Space Florida’s Chris Snow provides an update on space legislation making its way through the Legislature down in the Sunshine State. To summarize: Space Florida Budget: House provides $7.84 million in non-recurring general revenue, Senate bill includes $10.04 million in recurring general revenue (matches governor’s request). Space Business Incentives Act: Approved by House, under review in Senate. Aerospace Jobs and Tuition Tax Credit: Approved by House, under review in Senate. […]

ROSCOSMOS PAO — Presidents of Russia and the USA established Russian-US President Commission in July, 2010. A Space Cooperation Working group in the framework of the Commission is led by the Heads of Roscosmos and NASA. The 4th meeting of the Group took place in Roscosmos premises on April 15. The introductions by Anatoly Perminov and Charles Bolden were followed by discussion on: Russian and US space policy and future […]

Team Leader Tim Pickens and Jason Andrews talk about their cool rideshare program during a break at the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Falcon 9 is the planned launch vehicle, and the program offers savings of over 50% over traditional dedicated missions.

The latest update from Henry Vanderbilt, who thinks that Congress is plowing billions into a rocket that will never fly….

Space Access Update #123  4/14/11
Copyright 2011 by Space Access Society

*  The President’s budget requested $559 million for heavy-lift and propulsion research. That line item was zeroed out by Congress and the funds put toward building the HLV immediately.

**  The Obama Administration canceled Multipurpose Crew Vehicle but later reinstated it in the budget as an ISS crew rescue vehicle.

*** CCDEV funding is not specified in the measure passed this week by Congress, which likely means it has not changed. Sen. Bill Nelson’s office has said that the funding level is at $312 million this year.

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A leading figure in China’s space program was in Colorado this week urging joint cooperation with the United States, including human spaceflight, while Congressional leaders in Washington were prohibiting NASA from doing anything of the sort.

Space News reports on remarks by “Lei Fanpei, vice president of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC), which oversees much of China’s launch vehicle and satellite manufacturing industry”:

Lei said he sees three areas in which U.S.-Chinese cooperation would be in both nations’ interests. The first, he said, is an open commercial access of each nation to the other’s capabilities in satellites and launch vehicles. The second, he said, is manned spaceflight and space science, particularly in deep space exploration. The third is in satellite applications including disaster monitoring and management.

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued the following statement Thursday about the passage of the 2011 spending bill: “We appreciate the work of Congress to pass a 2011 spending bill. NASA now has appropriated funds to implement the 2010 Authorization Act, which gives us a clear path forward to continue America’s leadership in human spaceflight, exploration and scientific discovery. Among other things, this bill lifts funding restrictions that limited our flexibility […]

MORPHEUS ENGINE FIRING Photo Credits: NASA

Officials in Rocket City are cheering a new budget that gives $1.8 billion for HLV development this year and an additional $1.2 billion for a crew vehicle, the Huntsville Times reports:

“The budget deal is a good one for Marshall, for NASA, and for the space community at large,” agreed former NASA administrator Michael Griffin. Griffin and others like it that the agreement specifies a rocket with “a lift capability not less than 130 tons and which shall have an upper stage and other core elements developed simultaneously.”

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Engineers at NASA Johnson Space Center will attempt an engine firing for its Morpheus vehicle today. The vehicle is attached to a crane. NASA’ description of the project follows: Morpheus is an all NASA designed vehicle. It was manufactured and assembled on-sight and at Armadillo Aerospace and was transported to JSC in January of this year. Morpheus is comparable in size to the Altair ascent stage and represents a full […]

DYNETICS PR — Dynetics and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) announced today at the National Space Symposium that PWR has joined the Rocket City Space Pioneers as the newest team member. The Rocket City Space Pioneers team is a group of businesses led by Dynetics, competing in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE.

Tim Pickens, team leader of the Rocket City Space Pioneers, said: “Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne will be a key player on our team. We are very fortunate to have such a reputable space company with a proven history of success join us on our mission.”

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NASA's FASTSAT (Credit: NASA)

DYNETICS PR — Dynetics announced today that FASTSAT-HSV01 has successfully completed scheduled science operations for multiple payloads. Mission operations are managed and controlled at NASA’s Huntsville Operations Support Center in Huntsville, Ala. FASTSAT is a commercial satellite developed by Dynetics in partnership with the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation (VCSI) and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville for the Department of Defense Space Test Program (DoD STP).

“Dynetics has provided spacecraft analysis support throughout the development and operations phase, including command development and verification, telemetry data analysis, planning and software updates. Significant science data has been collected through excellent teamwork with NASA’s mission operations team and the principal investigators,” said Mike Graves, Dynetics FASTSAT project manager.

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