Space Tourism … and Much More
Space Access Update #136 7/27/14
Copyright 2014 by Space Access Society
In this Issue:
- Bill Gaubatz
- Experienced Engineering Teams And US Space Launch Development Policy
- SLS Sole-Sourcing
- 2014 Space Politics: Halftime Report
- Supporting Space Access
Continue reading ‘Space Access Society Update’
Dream Chaser shuttle. (Credit: NASA)
SPARKS, Nev., July 23, 2014 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced today the expansion of its Dream Chaser® Space System’s global partnership to include Asia and the Pacific Rim through a recently signed memorandum of cooperative understanding with the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). SNC will work with JAXA on potential applications of Japanese technologies and the development of mission concepts for the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Additionally, SNC and JAXA will explore the possibility of launching and landing the Dream Chaser spacecraft in Japan. This international collaboration will widen the breadth of the global capabilities offered by SNC’s Dream Chaser reusable, lifting-body spacecraft.
Continue reading ‘Sierra Nevada Announces Agreement With JAXA on Dream Chaser’
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — Spacecraft and rocket development is on pace this summer for NASA’s aerospace industry partners for the agency’s Commercial Crew Program as they progress through systems testing, review boards and quarterly sessions under their Space Act Agreements with the agency.
NASA engineers and specialists continue their review of the progress as the agency and partners move ahead with plans to develop the first American spacecraft designed to carry people into space since the space shuttle.
Continue reading ‘Commercial Crew Partners Continue Milestone Work’
Former astronaut Lee Archambault Dream Chaser crew test. (Credit: Sierra Nevada Corporation)
SPARKS, Nev., July 22, 2014 (SNC PR) – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announces it has successfully passed Milestone 9, the Risk Reduction and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Advancement Testing milestone, for several critical Dream Chaser® systems under NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) agreement. Milestone 9 culminated in a major comprehensive review of various hardware systems. To date, SNC has received 92 percent of the total award value of the CCiCap agreement.
Continue reading ‘Sierra Nevada Completes Dream Chaser Technology Readiness Level Milestone’
Blue Origin’s pusher escape system rockets the New Shepard crew capsule away from the launch pad. (Credit: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin Space Act Agreements Milestones
Award Periods: 2010 – 2014
Milestones: 20
Milestones Completed: 19
Milestones Remaining: 1
Total Amount Awarded: $25.38 million
Total Amount Remaining: $0
| NO. | DESCRIPTION | ORIGINAL DATE |
STATUS | AMOUNT |
| COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT 1 | ||||
| A1 | Project Kickoff Meeting. A meeting to brief NASA personnel on the pusher escape system maturation plan. | March 2010 | Complete | $835,000 |
| A2 | 1-DOF TVC Plan. Conduct test firing of full-scale demonstration SRM integrated with TVC system on 1-degree of freedom trust measurement stand. | July 2010 | Complete | $835,000 |
| A3 | 6-DOF TVC Plan. Conduct test firing of full-scale demonstration SRM integrated with TVC system on 6-degree of freedom trust measurement stand. | October 2010 | Complete | $835,000 |
| A4 | Rocket Sled Test. Conduct non-separating test of full CC OML and mass simulator on rocket sled track. | March 2011 | Complete | $0 |
| B1 | Composite Pressure Vessel Maturation Kickoff Meeting. A meeting to brief NASA personnel on the implementation plan. |
March 2010 | Complete | $290,000 |
| B2 | Test Article Composite Parts Received. Receive all parts necessary to complete assembly of one composite pressure vessel, closing supplier risk. | May 2010 | Complete | $290,000 |
| B3 | Test Article Assembly Complete. Completion of the test article. | August 2010 | Complete | $290,000 |
| TOTAL, CCDEV 1: | $3,375,000 | |||
| COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT 2 | ||||
