XCOR's Lynx suborbital vehicle
FAA streamlines experimental space flight access
InfoWorld
The Federal Aviation Administration today said it would streamline the environmental review part of permit applications for the launch and/or reentry of reusable suborbital rockets to help bolster a fledgling commercial space market.
MDA PRESS RELEASE
MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a provider of essential information solutions, has received a $46 million (CAD) [$42 million USD] contract from the Canadian Space Agency to develop the next generation technologies and prototypes for international space exploration and spacecraft servicing missions. The contract also includes options for an additional $4 million of prototypes.
Seattle team wins $900,000 in Space Elevator Games
Associated Press
A Seattle team has collected a $900,000 prize in a NASA-backed competition to develop the concept of an elevator to space — an idea spurred by science fiction novels.
The team’s robotic machine raced up more than 2,950 feet of cable dangling from a helicopter.
Former Indian President P J Abdul Kalam
Kalam visits birthplace of US space programme
Express India
Former Indian President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam has said he looks forward to the building of scientific and educational relationships between the academic communities of India and US.
Kalam visited the birthplace of US’ space programme, The University of Alabama and toured the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center last week.
Stickney Crater, the largest crater on the martian moon Phobos, is named for Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, mathematician and wife of astronomer Asaph Hall. Asaph Hall discovered both the Red Planet’s moons in 1877. Over 9 kilometers across, Stickney is nearly half the diameter of Phobos itself, so large that the impact that blasted out the crater likely came close to shattering the tiny moon. This stunning, enhanced-color image of […]
Ariane 5
Space markets post strong growth, defy economic crisis
Spaceflightnow.com
Markets for commercial communications satellites, Earth observation spacecraft and their launchers, all remarkably unaffected by the global economic crisis, continue to soar toward yearly double digit growth, generating billions in annual revenues.
Former NASA Chief of Staff and White House liaison Courtney Stadd avoided a prison term on corruption charges on Friday:
A former top NASA official was sentenced Friday to three years probation, six months of electronic monitoring and a $2,500 fine for steering contract money to a private client.
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The down looking camera from the pad B to pad A flight of the level 2 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.
Peter Diamandis says that prizes help to transform risk takers in the eyes of society.
Video of Team ARCA’s planned launch. ARCA is a competitor in the Google Lunar X Prize.
L-R: George Nield, Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation, FAA; Charlie Bolden, NASA Administrator; Doug Comstock, Director, Innovative Partnerships Program, NASA; David Masten, CEO, Masten Space Systems; Phil Eaton, VP, Operations, Armadillo Aerospace; Rep. Ralph Hall, Texas, Ranking Member, Science & Technology Committee; Peter Diamandis, Chairman & CEO, X PRIZE Foundation; Mitch Waldman, VP, Advanced Programs & Technology, Northrop Grumman
X PRIZE PRESS RELEASE
Today, the X PRIZE Foundation along with NASA hosted an awards ceremony to culminate the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X PRIZE Challenge (NGLLXPC). Masten Space Systems, led by David Masten, was awarded the top $1 million prize, while Armadillo Aerospace, led by id Software founder John Carmack took home the second place prize of $500,000.
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Naro failure attributed to fairing problems
Korean Herald
An independent panel — tasked with finding the cause of the partial failure of Korea’s first rocket launch — confirmed yesterday that problems in the nose-fairing caused the satellite to veer off course.
