SS2 and VMS Eve in hangar 2

Scaled Composites conducted a fourth test of the engine for its SpaceShipTwo vehicle on March 30, according to a log on the company’s website. The “full scale flight design RM2 hot-fire” was the first test done since May 20 of last year – a 10-month gap.

The test log says the firing was a success:

All objectives completed. Performed successful hot-fire, including oxidizer flow and pressurization systems, data acquisition system measurements, structural evaluation, nozzle ablation, and fuel regression rate data collection. Determined stability levels.

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Masten's Xoie lunar lander

Dave Masten and Ben Brockert
Masten Space Systems

• Reviewed progress of the past year, including winning the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge last fall
• Company’s goal is to fly small payloads to suborbital space
• Now on the second generation engine, which has 1,000 lbs. of thrust
• Third generation engine will have 1,300 lbs. of thrust

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Jane Poynter
Paragon Space Development Corporation
Tucson, Arizona

• Founded the company 15 years ago with future husband Taber MacCallum while both were living inside of Biosphere 2
• Focuses heavily on life support systems
• Main headquarters in Tucson, Arizona

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Douglas Maclise, NASA Ames Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) NASA’s commitment – $15 per year/5 years = $75 million CRuSR will: purchase flights from commercial suborbital providers develop basic technology and equipment fly automated experiment for the initial years until the commercial industry can prove sufficient reliability to fly researchers NOT  fund research except in a very few circumstances (although other parts of NASA may fund projects) NASA commitment will […]

CSF PRESS RELEASE

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to announce that Jacobs Technology, a division of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., has joined the Federation as an Associate Member, having received unanimous approval by the organization’s Board of Directors.

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Jeff Greason
CEO, XCOR

General Remarks

• Worst thing is to give a true believer everything they want and then have them fail…
• Thrilled and terrified by the magnitude of the opportunity facing the U.S. commercial space sector…
• He’s not sure the industry is ready to do all the things that the United States government is asking it to do…but they’re going to have to do it anyway…
• “It is time to grow up” as an industry – companies not tear each other down but work together, sell things to each other and cooperate on solving common problems….
• This industry includes smaller startups like XCOR and aerospace giants like Boeing, Lockheed Martin…. “We’re all on the same team”
• “If we blow it this time, I’m not sure we’re going to get another chance” because I don’t know if there will be a U.S. space industry to provide services to…

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Charles Miller
Senior Advisor for Commercial Space, NASA Headquarters
“A NACA Apporach to Low-Cost Reliable Access to Space”

Praised XCOR CEO Jeff Greason as doing “an unbelievably amazing job” as a member of the Augustine Commission

Opening cheap access to space changes everything….significant economic benefits to the world, and substantial national security benefits

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Some pretty big news coming out of Kazakhstan, where the government is making a $100 million investment in two launch systems, including the bankrupt Sea Launch consortium. RIA Novosti reports:

Kazakhstan intends to acquire 33% stakes in two Russian-Ukrainian joint ventures using the Baikonur space center for launches of Dnepr and Zenit carrier rockets, the country’s top space official said Friday.

The head of Kazakh space agency Kazcosmos, Talgat Musabayev, told a session of parliament that the issue of Kazakhstan’s equal participation in commercial space projects must be resolved as soon as possible to prevent the country being pushed from lucrative space launch markets by foreign competitors….

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Jeff Patton
United Launch Alliance

Patton began by reviewing ULA’s history:

• ULA launches Delta II, Delta IV and Atlas V rockets
• Joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin – 1,300 launches over 50+ years
• Since ULA was formed, it has had a 100 percent mission success rate – 39 missions, including 10 commercial missions

He pointed out that these versions of the rockets were developed within the last ten years under the military’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. Because they carry vital national security payloads, both rockets were designed to very high levels of reliability.

Patton said that ULA is confident that it could have a human-rated version of the Delta IV or Atlas V ready to fly within four years, before a crew vehicle was ready. By that time, both rockets will have lengthy flight histories.

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Armadillo Aerospace CEO John Carmack talks about the propulsion system he is building for vehicles in the Rocket Racing League.

John Carmack
CEO and Founder, Armadillo Aerospace

• Showed a promotional video highlighting company’s progress
• Played a second video in which the vehicle lost control at 4,000 feet and fell head-over-tail to the ground

Business Update:

• Company is growing. Taken on two more full-time team members
• Operating profit again this year – marginally profitable small aerospace company right now
• Couple of customers paying them decent money – “We’re very distracted by these customers.” (laughter)
• Armadillo Aerospace was operating at the margins of what they could sustain
• Sold his software company last year – provided Armadillo with some more financial stability…
• What we’re flying now is pretty close to what we need for reusable suborbital vehicles. A number of upgrades needed that they are working on.
• Hoped to have a new business deal to announce for the conference…announcement due within the next month…
• Will be conducting tests at Texas launch site, the Oklahoma Spaceport, and Spaceport America in New Mexico

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XCOR's Lynx suborbital vehicle

Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap
Dan Rasky, NASA Ames

Study Overview

• Commercial Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Roadmap Study
• Working in cooperation with Air Force Research Laboratory and FAA
• Rediscover heritage of NACA, which worked with the emerging aircraft industry

Study Focus

• Identify technologies for future space access
• 10x reduction in costs
• Increased reliability and availability

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