| 1.1 | Space Vehicle Kickoff Meeting. A meeting at Blue Origin headquarters in Kent, WA to brief NASA personnel on the project implementation plan. | May 2011 | Complete | $905,000 |
| 1.2 | Space Vehicle Mission Concept Review. A review of the Space Vehicle Mission Concept. | September 2011 | Complete | $900,000 |
| 1.3 | Space Vehicle Systems Requirements Review. A review of systems requirements for the Space Vehicle. | May 2012 | Complete | $900,000 |
| 2.1 | Pusher Escape Kickoff Meeting. A meeting to brief NASA personnel on the pusher escape implementation plan. | May 2011 | Complete | $2,000,000 |
| 2.2 | Pusher Escape Vehicle #1 Shipment. Assembly of the first Pusher Escape Flight Test Vehicle is complete, except for installation of the pusher escape subsystem and separation mechanisms. Shipment to test range. | December 2011 | Complete | $2,000,000 |
| 2.3 | Pusher Escape Ground Firing. Conduct an initial ground test of the pusher escape rocket motor and thrust vector control system to be used during the flight test campaign. | January 2012 | Complete | $3,000,000 |
| 2.6 | Escape Pad Escape Test. Conduct a test of one of the fight test vehicles simulating an escape from a booster on the launch pad. | April 2012 | Complete | $1,900,000 |
| 3.1 | Engine Kickoff Meeting. Meeting to brief NASA personnel on engine risk reduction implementation plan. | May 2011 | Complete | $3,400,000 |
| 3.2 | Engine TCA and Test Plan Review. Meeting to review test article interface data, Interface Control Diagram (ICD) and test plan. | September 2011 | Complete | $4,000,000 |
| 3.4 | Engine TCA Test. Conduct pressure-fed test of the full-scale thrust chamber assembly (TCA). | May 2012 | Complete | $3,000,000 |
| TOTAL, CCDEV 2: | $22,005,000 | |||
| UNFUNDED SPACE ACT AGREEMENT | ||||
| 3.6 | BE-3 Engine Test. Conduct a test firing of the pump-fed engine simulating a sub-scale booster suborbital mission duty cycle (MDC). | September 2013 | Complete | $0 |
| 3.7 | Subscale Prop Tank Assembly Review. Conduct a review of the design, manufacture and assembly of a subscale booster propellant tank. | December 2013 | Complete | $0 |
| 1.4 | Space Vehicle Subsystem Interim Design Review. Review space vehicle subsystem design progress with emphasis on power and actuation systems, in-space propulsion, multiplex avionics, flight mechanics and GN&C. | March 2014 | Pending | $0 |
| TOTAL, ALL AGREEMENTS: | $25,380,000 | |||
NASA Commercial Crew Program Remaining Milestones
July 2014
| No. | Description | Original Date | Status | Amount |
| BOEING |
||||
| 19 | Critical Design Review (CDR) Board. Boeing shall establish and demonstrate a critical baseline design of the CCTS that meets system requirements. CDR confirms that the requirements, detailed designs, and plans for test and evaluation form a satisfactory basis for production and integration. | April 2014 | 3Q 2014 | $17.9 Million |
| 21A | Boeing Spacecraft Safety Review. Boeing shall prepare and conduct a Phase 2 Safety Review of the Commercial Crew Transportation System (CCTS) Spacecraft Critical Design Review (CDR) level requirements, system architecture and design, and associated safety products to assess conformance with Commercial Crew Transportation System certification process (CDR-level products). Focus is review of the updated hazard reports, hazard causes and controls, and specific safety verification methods to reflect the CDR level of design detail for the CCTS Spacecraft Segment. | July 2014 | 3Q 2014 | $20 Million |
| TOTAL REMAINING (OUT OF $480 MILLION): | $37.9 Million | |||
| SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION | ||||
| 4B | Engineering Test Article Flight Testing. The purpose of these additional free flight test(s) is to reduce risk due to aerodynamic uncertainties in the subsonic approach and landing phase of flight and to mature the Dream Chaser aerodynamic database. A minimum of one and up to five additional Engineering Test Article free flight test(s) will be completed to characterize the aerodynamics and controllability of the Dream Chaser Orbital Vehicle outer mold line configuration during the subsonic approach and landing phase. | April 2013 | March 2015 | $8 Million |
