30th Space Wing Public Affairs — VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — Team Vandenberg launched a Delta II rocket carrying the Aquarius/SAC-D (Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas) observatory from Space Launch Complex-2 here at 7:20 a.m. PDT.

Col. Richard Boltz, 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision authority.

“Team Vandenberg performed brilliantly once again in ensuring safe and successful launch operations,” said Colonel Boltz. “We wish our mission partners at NASA well as they begin their important work with Aquarius.”

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Space.com reports that officials are bullish on the SpaceShipTwo engine: Clearly, the integration of the hybrid motor with SpaceShipTwo is the next big milestone. That powerhouse engine is being crafted by Sierra Nevada Corporation. Short bursts to ever-long burns of the motor during flight are being planned. The first in-flight firing is still to be determined. “Realistically, probably around end of the year or early next year. We’ll have to […]

ETC PR — Environmental Tectonics Corporation’s The NASTAR® Center, the premier commercial aerospace training and research center, completed its first annual Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety Approval audit and inspection on June 2nd, 2011, for the continued use of the Space Training Simulator (STS-400) centrifuge for its Space Training Programs. The audit continues NASTAR Center’s FAA Safety Approval for another year.

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Some really cool video of the International Space Station with Endeavour attached shot from a departing Soyuz vehicle.

It looks like NASA isn’t the only space agency being asked to do too much with too little. Listen to what Energia Corporation President Vitaly Lopota told ITAR-TASS the other day about funding for the Soyuz replacement spacecraft: “The dynamics of funding of the new spaceship leaves much to be desired,” he said, noting that he did not mean this year’s funding. “So far, the federal program does not have […]

A few updates on ISRO concerning rocket development and reforms of the space agency’s commercial arm, Antrix Corp., in the wake of two GSLV failures and a spectrum allocation scandal. It seems that the murky Indian space world will become just a bit clearer. And that delays in rocket development will force a down scoping and delay of the agency’s next lunar mission.

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Aviation Week reports that NASA is negotiating for Space Florida to take over one of the three Orbiter Processing Facilities once the space shuttle program ends: Space Florida President Frank DiBello said his agency was negotiating for OPF Bay 3. He declined to discuss additional details, citing proprietary negotiations under way with an unnamed aerospace company. KSC is looking to off-load facilities that will no longer be needed after the […]

Presentation at the National Space Society International Space Development Conference, May 20, 2011, by Dr. Paul Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Spudis was given the 2011 NSS Space Pioneer Award in the Scientific and Engineering category for his paper on “Mission and Implementation of an Affordable Lunar Return.”

The Space Frontier Foundation (SFF) announced today that additional prize money to be awarded to the top three businesses competing in the 2011 NewSpace Business Plan Competition. These generous prizes, totaling $32,500, will help launch paradigm-shifting NewSpace companies while the competition itself will provide all the finalists with practical guidance from investors and business professionals.

The SFF will host the NewSpace Business Plan Competition during its NewSpace 2011 Conference and competition details can be found at www.newspacebpc.com. The conference will be held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley on July 28-31. Register at newspace.spacefrontier.org.

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A Boeing CST-100 crew module docks at a Bigelow Aerospace space station. (Credit: Boeing)

NASA recently released its Commercial Market Assessment for Crew and Cargo Systems. The report looks at high and low end estimates for the next decade based upon an extrapolation of existing flight rates and industry input. The assessment concludes:

NASA believes that the projections described in this report are more than sufficient to justify Government support for the development and demonstration of commercial cargo and crew systems, especially considering that the U.S. Government has a demonstrated need for commercial cargo and crew transportation to/from the ISS. According to one established aerospace company involved in NASA’s commercial crew efforts, this base Government market alone is sufficient to close its business case. The commercial markets assessed in this report provide a potential upside further strengthening the potential for success. NASA also believes its approach to cargo and crew system development will be more cost effective than a more traditional approach to space system development.

Key excerpts from the report are reproduced after the break.

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A couple of awesome photos of the International Space Station and the space shuttle Endeavour snapped from a departing Soyuz vehicle.