March 21, 2024 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Space Force awards three contracts for developing orbital servicing technologies
The contracts went to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and a new startup Spacebilt.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo freighter
The link provides a detailed description of this new spacecraft, clearly intended to provide ferrying services to the upcoming future space stations, with its most likely customer the Starlab station being built by Voyager Space, which is partnering with ESA and Airbus. This German company hopes to launch it by 2028.
- Chinese pseudo-company delivers 1st stage engines for another Chinese pseudo-company
The engines are for Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket, which is essentially a copy of Falcon 9, and hopes to do a first launch in July.
- Astronomers complain about budget cuts to Hubble and Chandra
Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
- Space Force awards three contracts for developing orbital servicing technologies
The contracts went to Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, and a new startup Spacebilt.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg touts its proposed Argo cargo freighter
The link provides a detailed description of this new spacecraft, clearly intended to provide ferrying services to the upcoming future space stations, with its most likely customer the Starlab station being built by Voyager Space, which is partnering with ESA and Airbus. This German company hopes to launch it by 2028.
- Chinese pseudo-company delivers 1st stage engines for another Chinese pseudo-company
The engines are for Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 rocket, which is essentially a copy of Falcon 9, and hopes to do a first launch in July.
- Astronomers complain about budget cuts to Hubble and Chandra
Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Interesting that the three awards from the Space Force are from well established companies with deep pockets. I thought the plan was to fund new entrants and expand supply capabilities. Quub applied for two different projects and received nothing. In order to win these, it seems you have to know someone and speak the language. Good thing we have commercial customers too.
Joe: I wouldn’t call Spacebilt a well-established company with deep pockets. It seems the Space Force gave two contracts to big players, but then included a newbie to enhance the competition.
I stand corrected on all three having deep pockets. The founders are all well seasoned vets in the space game. Glad they got something out of it at least.
Joe: Ah, the modern old boys (and girls) network. Only the well-known buddies of the government get the contracts. On this point I sympathize with you wholly.
I’ve worked in government contracting now almost 14 years and if you are a new company it is very difficult to put together a proposal without someone that really knows the details of the task order. Now, the contract I work on is definitely not space related and it could be different, but I have my doubts. It definitely helps to have an ‘inside’ man with intimate knowledge of the program.
“Hey, if you are going to push for expensive, overbudget, and behind-schedule boondoggles like the Roman Space Telescope, you better recognize that real telescopes will suffer to pay for them.”
I grok the larger point. That said…I cut Roman a little slack because Covid supply chain issues and inflation were going to be inevitable hits for a project just hitting CDR. It also isn’t as obscenely lowballed or mismanaged as, say, JWST or Mars Sample Return. And frankly, it’s going to produce more science per dollar spent than MSR, let alone SLS/Orion, all of which Congress clearly went out of its way to shove funding at in this final budget this month.
Well, there’s just enough funding to keep the lights on in the Chandra and Hubble offices, so maybe they can use this year to come up with a better astrophysics plan for FY 2025.
@Ron
“I’ve worked in government contracting now almost 14 years and if you are a new company it is very difficult to put together a proposal without someone that really knows the details of the task order.”
. . . Which is why many government procurement actions are set up specifically to encourage established contractors to team with new/small business/nontraditional contractors. When ranking contractors for an award decision, credit to a particular contractor can include bonus points for having a small business as a team member or subcontractor, or an “8A” company, or women- and/or minority-owned business. Doing so allows inexperienced companies to get their foot in the door of government procurement. (and I’m not endorsing this strategy over making awards purely on technical/cost grounds; just saying that it exists, and why).
Bill, that exact scenario has played out several times where I work. Small company becomes bigger company and now has to find a new partner.
Ron and Bill, you both point out some of the flaws in the system – know someone in the program or team with a bigger company (that can and will abuse you). No matter the direction you either get the ‘Thank you but…” letter or get too big/smart/uncontrollable and be out in the cold again. I have been through the wringer so much now that I don’t even want to consider government contracts. Horror stories abound.
There is a better way to do these contracts but too many people make money off the current system that it will be next to impossible to change.
Joe: This thread makes me think of Bigelow and Axiom. Bigelow was new and independent, and proved it could do the job by flying two test modules into orbit, and topped that with a module on ISS. NASA eventually wasn’t interested in working with it, favoring Axiom instead, because the head of Axiom was an old NASA guy, Michael Suffredini, who had been around for decades, working at NASA and the old big space companies.
Thus, Bigelow, the company that pioneered private space stations, is gone. Instead, Axiom rules, run by an old NASA hand.