Commerce Magazine has an interesting interview with Leroy Chiao, calling the former astronaut a rising star in the area of space commercialization. Chiao talks about his transition from NASA to private industry, the future of space commercialization, and his work as vice president of Excalibur Almaz, which is transforming left-over Soviet military Almaz space station hardware into an orbiting tourist outpost. It’s worth a read.
Tag Archive for 'orbital'
Space Adventures has consolidated its position in the space tourism market by acquiring a 100 percent stake in Zero-G, a company that provides micro-gravity aircraft flights. No price was disclosed.
“Bringing the companies together allows us to provide a range of exclusive commercial spaceflight services from parabolic flights to orbital missions,” said Zero-G CEO Peter Diamandis.
Diamandis, who also co-founded Space Adventures, remains as Zero-G’s chief executive and becomes a managing director of Space Adventures. Former NASA astronaut Byron Lichtenberg will stay as Zero-G’s chief technology officer.
Space Adventures was already a major investor in Zero-G. The Vienna, Virginia-based company provides tourism flights to the International Space Station and is planning similar missions around the moon. Zero-G is based in Florida and Las Vegas.
Space.com has more information. You can also read Space Adventures‘ press release.
Alliant Techsystems reports progress on the first stage of NASA’s new Ares I vehicle, according to a story at Flight Global.
ATK has fabricated segments for ground vibration tests and expects to ship hardware to the Kennedy Space Center in July. The five-segment stage, based on the solid rocket boosters used for the space shuttle, will help launch NASA’s new Orion spacecraft.
Forbes has an interesting interview with Richard Garriott, the billionaire software developer who will become the next space tourist to fly to the International Space Station in October.
Garriott, whose father Owen fly in space aboard Skyab and the space shuttle, says that his ambition goes a lot further than just taking an orbital joyride. He wants to contribute to opening up space for everyone.
“I grew up listening to criticisms of space exploration. My mission is to show that this is a useful, profitable activity,” said Gariott, who will conduct experiments during his 10-14 day flight.
French astronaut is Leopold Eyharts has been busy tending a small garden aboard the International Space Station as part of efforts to see how crops grow in outer space, according to Space.com.
Eyharts is conducting the Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different G-levels (WAICO) experiment in ESA’s new Columbus laboratory, which was attached to the orbital outpost last month. He is growing two types of Arabidopsis seeds, which are relatives of the mustard plant. The ISS plants will be compared with a control group on Earth.
Outer space will rocket into reality as “the” getaway of this century, according to researchers at the University of Delaware and the University of Rome La Sapienza.
“In the twenty-first century, space tourism could represent the most significant development experienced by the tourism industry,” says Prof. Fred DeMicco, ARAMARK Chair at the University of Delaware’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management program.
You can read the full story at UDaily, the University of Delaware website.
The Decatur Daily has a story about how United Launch Alliance suffered a setback for its Atlas V vehicle, which was not chosen for the COTS program.
Earlier this week, NASA officials awarded a $170 million contract to Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corporation to develop a new launch system capable of delivering cargo to the International Space Station. The space agency had earlier awarded a similar contract to California-based SpaceX for a similar project involving both cargo and crew vehicles.
The Atlas V vehicle is being considered as the prime rocket for Bigelow Aerospace’s planned Sundancer space station. The companies are reportedly in negotiations for up to 50 Atlas V cargo and crew launches.
SPACEHAB Press Release
HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SPACEHAB, Incorporated (NASDAQ:SPAB), a provider of commercial space services, today issued a statement from SPACEHAB Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas B. Pickens, III, regarding NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) announcement on February 19, 2008.
“While we are disappointed that SPACEHAB was not selected as a winner of the COTS competition, we want to be certain to convey to our stockholders that the Company has been aggressively pursuing other valuable opportunities including growing our profitable Astrotech subsidiary, primarily through our expanded long term relationship with the U.S. Government Office of Space Launch and our announced end-to-end ALLSAT satellite service system. Also, by design, most of the costs and advanced engineering that were invested in the COTS ARCTUS Program are also being applied to advance our ALLSAT satellite system.
Continue reading ‘SPACEHAB Releases Statement About COTS Loss’
The opposition Liberal Party is calling upon the Nova Scotia government to actively support PlanetSpace’s plan to build a commercial spaceport on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.
“The government should be saying, ‘What is it that we can do? Is there a role for the province to play to making it a reality? Is it feasible?’ Those kinds of questions need to be asked so that some economic activity will be happening,” said opposition leader Stephen McNeil said.
Meanwhile, a couple of Canadian newspapers also have weighed in on prospects of a spaceport at Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. The Cape Breton Post says that prospects for the spaceport receded after PlanetSpace failed to win a $170 million award from NASA’s COTS program.
The Halifax Chronicle Herald reports that PlanetSpace officials are hoping to get a piece of a $2.3 billion NASA procurement contract expected to be awarded later this year. However, the company believes prospects are good even if they don’t receive the funding.
And the winner is….Orbital Science Corporation. NASA awarded the Dulles, Virginia-based company $171 million under its COTS program to build and demonstrate a launch system capable of delivering cargo to the international space station.
The COTS program is designed stimulating private development for vehicles capable of transporting cargo and crews to ISS. Orbital Sciences joins SpaceX of El Segundo, California, which is also developing a rocket and vehicle under COTS.
The three-year agreement calls for the development of:
- Taurus II, a new medium-class launch vehicle
- Cygnus, an advanced maneuvering spacecraft
- Several interchangeable modules for pressurized and unpressurized cargo.
NASA awarded the funding after ending a similar agreement with Rocketplane Kistler. The Oklahoma-based company failed to come up with a half billion dollar in private funding to supplement its NASA award.
There had been a lot of media coverage. Below is a sampling of useful links:
NASA awards grant for cargo spaceship: MSNBC (via Brian Berger, Space.com)
Orbital Will Develop Craft With NASA: Associate Press via Forbes
NASA backs private firm to help supply space station: Houston Chronicle
Orbital Sciences COTS Homepage (with illustrations)
NASA Partners With Orbital Sciences for Space Transport Services: NASA Press Release via PR News Wire
One of the unsuccessful bidders was Chicago-based PlanetSpace, which had been hoping to use the money to jump start efforts to build a commercial spaceport on Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. Canadian Press has an update.