Space Tourism … and Much More
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report saying that NASA acted legally in its efforts on the Constellation lunar program. Congressional appropriators had called for investigation, saying that the Administration was illegally attempting to shut down the program in violation of a law requiring Congressional approval.
Continue reading ‘GAO: NASA Acted Legally in Constellation Actions’
International Space Station
The Government Accountability Office has found that after spending a quarter century planning and building the International Space Station, NASA may not be able to fully use the facility for space research because of a lack of transportation, funding and organization.
Continue reading ‘GAO: NASA Faces Significant Challenges in Conducting ISS Research’
The Federal Aviation Administration faces a number of key challenges in overseeing the growing commercial space launch industry, according to a Government Accountability report released last week.
These include maintaining a sufficient number of staff with the necessary expertise to oversee the safety of launches and spaceport operations; determining whether FAA’s current safety regulations are appropriate for all types of commercial space vehicles, operations, and launch sites; developing information to help FAA decide when to regulate crew and passenger safety after 2012; and continuing to avoid conflicts between FAA’s regulatory and promotional roles.
Continue reading ‘GAO: FAA Facing Oversight Challenges as Commercial Space Sector Grows’
Ares 1-X undergoing assembly
Nearly six years after President George W. Bush launched the program, NASA’s Constellation program still lacks a sound business case, a defined schedule, and clear cost estimates. So says the Government Accountability Office in a new report titled, “Constellation Program Cost and Schedule Will Remain Uncertain Until a Sound Business Case Is Established.”
Continue reading ‘GAO: Constellation’s Cost, Schedule Remain Uncertain’
The Government Accountability Office has released a document that explains why it denied PlanetSpace’s appeal of NASA’s decision to award commercial launch contracts to SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Continue reading ‘GAO: PlanetSpace Appeal Rejected Due to Subcontracting, Financial Concerns’
Artist's conception of OSC's Taurus II rocket at Wallops Island.
Jack Kennedy has a couple of posts about the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on his Spaceports blog:
Democratic gubernatorial candidates Terry McAuliffe and Creigh Deeds endorsed increased operational funding to enhance the staff size of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport today speaking at the Southwestern Virginia Technology Council Energy Technology Summit as interest in the fledgling commercial space operations increases among the Virginia public.
Continue reading ‘Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates Endorse More Funding for Wallops Island’
GAO: NASA projects late and over budget
Florida Today
Ten out of 13 large-scale NASA projects that cost $250 million or more exceed their budget, on average, by 13 percent, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. Those same projects also have an average launch delay of 11 months.
Continue reading ‘GAO Says NASA Projects Often Late, Over Budget’
Below is an excerpt from a GAO Report titled, “NASA: Challenges in Completing and Sustaining the International Space Station,” that was presented to Congress last week. The except offers a succinct explanation of NASA’s COTS program and the challenges it faces over the next few years. As you will see, GAO is not real optimistic…
“NASA is working with the commercial space sector through its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program to develop and produce vehicles that can take equipment and crew to and from the space station. NASA expects that these vehicles will be ready for cargo use in 2010 and crew use in 2012. However, these vehicles have yet to be successfully launched into orbit, and some NASA officials have acknowledged that their development schedules leave little room for the unexpected.
“Under the COTS program, NASA has pledged $500 million to promote commercial opportunities for space transportation vehicles. Using Space Act agreements instead of traditional contracting mechanisms, NASA will make payments to companies based on the achievement of key milestones during the development of their vehicles. These agreements are both funded and unfunded. For the two funded agreements that have been reached, NASA stated that the commercial suppliers for space transportation services will have customers outside of ISS, including NASA’s Constellation program, which plans to send humans back to the moon and eventually Mars. The COTS program will occur in phases. In the first phase companies will demonstrate the vehicle launch and docking capabilities with the ISS. The second phase is the procurement of services for transportation of cargo and crew to the ISS, which is scheduled to begin sometime in the 2010 time frame.
Continue reading ‘Construction Ahead: Expect Delays’
Having spent near a quarter century and $100 billion on the International Space Station, NASA may have significant problems completing the orbital outpost by 2010 and supporting it after the agency retires the space shuttle the same year.
That is the rather dour assessment delivered by the Government Accountability Office during a Congressional hearing on Thursday. GAO’s Cristina Chaplain said NASA’s station completion plans”require much to happen and very little to go wrong” over the next two years. Once the agency completes station construction, it will retire the space shuttle.
Chaplain said NASA will have a difficult time replacing the shuttle’s large payload capacity. The significant “shortfall in (NASA’s) ability to provide logistical support to the station … may well impact support for a six-person crew and the quality of the research that can be conducted,” she said.
NASA officials disagreed, expressing confidence that they can finish the station in two years and keep the facility supplied with a mixture of Russian, Japanese and European vehicles. The space agency also is funding development of commercial resupply ships under its COTS program.
There’s more about GAO’s report and NASA’s response below:
GAO Report (PDF Document)
Shuttle’s retirement could leave space station lacking support
Orlando Sentinel
Shuttles’ end may leave space station out in the cold
Houston Chronicle
Report: Supplying ISS will be difficult
Florida Today
The Government Accountability Office’s report on the NASA Constellation program has some interesting information about the space agency’s efforts to send astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars. GAO found that:
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.
The Deputy Director will be responsible for [...]
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.
At an international conference on space business, organised as part of Bengaluru Space Expo 2010, speakers noted [...]
