Armadillo Aerospace has an online store on Cafe Press that is selling branded merchandise, including the mouse pad shown above. The store sells shirts, hats, mugs, buttons, stickers and more featuring an intrepid little armadillo wearing a helmet and goggles. And for those wanting to spice up their love lives, there’s even this…. And it’s even patriotic! Shop today!
Excalibur Almaz is one of eight companies invited by NASA to further discuss their proposals for the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program, Space News reports. NASA plans to award $200 million in funding next month.
KAZCOSMOS PAO — On 16-18 February 2011, a Kazakh delegation headed by Chairman Kazkosmos T. Musabaev held talks with representatives of Roscosmos in Moscow. Participants discussed the prospects of Kazakhstan’s participation in the “Land Launch” project and the establishment of the “Baiterek” launch complex at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
NASA PR — The launch of NASA’s Glory spacecraft from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California is currently planned for no earlier than Friday, Feb. 25 at 5:09 a.m. EST.
Engineers from NASA and Orbital Sciences Corp. continue to troubleshoot a technical issue that arose during Wednesday’s initial launch attempt. The target launch date also will ensure personnel get the required rest before entering another countdown.
Coverage of the countdown on the Glory launch blog and on NASA TV will begin on launch day at 3:30 a.m. EST.
ESA PR 09-2011 — Eight days after launch, ESA’s latest Automated Transfer Vehicle, Johannes Kepler, completed a flawless rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station at 17:08 CET (16:08 GMT)to deliver essential supplies.
XCOR's Lynx suborbital vehicle
XCOR/MOJAVE, Calif. — In a first for the reusable suborbital launch vehicle industry, XCOR Aerospace announced today that the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), a commercial entity, has purchased six suborbital flights to carry SwRI experiments and payload specialists. This is the first such contract SwRI has issued, and XCOR is proud to be chosen for this opportunity.
The New York Times looks at how Spaceport America — launched by Gov. Bill Richardson in 2005 when New Mexico was flush with tax revenues — is faring today amid an economic downturn and years of delay in launching commercial suborbital spaceflights.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket
SPACEX/HAWTHORNE, CA – Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (known as SpaceX) has been named one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by MIT’s Technology Review.
“Private companies will dominate near-Earth space travel. And SpaceX, with its manufacturing advances for making rocket engines and astronaut capsules, is leading the way,†said Jason Pontin, Technology Review Editor in Chief and Publisher.
WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo: Made in America, financed in the Middle East. (Photo credit: Mark Greenberg)
While Europe lurches from sovereign debt crisis to debt crisis, the United States struggles with a ballooning budget deficit, and investors worldwide pull back on spending, there is one area of the world that still has a mountain of funds to spend. It’s a reality could have a major effect on the path of the nascent commercial spaceflight industry in the years ahead.
USAF SPACE COMMAND: Launch of NASA’s Glory mission spacecraft on a Taurus XL rocket at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., was scrubbed for 24 hours this morning at about the T-11 minute point due to a problem associated with the flight termination system. Engineers still are evaluating the issue. Good weather is forecast for Thursday. The time for launch attempt tomorrow (Feb. 24) remains the same as today at 2:09:43 a.m. PST. […]