| 9 | Risk Reduction and TRL Advancement Testing. The purpose of these tests is to significantly mature all Dream Chaser systems to or beyond a CDR level. | May 2014 | 3Q 2014 | $17 Million |
| 15A | Reaction Control System Testing — Incremental Test No. 1. The purpose of the test on this pre-qualification unit is to support eventual qualification/certification by testing the thruster in flight-like environments. | July 2014 | 3Q 2014 | $10 Million |
| TOTAL REMAINING (OUT OF $227.5 MILLION): | $35 Million | |||
| SPACEX | ||||
| 11 | Pad Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct a pad abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The scenario where an abort is initiated while the CTS is still on the pad is a design driver for the launch abort system as it dictates the total impulse and also requires parachute deployment in close proximity to the ground. | December 2013 | 3Q 2014 | $30 Million |
| 12 | Dragon Primary Structure Qualification. SpaceX will conduct static structural testing of all Dragon primary structure components to ultimate load factors, as applicable. This series of tests will validate the Dragon structure’s ability to maintain integrity during all driving load cases as well as verify the accuracy of math models used to analyze the Dragon structure. Individual tests will be designed to exercise all credible failure modes and minimum margin areas. | January 2014 | 2nd Half 2014 | $30 Million |
| 13B | Ground Systems and Mission Operations Critical Design Review (CDR). Part 2 of the CDR focused on ground systems and mission operations. The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. | March 2014 | August 2014 | $3 Million |
| 13C | Crew Vehicle Technical Interchange Meetings. Part 3 of the CDR. The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. | March 2014 | September 2014 | $5 Million |
| 13D | Delta Crew Vehicle Critical Design Review (CDR). The final milestone in the CDR.The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. |
March 2014 | November 2014 | $5 Million |
| 14 | In-Flight Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The in-flight abort test will supplement the pad abort test and complete the corners-of-the-box stress cases. The in-flight abort scenario represents a Dragon abort while under propulsive flight of the launch vehicle during the worst-case dynamic loads on the CTS. | April 2014 | March 2015 | $30 Million |
| TOTAL REMAINING (OUT OF $460 MILLION): | $103 Million | |||
| BLUE ORIGIN | ||||
| 1.4 | Space Vehicle Subsystem Interim Design Review. Review space vehicle subsystem design progress with emphasis on power and actuation systems, in-space propulsion, multiplex avionics, flight mechanics and GN&C. | March 2014 | 2nd Half 2014 | $0 |
| TOTAL REMAINING: | $0 | |||
| TOTALS — ALL COMPANIES | ||||
| TOTAL REMAINING (OUT OF $1.17 BILLION) : | $175.9 Million |
|||
Gautam Kanumuru (Credit: NASA)
WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — Gautam Kanumuru, a third-year computer engineering and economics student at the University of Virginia, completed a 10-week internship with the Commercial Spaceflight Development Division at NASA Headquarters. Kanumuru’s primary task was to assess public-private partnerships within NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) and provide insight on the lessons learned.
During his internship, Kanumuru analyzed a half dozen HEOMD partnerships, most focused on spacecraft development. To perform the analysis, he conducted interviews with partnership managers, conducted a survey on the importance of various partnership characteristics, and developed lessons learned.
Continue reading ‘Analysis Leads to Lessons Learned on NASA Partnerships’
Dragon Version 2. (Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX CCiCAP Milestone Status
Award Period: August 2012 – March 2015
Milestones: 20
Milestones Completed: 14
Milestones Remaining: 6
Total Possible Award: $460 Million
Total Award to Date: $357 Million
Total Award Remaining: $103 Million
Several notable changes have occurred in SpaceX’s milestones and timelines. First, the time period has been extended from August 2014 to March 2015. This change will allow the company to complete an in-flight abort test with its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon crew capsule.
