Japan aims for walking robot on the moon by 2020
The Associated Press
Japan hopes to have a two-legged robot walk on the moon by around 2020, with a joint mission involving astronauts and robots to follow, according to a plan laid out Friday by a government group.
Ecologist magazine has an interesting look into Richard Branson’s claims about the eco-friendly nature of Virgin Galactic’s space tourism program:
Pricing Remains Hurdle for Commercial Delta, Atlas Sales
Space News
The two companies selling U.S. Delta and Atlas rockets to commercial customers said they could not justify a full re-entry into the market given the continued tough pricing environment for commercial launches.
China Developing Unmanned Module as Space Station Precursor
Space News
China hopes to attract international partners to its effort to send an unmanned space module into low Earth orbit in late 2010 as a precursor to a larger human-tended space station, Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China’s manned space program said April 2 at the National Space Symposium here.
Faced with a growing and potentially lethal threat of space debris, the European Space Agency has decided start offering monitoring services….in two or three years. Hopefully.
North Korea launches rocket, sparks international criticism
CNN
North Korea followed through Sunday on its publicly-stated intention to launch to a long-range rocket, defying a series of warnings from the international community and setting off a firestorm of criticism in the process.
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A few new matters relating to the NASA Administrator or, more specifically, the lack of one. Apparently, this is causing problems at NASA. Meanwhile, the top Democrat in the House heartily endorsed one rumored candidate while a leader of the NewSpace movement floated the name of another.
ISRO chief Madhavan Nair given Z category security
Press Trust of India
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G Madhavan Nair and six other prominent space scientists have been provided with security cover following threat to their lives after a Lashkar-e-Taiba militant claimed that plans were being hatched to kidnap or assassinate them.
Astrium: we are committed to space jet
Flight International
EADS Astrium’s suborbital space jet has the company’s long term commitment and its technological development will be sustained according to the company’s deputy chief technical officer.
PRESS RELEASE
A series of town hall-style meetings will be hosted over the next few weeks for local contractors, businesses, organizations and individuals interested in spaceport opportunities.
Space fashionista Misuzu Onuki — organizer of a recent space fashion show in New York — has published what is being billed as the first book about NewSpace that has ever been published in Japan.
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Rocketplane Global CEO Chuck Lauer raised a really interesting question during his presentation at Space Access ’09 on Saturday: Does it make sense to launch space tourists from a place with notoriously bad weather?
