NASA has published redacted versions of the Space Act Agreements wtih the four CCDev contractors who are sharing $270 million in awards. All documents in PDF. Blue Origin The Boeing Company Sierra Nevada Company Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
Lots of reactions and comments flowing in from around the country on NASA’s CCDev 2 awards of $270 million to Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Corporation and SpaceX. Here are the initial ones. I’ll add the rest when they come in (or in Blue Origin’s case, this might be all there is….).
SpaceX Tweets
SpaceXer SpaceX
> With NASA’s support, SpaceX will be ready to fly first manned mission three years after receiving these funds.
> Dragon scheduled to fly >11 times before the 1st Dragon crew flight. SpaceX system will mature before most other systems can b developed.
> Engines for awesome new launch abort system could be used on next generation Dragon for on-target propulsive landing #CCDev2.
>Falcon 9 rocket/Dragon spacecraft r designed to carry astronauts, final upgrades =launch abort system, seats, control panels, env controls
(more…)
1:24 PT: Waiting for the telcon to begin….funky piano music plays….not space themed…what about Rocket Man? Major Tom? Mystery Science Theater 3000?
1:27 PT: E-mail said press release was to have been online earlier….no sight of it so far…
1:29 PT: Latin flavored guitar music….
1:30 PT: Here’s we go….
Philip McAlister….generic description of CCDEV….Space act agreements run from now until May 2012…discussions with 8 bidders….
— Blue Origin, Kent, Wash., $22 million – crew abort and spacecraft design and maturation
— Sierra Nevada Corporation, Louisville, Colo., $80 million — Dream Chaser spacecraft
— Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), Hawthorne, Calif., $75 million – Dragon capsule and abort system
— The Boeing Company, Houston, $92.3 million – CST-100 spacecraft
Total: $270 million out of $312 million in CCDev program awarded to companies
Two capsules, lifting body and biphonic (sp?) vehicle….i.e., whatever the hell Blue Origin is working on….
VG PR — Virgin Galactic LLC, the world’s first commercial spaceline, is accepting qualified applications for pilot-astronauts. Pilot-astronaut responsibilities include the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo spaceflight system test program in accordance with government regulations and company policies in Mojave, CA and Virgin Galactic’s commercial operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico. Qualified candidates are full course graduates of a recognised test pilot school who are broadly experienced with both high-performance fast-jet […]
NASA PR — NASA will host a media teleconference at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 18, to announce awards for the second round of the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev2) effort. These awards are a continuation of NASA’s CCDev initiatives begun in 2009 to stimulate efforts within U.S. industry to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities. The selected proposals will advance commercial crew space transportation system concepts and mature the […]
The spaceport terminal in Curaçao should give the one in New Mexico a run for its money.
You would think that for San Francisco Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulen, nothing could top the excitement of winning a World Series ring last year. But, he’s setting his sights on something even higher: a trip to space.
Meulen is one of 15 Founder Astronauts who have booked flights with Space Experience Curacao, which will begin suborbital tourism flights from his home island of Curacao in 2014. Muelen, who was born on the Caribbean island, will fly aboard an XCOR Lynx vehicle that is now under development in Mojave, Calif.
“Americans are crazy about space travel, but for Curacao this is also a great initiative. In terms of tourism, but also because of all the social and educational projects that will be set up on the island,” he said in a press release.
Video from a nationally televised tribute to Yuri Gagarin’s flight into space in 1961.
X-COR and SXC sign exclusivity contract for ‘tail number 1’
SXC PR
April 12, 2011
Earlier this month, SXC [Space Experience Curacao] and XCOR signed the Memorandum of Understanding, in which the mutually exclusive agreements are officially documented. SXC will be the only party, besides XCOR, to make use of the first spacecraft.
Model Doutzen Kroes. (Credit: Georges Biard)
Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes is set to fly into space aboard XCOR’s Lynx suborbital space plane from the Caribbean island of Curacao in 2014.
“My work took me to the most amazing locations on Earth,” she said. “But I hear nothing is as beautiful as the sight of the Earth from space. All of the astronauts that have witnessed it say it has changed their lives.
“I am really excited to go and also proud to announce that SXC has donated one extra ticket to Dance4Life, the organisation that fights HIV and Aids among young people. This ticket will be auctioned July 2, prior to the event of Sensation White!” Kroes said in a press release.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket
In SpaceX related news, the California start-up has an agreement with the military concerning the launching of national security payloads. Meanwhile, it’s rock bottom launch prices are confounding Chinese officials.
Space News reports:
The three biggest U.S. government satellite-buying agencies have concluded a memorandum of agreement to establish rules permitting startup launch-services provider Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to launch U.S. Air Force and other national security satellites, a U.S. Air Force official said April 14.
Ukraine's Cyclone-4 rocket
It looks like the long-delayed Brazilian-Ukrainian project to build a new spaceport in the South American country could take a bit longer than expected. The news comes as Russia has refused to become involved in the project and is wooing Ukraine to become involved in its new Vostochny spaceport in the Far East.
Interfax quotes Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov as saying that partners are looking to complete a new launch complex at Alcantara by 2014. This date would presumably delay the first launch of Ukraine’s Cyclone-4 launch from the equatorial spaceport, which had been scheduled for 2012.
Ukrainian Space Agency head Yuriy Alekseyev said that more funding is required to complete the project, according to the Ukrainian Journal.
“Today around $280 million has been spent and around $260 million more will be required… Unfortunately, Brazil has invested $50 million more in the project compared to Ukraine,” he said.
Henry Vanderbilt recounts the recent Space Access ’11 conference…
Space Access Update #123 4/14/11
Copyright 2011 by Space Access Society
Space Access ’11 Conference Successful
Our latest Space Access Conference wrapped up last Saturday evening with the awe-inspiring sight of NewSpace notables singing rocket-margarita-propelled karaoke in the hotel bar. Â Only one speaker in the final published agenda had to cancel, and his reason was impossible to argue with – his Zeppelin was running late. Â (Seriously – choppy weather had delayed his space observation instrument test on a modern Zeppelin airship flight out of Moffet Field.) Â Speaking of weather, a number of guests from places like the UK and Seattle said we’d gone overboard on the Arizona hospitality, importing a day of their native climates Saturday (forties and raining) but we strive to make everyone feel welcome! Â (The rest of the conference was more spring-like.)