The spaceport at Wallops Island, Maryland has unveiled its rocket assembly building to be used by Orbital Sciences in launching cargo to ISS.
Mining and jobs versus radio astronomy.
Boeing’s biggest-ever plane makes its maiden flight.
Subsidies to the Ariane 5 rocket to keep it afloat.
Something is seriously wrong with any operation (like Ariane) that dominates the market and still loses money the past two years.
Sour grapes: Satellite builders express contempt for MDA’s refueling plans for Intelsat orbiting satellites.
No surprise here. If Intelsat can extend the life of its satellites, than it won’t have to buy them as often from these builders, something the builders clearly don’t want.
Intelsat signs MDA to perform in-space refueling of its communications satellites.
The concept of refueling geosynchronous satellites has been lurking about the aerospace industry for years. According to this deal, we should see an actual mission in about five years.
Those private companies better get cracking! The Russians have raised their ticket price again, from $56 to $63 million per astronaut ride on a Soyuz.
More competition! SpaceX has inked a deal to launch its first geosynchronous communications satellite.
Virgin Galactic surpassed $10 million in space tourism sales in 2010.
235 years later, the invisible hand still matters.
Clark Lindsey of www.rlvnews.com/ has posted some interesting thoughts in reaction to the successful launch of the Air Force’s second reusable X-37b yesterday and how this relates to NASA’s budget battles in Congress. Key quote for me:
Charles Bolden doesn’t seem prepared to make a forceful case against the clear and obvious dumbness of the HLV/Orion program. Perhaps he in fact wants a make-work project for NASA to sustain the employee base.
As I’ve said before, the program-formerly-called-Constellation is nothing more than pork, and will never get built. Why waste any money on it now?
Five hundred customers into space in the first year of operation.
The secrets of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space project.
A look at some truly different commercial caves.
This is both good and bad: Russia appears to lack enough available rockets to fulfill its 2011 launch plans.
29 teams, one purchased ride, and one mystery for the Google Lunar X Prize.
The Southwest Research Institute has purchased two tickets from Virgin Galactic for its scientists to fly on SpaceShipTwo.
The beer has landed: The first test of space beer in weightlessness has been completed. Key quote:
Astronauts4Hire Flight Member Todd Romberger was selected to perform the flight research. Todd sampled the beer during 12 microgravity parabolas, each reproducing the weightless conditions of space for 30 seconds at a time, and recorded qualitative data on beverage taste and drinkability as well as biometric data to gain a first look at alcohol effects the body.
So what the shuttle is being retired! Space tourism is poised to blast off in the next two years.
Want to go to space? Come to the Isle of Man.
The Google Lunar X Prize has announced the final roster of teams competing for its $30 Million prize.
Australian space beer ready for micro-gravity test.
Update: See my partial retraction here.
The NASA budget announced today by the White House proves how right I was when I stated back on July 8, 2010 that I had no faith in Obama’s new-found commitment to private commercial space. The new budget reduces the funds for private commercial space while putting the bulk of its support behind the unbuildable program-formerly-called Constellation. First read what I wrote in July:
The problem is that I simply do not believe the Obama administration. Everything I have learned about the current President, including the specifics (or lack thereof) of his proposal, tells me that none of his promises are going to be fulfilled. » Read more
House Republicans propose even deeper NASA cuts.
The government free ride is ending. If you want us to go into space, you better consider buying a ticket.
Here’s some corporate madness: Walmart has fired four security guards because they disarmed a shoplifter who pulled a gun on them.
SpaceX announced that it has laid off some employees at a Texas facility in connection with a restructuring plan.
A warning to users of climbing and caving gear: Counterfeit Petzl equipment from China has been found on the market, and is dangerously defective.
More details on Liberty, the Ares/Ariane hybrid rocket proposed by ATK and Alliant to provide crew/cargo capabilities to ISS. Key quote:
[Liberty] would be able to lift 44,500 lb. of payload to the International Space Station, enough for any of the commercial crew capsules under development as potential space shuttle replacements.
