SpaceX's Grasshopper took a 12-story leap towards full and rapid rocket reusability in a test flight conducted December 17, 2012 at SpaceX's rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas.
The team designing America's new flagship rocket has completed successfully a major technical review of the vehicle's core stage. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) will take the agency's Orion spacecraft and other payloads beyond low-Earth orbit, providing a new capability for human exploration.
Arianespace's Ariane 5 flight with the Skynet 5D and Mexsat Bicentenario satellite passengers today wrapped up another busy year of company launch activity, with its successes highlighted by the theme of "10."
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The primary purpose of this RFI is to collect information on key parameters that will help NASA refine and mature an acquisition strategy for procuring an independent upper stage service. The service may include the upper stage hardware, support of mission integration efforts, meetings, reviews, analyses, ground support equipment, launch site integration, processing, testing, operations and launch support.
This Strategic Plan was developed in response to Chapters 779 and 817 of the 2012 Acts of Assembly, which requires the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Board of Directors to submit a strategic plan to the Governor and the General Assembly no later than December 1, 2012.
Dennis WIngo: I am reading with wry interest the plethora of articles regarding the need for a new space policy. In doing some house cleaning this past weekend I stumbled upon an information packet put out by the National Space Society in the summer of 1988.
WHAT: Orbital Sciences Corporation will offer a first look at the completed Landsat Data
Continuity Mission Satellite (LDCM) satellite.
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket successfully launched the third Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-3) for the Air Force's Rapid Capabilities Office (AFRCO) at 1:03 p.m. EST today from Space Launch Complex-41.
NASA announced Monday the next step in its plan to launch American astronauts from U.S. soil, selecting three companies to conduct activities under contracts that will enable future certification of commercial spacecraft as safe to carry humans to the International Space Station.
Khrunichev has completed the fabrication and assembly of the flight version of the Multi-purpose Laboratory Module (MLM) or "Nauka" for the International Space Station. The MLM was shipped to the Energia Corporation on the 7 December where electrical checkouts of onboard systems will be performed.
Today, United Launch Alliance (ULA) cleared the next launch of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) for Dec. 11, after a thorough flight clearance process was executed following a flight data anomaly that occurred on the Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF-3 launch on Oct. 4.
From 1981 to 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) operated the Space Transportation System, commonly known as the Space Shuttle Program (Shuttle), with the world's first reusable spacecraft to carry humans into orbit. It transported satellites into space and serviced them, carried scientific experiments, and was used to build the International Space Station (ISS) and later carry astronauts to and from the station. In 2004, it was announced that the Shuttle would be retired, and 2010 was established as the retirement date.
NASA is releasing an open letter to the geosynchronous satellite community encouraging discussion on proposed "cooperative servicing aids," features that could be incorporated into new satellites to facilitate future on-orbit servicing.
Europe's third Galileo satellite has transmitted its first test navigation signals back to Earth. The two Galileo satellites launched last October have reached their final orbital position and are in the midst of testing.
The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center has awarded SpaceX two Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)-class missions: DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) and STP-2 (Space Test Program 2). To be launched on SpaceX's Falcon launch vehicles in 2014 and 2015 respectively, the awards mark the first EELV-class missions awarded to the company to date.
The Coalition for Space Exploration (Coalition) today announced veteran aerospace communicators George Torres of ATK and Mary Engola of Ball Aerospace will lead the Coalition in 2013. Torres will serve as the new chair and Engola will continue her role as the deputy chair. Each will serve a one-year term, effective January through December 2013.
Eutelsat Communications' EUTELSAT 70B satellite has been successfully delivered into orbit by a Zenit-3SL rocket operated by Sea Launch AG from the ocean-based Odyssey Launch Platform in international waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The design of Europe's data relay satellite system - EDRS - has been completed and approved. This marks the moment when it moves ahead with a green light from its first customer, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security initiative from the European Union (GMES).
The maturity of Arianespace's Soyuz launch system at French Guiana was demonstrated once again by tonight's successful orbiting of the Pleiades 1B satellite from the Spaceport.
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