NASA and SpaceX have both knocked down a report by RIA Novosti that the Dragon freighter will not be allowed to dock at the International Space Station on its next flight.
AUTHOR
Doug Messier
Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center
In addition to spending $3 billion on the Space Launch System and Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the Senate’s proposed budget directs NASA to also focus on the ground infrastructure required to support these programs using different parts of the space agency’s budget. The budget areas include ground operations, rocket test facilities, and the 21st Century Launch Complex Initiative. Precisely how much money from these budgets will go toward funding infrastructure for SLS/Orion as well as commercial crew ventures depends upon future NASA action.
A summary drawn from the Senate’s budget proposal follows.
In his latest update, Space Access Society founder Henry Vanderbilt says that any attempt to move from Space Act Agreements to traditional procurement would be akin to killing NASA’s commercial crew effort:
COTS, and CCDev till now, succeeded because their non-traditional Space Act Agreement contracts *prevented NASA from imposing their normal procurement practices*, and allowed the commercial partners to get things done at far lower commercial cost levels.
If CCP management gets away with abandoning what’s been working and switching to modified traditional procurement, all the arguments over whether the results will actually be any better or safer are moot. There will be no results, because *the money isn’t there.*
The Senate appropriators reportedly just came back with $500m for CCP next year, somewhat more than the House, but still far less than the NASA request. $500m may be just barely enough to support multiple competing commercial crew projects – if done under the old arrangements.
Under anything like traditional NASA procurement practice, $500m will barely pay for the viewgraphs. If CCP management goes ahead with their current approach, they will be effectively killing the program, absent money miraculously raining from the skies.
Well, this is precisely what the Senate has proposed doing in its draft FY 2012 budget. So, the NewSpacers have quite a battle on thier hands.
Read Vanderbilt’s full message below.
In the last three days, the Senate has proposed:
- cutting NASA’s overall budget by over a half billion dollars;
- spending $3 billion on a massive heavy-lift program and Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle that probably won’t fly people for 10 years;
- slashing the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program from a proposed $850 million to $500 million;
- dictating that NASA conduct the CCDev program in the most complicated, expensive and time consuming manner possible.
Welcome to the Congressional sausage factor, 21st century style. Real pretty, ain’t it? And congratulations to the Russians. If this plays out like I think it will, NASA will continue to pay you ever increasing amounts of money for many more years to come to send its astronauts to a station it primarily funded.
But, enough of this. Let’s get to the numbers for human spaceflight in the Senate proposal. Key excerpts are below.
A full-scale model of XCOR's Lynx spacecraft - which the photographers seem not the least bit interested in. (Credit: Miljonair)
While XCOR has been busy building its first Lynx spacecraft in Mojave this summer, things have been ramped up in another hot spot, Curacao, where the plan for commercial suborbital space flights in 2014 is coming together.
Space Expedition Curacao (formerly Space Experience Curacao) has sold 34 tickets and expects to reach 50 sales by the end of the year. Ticket holders include Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes, four-time DJ of the Year Armin van Buuren, and San Francisco Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulen. Charles Lurio of The Lurio Report says that total ticket sales for Lynx Mark I and II flights are approaching 100.
Lurio also reports that SXC and XCOR have finalized the wet lease that will allow the Lynx March II production vehicle to fly from the Caribbean island.
International Space Station
HOUSTON — NASA and its international partners have agreed to a tentative launch schedule with crew flights to the International Space Station resuming on Nov. 14.
The Space Station Control Board, with representation from all partner agencies, set the schedule after hearing the Russian Federal Space Agency’s findings on the Aug. 24 loss of the Progress 44 cargo craft. The dates may be adjusted to reflect minor changes in vehicle processing timelines.
SpacX Founder Elon Musk
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Technology Officer, issued the following statement:
“The United States needs alternatives for carrying American astronauts, and we need them as soon as possible,” said SpaceX CEO and chief rocket designer Elon Musk. “The investments made by this legislation will accelerate efforts to return America to launching astronauts and reduce our dependency on Russia. With the failure of the Soyuz booster last month, this effort is more important than ever.
“NASA’s Commercial Crew Development Program is the most fiscally responsible means to rapidly advance human spaceflight. It has protected taxpayer dollars with fixed-price, pay-for-performance contracts. It fosters competition that forces companies to compete on reliability, capability and cost. And it leverages private investment – making taxpayer dollars go further.
“SpaceX applauds Chairwoman Mikulski, Ranking Member Hutchison and the Members of the Subcommittee for recognizing the value of the program. With the support of Congress, American companies will soon be able to end the flow of tax dollars to Russia and instead invest in high-tech American jobs.”
Well, the moment that many people longed for (or long feared) came yesterday morning as NASA announced its Space Launch System plan. And it turned out to be as every bit as thrilling, terrifying and anticlimactic as anyone could have envisioned. It was also downright strange. Much stranger than anyone could have imagined.
How so? Let us count the ways:
- After waiting for months to announce a decision, the actual press conference was hastily arranged. How hastily? NASA sent out notices about the press conference the night before.
- NASA leaks like a sieve, so everyone knew what the damned thing was going to look like months ago, removing any suspense from the proceedings.
- Administrator Charles Bolden went to the Senate to make the announcement instead of doing so from a NASA facility.
- Who knew that Bill Nelson is not only a distinguished Senator but also a rocket scientist and flight attendant? He’s the one who explained the safety features of this
Boeing 737-800….uh, Senate designed mega rocket (the capsule is on top, which is convenient in the event of an unscheduled water landing, i.e., booster explosion).
The response to NASA’s Space Launch System announcement yesterday has fallen into a couple of familiar grooves: cautious joy tempered with what took so long? irritation among the program’s supporters in Huntsville, Utah, Texas and other locales where people will be working on the monster rocket; and consternation and apocalyptic warnings from leading NewSpace advocates, who today were greeted with news that Congress has proposed cutting the Commercial Crew Development […]
Sep 14, 2011 – Boulder, CO – The Space Frontier Foundation (SFF) and Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) are proud to announce the Student NewSpace Business Plan Competition.
Specifically designed to give students a chance to enter the world of space entrepreneurship, this competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students with an idea for a frontier-enabling business. Competitors will pitch their space industry or space-scalable business proposal to a panel of investors and NewSpace leaders, and vie for the $1000 grand prize. The winner will also be automatically entered into the NewSpace Business Plan Competition held at the NewSpace 2012 Conference.