Kazakhstan is weighing a proposal to turn the Baikonur Cosmodrome into a commercial joint-stock company with a 70 percent majority ownership by Russia, according to press reports. “We will work on the issue together with Russia and other states. It is worth thinking about,” said [Talgat] Musabayev, the head of Kazakhstan’s space agency Kazcosmos. Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov suggested the change last week for the Kazahk-run spaceport, which was the […]

So, what is Sierra Nevada Corporation going to do with the $80 million it’s receiving from NASA under the CCDev program? The following schedule provides a great overview of how the company will develop its Dream Chaser (DC) spacecraft over the next 13 months. Appendix 2(a). CCDev2 Performance Milestones and Success Criteria. Baseline Milestones Milestone Value Baseline $80M Award Schedule Milestone 1: System Requirements Review  Description: Conduct System Requirements Review […]

The Space Leadership Council has set out actions to boost the UK space industry and achieve outcomes of the Government.

The National Space Technology Strategy for the UK details priority research and technology areas to help the UK space sector grow including telecommunications and access to space. This will support the National Space Technology Programme announced in the Growth Review and help UK businesses make the most of foreign markets.

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Last year, NASA gave $18 million to Boeing for its CST-100 crew vehicle under the CCDev program. On Monday, the space agency awarded the company another $92.3 million to continue work.

So, what has Boeing accomplished thus far? What can we expect the company to do over the next 14 months? And over the next four years?

The answer, my friend, isn’t blowing in the wind. It’s in the Space Act Agreement that Boeing signed with NASA.

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Jeff Bezo’s space start-up, Blue Origin, is getting a bit of help from Big Rocket and NASA’s research centers in developing its 7-person orbital vehicle. Compared with other bids, Blue Origin seems to be doing a lot of the work in house. CCDev 2 Team Members NASA Ames Research Center – for system trades, design and test activities related to space vehicle maturation NASA Stennis Space Center – for engine […]

Boeing's CST-100 crew transport. (Credit: Boeing)

The CST-100 commercial crew transport involves an interesting mix of  large, traditional aerospace companies (Boeing, PWR, USA and ULA) and smaller “New Space” firms such as Bigelow Aerospace, Space Adventures and XCOR. Team members include:

• Bigelow Aerospace
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR)
• Airborne Systems
• ILC Dover
• Spincraft
• XCOR Aerospace
• United Space Alliance (USA)
• United Launch Alliance (ULA)
• ARES Corporation
• Space Adventures.

Source: NASA/Boeing CCDEV Space Act Agreement

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Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser, which received $80 million under NASA’s CCDev program, is an interesting collaboration of NewSpace, Big Rocket and academia. The team members and their roles: Sierra Nevada Corporation – In addition to coordinating and managing the team, SNC will manage all internal systems, propulsion, structure, and launch vehicle. Adam Works – Assist SNC in structural fabrication using our combined composite manufacturing capabilities. Aerojet – Development of […]

On The Space Show this week…. Monday, April 18 and Tuesday, April 19, 2011. There will be no Space Shows as I am in Grand Forks teaching at UND. Friday, April 22, 2011 , 9:30-11 AM PDT. We welcome back to the show Dr. Jeff Bell to discuss what is happening with our space program. For those of you that have heard Dr. Bell before, you know he brings unique, […]

This week in The Space Review…. Following SpaceX down the rabbit hole Earlier this month SpaceX announced plans to develop a more powerful version of its Falcon 9 rocket, called the Falcon Heavy. Stewart Money examines what the implications are of a vehicle with the performance and cost goals of the Falcon Heavy. Tobacco and beaver pelts: the sustainable path Debates about human space exploration often focus on destinations and […]

Lockheed Martin PR — Following months of short-term, stop-gap funding for NASA, Lockheed Martin welcomes final passage of the FY 2011 budget by the Congress, which has been sent forward for President Obama’s signature. As stated by Congressional committee members, continuing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) along with the heavy lift launch vehicle ensures that the United States will continue to be the world’s leader in human space flight.

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Although NASA is giving $75 million to SpaceX to develop its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, the company isn’t revealing much publicly about… Partnering companies… …key individual team members… …or Investors… To be fair, the other successful bidders — Boeing, Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada — did redact the names of individual team members and many financial details in the Space Act Agreements released by NASA. This is done […]

Here’s an image of Blue Origin’s orbital vehicle from the CCDev 2 Space Act Agreement. Some key details: biconic in shape 7 passengers crew and cargo to ISS independent commercial flights for science, adventure and trips to other orbital destinations 210 day (7 month) ISS lifeboat capability. initial launch on Atlas V but designed for multiple rockets later launches on Blue Origin’s reusable booster that will use “deep-throttling, restartable engines […]