NASA PRESS RELEASE

Acting as a contracting agent for the Department of Defense’s Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Office, NASA has selected five companies to receive a contract for Modular Space Vehicles (MSV).

NASA selected ATK Space Systems Inc. in Beltsville, Md.; Miltec Corp. in Huntsville, Ala.; Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. in Redondo Beach, Calif.; PnP Innovations Inc. in Albuquerque, N.M.; and Sierra Nevada Corp. in Sparks, Nev., to help develop multi-mission modular space vehicles.

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American and Australian officials agreed this week to closely cooperate on better tracking the more than 500,000 pieces of space debris at least 1 centimeter in diameter that pose risk to vital satellites in orbit. The allies also agreed to work together to prevent the creation of further debris creation, including opposition to the “development and testing of counter-space weapons.”

According to a joint statement:

Australia welcomed the U.S. decision, reflected in the June 2010 U.S. National Space Policy, to consider space arms control measures that are equitable, verifiable and in the national interest of the United States and its allies. Australia intends to work with the United States to progress efforts to prevent long-lived debris-creating behaviour, and develop and implement transparency and confidence-building measures for enhanced stability and safety in space activities.

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Space.com’s Leonard David has a report on a recent meeting in Europe to coordinate an action plan to battle near Earth objects that could rain havoc down on our planet:

Space agencies around the world are working to be ready to coordinate their response to any potentially harmful asteroid headed for Earth.

To help focus a world-class planetary defense against threatening near-Earth objects, the space experts are seeking to establish a high-level Mission Planning and Operations Group, or MPOG for short.

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A video of the “Moon, Mars, Asteroids: Where to Go First for Resources?” panel discussion held during  the Space Studies Institute’s Space Manufacturing 14 conference in Silicon Valley. Moderated by tech investor Esther Dyson, the discussion included: Prof. Mike A’Hearn, University of Maryland, Dept. of Astronomy Prof. Greg Baiden, Penguin Automated Systems Mark Sonter, Asteroid Enterprises Pty Ltd Prof. John Lewis, Space Studies Institute Dr. Paul Spudis, Lunar and Planetary […]

Vega's first stage departs from the Spaceport’s Booster Integration Building at Kourou. (Credit: Arianespace)

ARIANESPACE PRESS RELEASE

A representative P80 first stage for Vega is now on the launch pad in French Guiana, marking a milestone in preparations for next year’s introduction of this lightweight vehicle, which will be operated by Arianespace in commercial missions.

The P80 first stage was rolled out to the Spaceport’s Vega launch zone on October 26 as the initial step in combined testing of Vega with its ground-based infrastructure. This full-scale stage is complete with instrumentation, and has been filled with a simulated load of solid propellant.

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This week in The Space Review… Climate change and suborbital spaceflight The same day that commercial spaceflight supporters were celebrating the development of Spaceport America, a new study concluded that suborbital flights that facility will host could alter the planet’s climate. Jeff Foust examines the latest research and some of the issues associated with the study. The mysteries of Titan Thirty years ago this week Voyager 1 made the first […]

Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company has raised an additional $50 million in investment, according to an SEC filing dated today. The latest round of funding raises the amount invested in the company to $200 million. A company official told Silicon Alley Insider that the funds came from existing investors. CrunchBase indicates that the company had raised $150 million in funds previously, including: Elon Musk: $100M The Founders Fund: $20 million […]

CSF PRESS RELEASE

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that Aerojet has joined the Federation. With over 3,000 employees nationwide including locations in California, Arkansas, Washington State, Virginia, New Mexico, Utah and Tennessee, the company is a leading provider of aerospace propulsion systems.

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CALIFORNIA SPACE AUTHORITY PRESS RELEASES

Two aerospace companies have reserved space at the Mission Support Center of the California Space Center (CSC). The CSC will be built on a 71-acre site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County. The companies – SpaceX and Orbital Sciences — have requested a total of more than 25,000 square feet for offices and a command and control center. The first phase of the Mission Support Center will include about 100,000 square feet of Class-A office space a mile from the front gate of VAFB on Highway 1.

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SAS PRESS RELEASE

Special Aerospace Services, a leader in aerospace systems engineering solutions, announced today that it will host its first Commercial Human Spaceflight Technical Forum on January 12-14.

The forum is being held in Boulder, Colorado, and will present a focused and concentrated technical agenda created for Commercial Human Spaceflight providers and NASA. Attendees will gain insight to techniques that will be required to successfully achieve the NASA human rating certification and FAA commercial spaceflight licensing.

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Aviation Week reports that SpaceX is rescheduling its late November launch of the first Dragon capsule to Dec. 7 to allow for more testing. The robotic freighter, designed to resupply the International Space Station, will be sent into space on a test mission aboard the second Falcon 9 rocket. The precise date will be impacted by the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, which was postponed last week until Nov. […]

Spacecraft factory to break ground in Mojave Los Angeles Times A production facility that would build the world’s first fleet of commercial spaceships is set to begin construction Tuesday at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The 68,000-square-foot facility, one of the first aircraft assembly plants to be built in the region in decades, will be home to the Spaceship Co., or TSC — a joint venture owned by Mojave-based […]