However, the Critical Design Review (Milestone 13) also has fallen behind schedule. The milestone has been split into f0ur separate milestones, with final completion now schedules for November.
| No. |
Description | Original Date | Status | Amount |
| 1 | CCiCap Kickoff Meeting. SpaceX will hold a kickoff meeting at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, or a nearby facility to review the current state of existing hardware, processes and designs, describe plans for CCiCap program execution during both the base period and the optional period and lay the groundwork for a successful partnership between NASA and SpaceX. | August 2012 | Complete | $40 Million |
| 2 | Financial and Business Review. SpaceX will hold a financial and business review to accomplish verification of financial ability to meet NASA’s stated goals for the CCiCap program by providing NASA insight into SpaceX finances. | August 2012 |
Complete | $20 Million |
| 3 | Integrated System Requirements Review (ISRR). SpaceX will hold an integrated System Requirements Review (ISRR) to examine the functional and performance requirements defined for the entire CTS for the Commercial Crew Program design reference mission per section 3.1 of CCT-DRM-1110, as well as to evaluate the interpretation and applicability of each requirement. | October 2012 | Complete | $50 Million |
| 4 | Ground Systems and Ascent Preliminary Design Review (PDR). SpaceX will hold a Ground Systems and Ascent Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to demonstrate that the overall CTS preliminary design for ground systems and ascent meets all requirements with acceptable risk and within schedule constraints and that it establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design. | December 2012 | Complete | $35 Million |
| 5 | Pad Abort Test Review. SpaceX will hold a Pad Abort Test Review to demonstrate the maturity of the pad abort test article design and test concept of operations. | March 2013 | Complete | $20 Million |
| 6 | Human Certification Plan Review. SpaceX will hold a Human Certification Plan Review to present the Human Certification Plan. This Human Certification Plan Review will cover plans for certification of the design of the spacecraft, launch vehicle, and ground and mission operations systems. | May 2013 | Complete | $50 Million |
| 7 | On-Orbit and Entry Preliminary Design Review (PDR). SpaceX will hold an On-Orbit and Entry Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to demonstrate that the overall CTS preliminary design for orbit, rendezvous and docking with the ISS, and entry flight regimes meets all requirements with acceptable risk and within schedule constraints and that it establishes the basis for proceeding with detailed design. | July 2013 | Complete | $34 Million |
| 7A | Delta Ground Systems Preliminary Design Review (PDR). A PDR of the delta ground systems. |
July 2013 | Complete | $1 Million |
| 8 | In-Flight Abort Test Review. SpaceX will hold an In-Flight Abort Test Review to demonstrate the maturity of the in-flight abort test article design and test concept of operations. | September 2013 | Complete | $10 Million |
| 9 | Safety Review. SpaceX will hold a Safety Review at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, CA, or a nearby facility to demonstrate that the CTS design is progressing toward meeting the Commercial Crew Program’s safety goals. | October 2013 | Complete | $50 Million |
| 10 | Flight Review of Upgraded Falcon 9. SpaceX will conduct a review of a launch of the upgraded Falcon 9 launch vehicle demonstrating the operation of enhanced first-stage M1D engines, stage separation systems, enhanced second-stage MVacD engine and mission-critical vehicle telemetry during flight. Demonstration of the upgraded launch vehicle will serve as a risk reduction for the planned inflight abort test. | November 2013 | Compete | $0 |
