Herrmann St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Triumph Aerospace Systems – Wichita
9323 E 34th Street N
Wichita, KS 67226-2621

(more…)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (CASIS PR) – Today, Jim Royston was named interim director for the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) – the non-profit entity selected in 2011 by NASA to maximize utilization of the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory. The appointment comes following the resignation of Dr. Jeanne Becker, who was hired as director of the organization in fall 2011.

The Board received Dr. Becker’s resignation last week and accepted it as a result of ongoing disputes in relation to the pace and direction of the implementation of CASIS’ mission.

(more…)

This week on The Space Show with David Livingston… 1. Monday, March 5, 2011 2-3:30 PM PST (5-6:30 PM EST, 4-5:30 PM CST): We welcome back veteran NBC space reporter JAY BARBREE to the show. 2. SPECIAL TIME: Tuesday, March 6, 2012, 1-2 PM PST (4-5 PM EST, 3-4 PM CST): We welcome back DR. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON to discuss his new book, “Space Chronicles: Facing The Ultimate Frontier” and […]

March 2, 2012, Washington, DC (NSS PR) — The National Space Society (NSS) is pleased to announce that this year’s Legislative Blitz was very successful, as we called on Congress to work with the Administration and NASA to reach consensus on a unified and comprehensive human and robotic spaceflight program.

The annual Blitz, conducted in conjunction with 12 other non-profit space advocacy organizations that collectively form the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA), is a grassroots event that unites individuals from all walks of life and with diverse political beliefs to meet with members of Congress and/or their staff to stress the importance of space exploration and development.

(more…)

Support for bringing China, India and other nations into the International Space Station partnership appears to be growing following a meeting of the five families space agency heads in Canada last week:

“We are not a closed club, our doors are wide open,” Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian Space agency, said after a meeting Thursday of the leaders of the organizations involved in the station.

Popovkin ventured that the day will come when China and India will work together with the five ISS partners — Canada, the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency.

(more…)

Ukrainian Zenit rocket launch.

KYIV, Ukraine, March 2, 2012 (Worldwide News Ukraine PR) — Ukrainian State Space Agency informed that in 2011 Ukraine joined China, the EU, Russia, and the USA becoming one of the top five space rocket launching countries in the world. Since 1991 Ukraine grew into a significant player in the field of space industry, having launched 125 rockets and delivered into orbit 238 satellites that belonged to 19 countries.

As of today Ukraine has launched its rockets from four space launch facilities across the globe. By 2013, the country will start using the fifth launching platform for rocket launches as a joint Ukrainian-Brazilian project Alcantara Cyclone Space will be complete. The binational project will provide a launching facility in one of the most advantageous locations on the planet.

(more…)

Quebec, Canada, March 1, 2012 (ABB PR) – ABB is pleased with the federal government decision to extend up to 2020 its cooperation to the International Space Station (ISS). This agreement will result in significant benefits for the Canadian space industry.

(more…)

Ukrainian Dnepr launch vehicle. (Credit: ISC Kosmotras)

UKRAINE SPACE AGENCY PR — On February 28, 2012 in the UNIA “Ukrinform” held a press conference on the 20th anniversary of the National Space Agency of Ukraine with the participation of the President of the National Space Agency of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine Yuri Sergeyevich Alekseyev, and the first director of the National Space Agency of Ukraine, member of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician Vladimir Pavlovich Horbulin.

National Space Agency of Ukraine was established February 29, 1992 by Presidential Decree of LM Kravchuk. This has allowed Ukraine to begin forming their own state policy in the exploration and use of outer space.

(more…)