Space Tourism … and Much More
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket
Continue reading ‘SpaceX Signs Deal to Launch Taiwan Satellite’
Falcon 9 takes off on its first flight. (Credit: Chris Thompson SpaceX)
The success of Falcon 9 has got ESA Director-General Jean-Jacques Dordain thinking, according to a report in Flight Global. Dordain that SpaceX’s approach is to make about 80 percent of components in-house, something that would be difficult for ESA because it needs to spread out contracts across Europe according the member states’ contributions.
Continue reading ‘ESA Director General Dordain Sees Lessons in Falcon 9 Success’
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket
PRESS RELEASE
ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC) and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) announce they have reached an agreement for SpaceX to launch 18 ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites to begin as early as the fourth quarter of 2010 through 2014. SpaceX will deliver ORBCOMM’s second-generation satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) for the purpose of supporting ORBCOMM’s existing constellation of satellites, adding new features, and growing its global Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) offerings.
Continue reading ‘SpaceX to Launch ORBCOMM Constellation’
SpaceX’s Falcon 1e Rocket Replaces Cheaper Falcon 1
Space News
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif., will replace its Falcon 1 rocket by the end of 2010 with the more capable and more expensive Falcon 1e rocket, the company said Aug. 6.
The upgraded version of the rocket uses a more powerful engine than the one originally designed for Falcon 1 and will be able to put larger, heavier payloads into orbit. A Falcon 1e launch will cost “under $11 million,” Rob Peckham, SpaceX vice president of business development, said in an e-mailed response to questions. Originally marketed as a $6-million rocket, SpaceX more recently pegged a Falcon 1 launch at $8 million.
Read the full story.
SpaceX’s Falcon 1 rocket put Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite into orbit on Tuesday from a seaside launch pad in the Marshall Islands.
The launch, which occurred at 3:35 p.m. local time (8:35 p.m. PDT Monday), appeared to go flawlessly based on a live webcast. About a half hour after the rocket reached orbit, the second stage relighted and deployed the satellite into its correct orbit over the Equator.
This is the first satellite placed into orbit by the California-based start-up. In its most recent launch, Falcon 1 put the second stage of the rocket into orbit but there was no satellite aboard. Three previous launch attempts failed.
This launch marks the first time that a privately funded, liquid fueled rocket has placed a satellite into orbit.
SPACEX MISSION UPDATE
The launch window for the fifth Falcon 1 launch opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
SpaceX will provide live coverage of the Falcon 1 Flight 5/RazakSAT mission via webcast at www.SpaceX.com. The webcast will begin 20 minutes prior to launch and will include mission briefings, live feeds and launch coverage from the launch site. Post-launch, video footage and photos will be available for download on the web site.
SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 1 rocket with Malaysia’s RazakSAT remote sensing satellite from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday local time (Monday in the United States).
SpaceX’s website indicates that “the launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).”
This will be the fifth launch of the Falcon 1 rocket, which has succeeded once in four previous attempts.
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket
SPACEX PRESS RELEASE
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) of Malaysia announce a new launch window has been set for Falcon 1 Flight 5, carrying the RazakSAT satellite to orbit. The launch window opens Monday, July 13th and extends through Tuesday, July 14th, with a daily window to open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
Continue reading ‘SpaceX sets Falcon 1 Launch for July 13′
SpaceX's Falcon 1 rocket takes off on first successful flight.
SpaceX’s launch of Malaysia’s Razaksat remote sensing satellite has been rescheduled for mid-July, a two-month slip from its original April 21 launch date.
Continue reading ‘SpaceX to Launch Razaksat in Mid-July’
Another Big Moment for Elon Musk
Air & Space Magazine
At 37 years old, Elon Musk is poised to become either the Henry Ford or the Howard Hughes of his generation. If his Falcon rockets and Tesla electric cars succeed, he’ll revolutionize 21st century transportation. If they don’t, he’ll likely be remembered as a colorful, clever, but ultimately irrelevant tinkerer. After all, Neil Young has an electric car, too.
Continue reading ‘Elon Musk: Rocket King, Tabloid Fodder’
SPACEX PRESS RELEASE
Due to a potential compatibility issue between the RazakSAT spacecraft and Falcon 1 launch vehicle, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Astronautic Technology (M) Sdn Bhd (ATSB) have agreed to postpone the launch of ATSB’s RazakSAT satellite.
Continue reading ‘Falcon 1 Launch Delayed Because of “Compatibility” Problems’
SpaceX is looking at about a six-week delay on the launch of its next Falcon 1 rocket, The New Straits Times reports:
The launch of the RazakSAT, Malaysia’s second remote sensing satellite has been postponed until further notice due to “technical problems”.
PRESS RELEASE
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) announces that the launch window for ATSB’s RazakSAT on Falcon 1 Flight 5, is currently scheduled to open Monday, April 20th at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT).
Continue reading ‘SpaceX Sets Window for April 20 Falcon Launch’
SpaceX has confirmed the date for its next Falcon 1 launch as April 21. The rocket will take off from Omelek Island in the Marshall Islands with Malaysia’s RazakSAT communications satellite and two secondary payloads. It will be the El Segundo, Calif.-based company’s fifth launch of the rocket, which has succeeded one and failed three times.
It looks like SpaceX’s next launch of the Falcon 1 rocket will occur on April 21. Malaysia’s The Star website is reporting that its RazakSAT will be launched from Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands on that date.
Continue reading ‘Next Falcon 1 Launch Set for April 21′
New Mexico Spaceport Authority Seeks Deputy Director
NMSA PRESS RELEASE
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) is accepting applications for a Deputy Director to oversee the daily operations of Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport. This position announcement marks another significant milestone as the historic project transitions from a construction site to an operating spaceport.
Wyle to Play Key Role in New FAA Commercial Space Transportation Center
WYLE PRESS RELEASE
Wyle is part of an academic-industry team that has been selected to support a new Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.
The center is a partnership of academia, industry, and government, developed for the purpose of creating a world-class consortium that will address current and future [...]
Space Tourism Insurance Could Be Next Big Growth Area
Space Tourism Sector A Good Opportunity For Insurance Firms
Space Travel
As space tourism matures, it holds tremendous opportunity for insurance companies to offer risk coverage to those on-board, similar to what they do for passengers of airlines, industry officials said.