| 13A | Integrated Crew Vehicle Critical Design Review (CDR). Milestone 13, Integrated Critical Design Review, has been split into four separate milestones. The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. |
March 2014 | Complete | $27 Million |
| 15A | Dragon Parachute Tests Phases I & II. SpaceX will conduct parachute drop tests in order to validate the new parachute design as capable of supporting a pad abort event. Milestone 15A included a crane drop test. | November 2013 | Complete | $15 Million |
| 15B | Dragon Parachute Tests Phases I & II. SpaceX will conduct parachute drop tests in order to validate the new parachute design as capable of supporting a pad abort event. Milestone 15B featured a helicopter drop test. | November 2013 | Complete | $5 Million |
| TOTAL TO DATE (OUT OF $460 MILLION): |
$357 Million | |||
| 11 | Pad Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct a pad abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The scenario where an abort is initiated while the CTS is still on the pad is a design driver for the launch abort system as it dictates the total impulse and also requires parachute deployment in close proximity to the ground. | December 2013 | 3Q 2014 | $30 Million |
| 12 | Dragon Primary Structure Qualification. SpaceX will conduct static structural testing of all Dragon primary structure components to ultimate load factors, as applicable. This series of tests will validate the Dragon structure’s ability to maintain integrity during all driving load cases as well as verify the accuracy of math models used to analyze the Dragon structure. Individual tests will be designed to exercise all credible failure modes and minimum margin areas. | January 2014 | 2nd Half 2014 | $30 Million |
| 13B | Ground Systems and Mission Operations Critical Design Review (CDR). Part 2 of the CDR focused on ground systems and mission operations. The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. | March 2014 | August 2014 | $3 Million |
| 13C | Crew Vehicle Technical Interchange Meetings. Part 3 of the CDR. The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. | March 2014 | September 2014 | $5 Million |
| 13D | Delta Crew Vehicle Critical Design Review (CDR). The final milestone in the CDR.The goal of the CDR is to demonstrate that the maturity of the CTS design is appropriate to support proceeding with full-scale fabrication, assembly, integration and test. |
March 2014 | November 2014 | $5 Million |
| 14 | In-Flight Abort Test. SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of the Dragon spacecraft. The in-flight abort test will supplement the pad abort test and complete the corners-of-the-box stress cases. The in-flight abort scenario represents a Dragon abort while under propulsive flight of the launch vehicle during the worst-case dynamic loads on the CTS. | April 2014 | March 2015 | $30 Million |
| TOTAL: | $460 Million | |||
Kathryn Lueders
NASA has published the following Q&A with Commercial Crew Manager Kathy Lueders.
Q: What are your goals for the Commercial Crew Program?
A: My first goal is to help our partners safely fly crew. My second goal is to do it in the most cost-effective manner possible from an industry partner and NASA resource standpoint. My hope is that, through this, we enable a capability for others to use.
Q: How do you envision the CCtCap certification process working moving forward?
A: The CCtCap certification process is tied to the principle that we gave our partners the requirements; we will agree with them on their plans to close out our requirements; and then we need to figure out a way to have them run while we efficiently assure the requirements are met. Paper is not the product. A new certified system that will safely fly crew to the ISS is the product. We will need to work with our industry partners to find the best way to make that happen.
Continue reading ‘Q&A With Commercial Crew Manager Kathy Lueders’
Dream Chaser shuttle. (Credit: NASA)
Sierra Nevada Commercial Crew Milestones Status
Award Period: August 2012 – March 2015
Total Milestones: 13
Milestones Completed: 10
Milestones Pending: 3
Total Possible Award: $227.5 Million
Total Awarded to Date: $192.5 Million
Total Award Remaining: $35 Million
| No. | Description | Original Date | Status | Amount |
| 1 | Program Implementation Plan Review. This is an initial meeting to describe the plan for implementing the Commercial Crew Integrated Capability Program, to include management planning for achieving CDR; Design, Development, Testing, and Evaluation activities; risk management to include mitigation plans, and certification activities planned during the CCiCap Base Period. | August 2012 | Complete | $30 Million |
| 2 | Integrated System Baseline Review. The Integrated System Baseline Review (ISBR) demonstrates the maturity of the baseline CTS integrated vehicle and operations design of the Dream Chaser Space System (DCSS) consisting of Dream Chaser spacecraft, Atlas launch vehicle, Mission Systems, and Ground Systems supports proceeding with the detailed CTS design. | October 2012 | Complete | $45 Million |
| 3 | Integrated System Safety Analysis Review #1. The purpose of the Integrated System Safety Analysis Review #1 is to demonstrate that the systems safety analysis of the Dream Chaser Space System (DCSS) has been advanced to a preliminary maturity level, incorporating changes resulting from the Preliminary Design Review, The DCSS consists of the Dream Chaser spacecraft, launch vehicle, ground systems and mission systems. | January 2013 | Complete | $20 Million |
| 4A | Engineering Test Article Flight Testing. At least one free flight of the Engineering Test Article to characterize the aerodynamics and controllability of the Dream Chaser Orbital Vehicle outer mold line configuration during the subsonic approach and landing phase. | April 2013 | Complete | $7 Million |
| 5 | SNC Investment Financing #1. This funding represents SNC’s commitment for significant investing financing. SNC to provide program co-investment of [REDACTED]. | July 2013 | Complete | $12.5 Million |
| 6 | Integrated System Safety Analysis Review #2. The purpose of the Integrated System Safety Analysis Review #2 is to demonstrate that the systems safety analysis of the Dream Chaser Space System. | October 2013 | Complete | $20 Million |
| 7 | Certification Plan Review. The Certification Plan Review defines the top level strategy for certification of the DCSS that meets the objectives for the ISS Design Reference Mission described in CCT-DRM-1110 Rev Basic. SNC shall conduct a review of the verification and validation activities planned for the Dream Chaser Space System (Dream Chaser spacecraft, Atlas launch vehicle, Ground and Mission Systems). | November 2013 | Complete | $25 Million |
| 8 | Wind Tunnel Testing. The purpose of this testing is to reduce risk on both the DC vehicle and the DC/Atlas stack by maturing the DC and DCiAtias aerodynamic databases, providing improved fidelity in Reynolds number effects and control surface interactions, and will help determine pre-CDR required updates to the OML or control surface geometry if required. | February 2014 | Complete |
$20 Million |
| 9A | Main Propulsion and RCS Risk Reduction and TRL Advancement Testing. The purpose of these tests is to significantly mature the Dream Chaser Main Propulsion System and Reaction Control System to or beyond a CDR level. Risk reduction and Technology Readiness Level improvement tests will be completed for these systems. | May 2014 | Complete |
$8 Million |
| 10A | Critical Design Review Incremental Design Review #1. This is the first of a series of reviews that support the Dream Chaser Space System ICDR. | October 2013 | Complete |
$5 Million |
| TOTAL TO DATE (OUT OF $227.5 Million): |
$192.5 Million |
|||
| 4B | Engineering Test Article Flight Testing. The purpose of these additional free flight test(s) is to reduce risk due to aerodynamic uncertainties in the subsonic approach and landing phase of flight and to mature the Dream Chaser aerodynamic database. A minimum of one and up to five additional Engineering Test Article free flight test(s) will be completed to characterize the aerodynamics and controllability of the Dream Chaser Orbital Vehicle outer mold line configuration during the subsonic approach and landing phase. | April 2013 | March 2015 |
$8 Million |
| 9 | Risk Reduction and TRL Advancement Testing. The purpose of these tests is to significantly mature all Dream Chaser systems to or beyond a CDR level. | May 2014 | 3Q 2014 |
$17 Million |
| 15A | Reaction Control System Testing — Incremental Test No. 1. The purpose of the test on this pre-qualification unit is to support eventual qualification/certification by testing the thruster in flight-like environments. | July 2014 | 3Q 2014 |
$10 Million |
| TOTAL: | $227.5 Million | |||
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