NASA and the Private Sector - Page 25

Virgin Galactic Cargo could see an unmanned rocket, air launched by SS2's carrier aircraft WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), carry satellites weighing up to 440 pounds (200 kilograms) into low-Earth orbit for a price tag of $1 million to $2 million. This was Virgin Galactic's plan when it announced in July 2009 a small satellite launcher project along with a $280 million investment in the spaceline by Abu Dhabi investment company Aabar. Aabar agreed to invest $110 million in the small satellite launcher project if it was found to be feasible. However, in October 2010, the project, then named LauncherOne, went into a hiatus after Virgin Galactic's one U.K.-based staffer working on it full-time left.

On June 21, Virgin informed media that it would have a press conference with Branson at 11 a.m. at the Farnborough air show on Wednesday, July 11. About 200 of Virgin Galactic's approximately 500 customers are to attend.

In answers to Royal Aeronautical Society audience members, Attenborough denied that Virgin Galactic Cargo would provide WK2 for third parties to launch their own rockets from. Asked by SPACE.com afterward if a Farnborough announcement could be expected, he added, "We've always had other applications in mind. We started to look at small satellite launchers a couple of years ago, we continued to do quite a lot of work on it and it is still an area we're very interested in it and at some stage we're making some announcements. I can't say more than that."

LauncherOne was a largely British affair, with discussions involving the U.K. company Surrey Satellite Technology and the U.K. Space Agency. The "quite a lot of work" Attenborough refers to will likely be the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA). The program was announced in November 2011 and Attenborough told SPACE.com that Virgin Galactic has been awarded an 18-month ALASA contract. DARPA is interested in airborne launch systems that could put a 100-pound satellite into orbit for less than $1 million.

Virgin Galactic's ALASA work may include the spaceline's propulsion consultant Whittinghill Aerospace. Its owner, George Whittinghill, was awarded $600,000 by NASA in 2010 to start development of a launcher capable of putting a satellite weighing more than 50 pounds into low-Earth orbit. Attenborough said Virgin Galactic was not collaborating on the NASA-funded launcher. Whittinghill was not available to comment on his satellite launcher. The apparent 22-month hiatus was likely because Virgin Galactic saw a better future for a United States-based small satellite launcher project than a U.K. one.

NASA previously agreed to pay Virgin Galactic for three chartered microgravity research flights with a contract worth up to $4.5 million. At the Royal Aeronautical Society event Attenborough referred to such flights as being part of the brand "Virgin Galactic Science Services."

In a trio of media releases ATK announced today that is has signed a deal with NanoRacks, completed a milestone for its contract with NASA for the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev) and that partner EADS Astrium has completed tests on tank structures for the Liberty rocket second stage.

ATK is currently working on an unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the CCDev Program but is hoping it is one of the companies selected in the next round of funding. Only 2 1/2 proposals will be funded in the third round putting pressure on the companies vying for funding.

In an important step for ATK, they completed the Liberty software technical interface meeting (TIM) which was needed to support further development of the Liberty space transportation system under its SAS with NASA for the CCDev Program.

"Understanding how your system will work together throughout the mission is critical in reducing risk and schedule delays," said Kent Rominger, ATK Vice President and Program Manager for Liberty. "Holding this TIM provides us valuable insight into expertise provided by the NASA team and ensures there are no issues we are overlooking."

Should Liberty continue to develop it will need customers and ATK today signed a deal with NanoRacks to market opportunities for astronaut explorers and experiments they plan to carry into space.

In a press conference at the California Academy of Sciences Thursday morning, the B612 Foundation unveiled its plans to build, launch, and operate the first privately funded deep space mission - SENTINEL - a space telescope to be placed in orbit around the Sun, ranging up to 170 million miles from Earth, for a mission of discovery and mapping.

The Foundation leadership and technical team include some of the most experienced professionals in the world to lead this effort.

"The orbits of the inner solar system where Earth lies are populated with a half million asteroids larger than the one that struck Tunguska (June 30, 1908), and yet we've identified and mapped only about one percent of these asteroids to date, said Ed Lu, Space Shuttle, Soyuz, and Space Station Astronaut, now Chairman and CEO of the B612 Foundation."During its 5.5-year mission survey time, Sentinel will discover and track half a million Near Earth Asteroids, creating a dynamic map thatwill provide the blueprint for future exploration of our Solar System, while protecting the future of humanity on Earth."

Asteroids are a scientific and economic opportunity in that they contain the original building blocks of the Solar System. They are targets for future human exploration, and may contain valuable raw materials for mining. These asteroids are also a threat in that they can pose great risk to humanity here on Earth. Taking advantage of these opportunities and dealing with these threats require not only knowing where each of these individual asteroids is now, but also projecting where they will be in the future.

"For the first time in history, B612's Sentinel Mission will create a comprehensive and dynamic map of the inner solar system in which we live - providing vital information about who we are, who are our neighbors, and where we are going," said Rusty Schweickart, Chairman Emeritus of B612, and Apollo 9 Astronaut. "We will know which asteroids will pass close to Earth and when, and which, if any of these asteroids actually threaten to collide with Earth. The nice thing about asteroids is that once you've found them and once you have a good solid orbit on them you can predict a hundred years ahead of time whether there is a likelihood of an impact with the Earth."

Advances in space technology, including advances in infrared sensing and on-board computing, as well as low-cost launch system, have opened up a new era in exploration where private organizations can now carry out grand and audacious space missions previously only possible by governments.

A California-based nonprofit group seeking to prevent the Earth from being struck by killer asteroids has announced plans to send an infrared telescope into space to hunt for dangerous near-Earth objects.
The B612 Foundation's Sentinel Mission would be the first privately funded deep-space mission, aiming to put a 25-foot telescope into orbit and look for asteroids. Not for space mining, though—the 5.5-year mission aims to catalog asteroids larger than 500 feet in diameter that could possibly hit the Earth. Team members include former astronauts and former NASA officials.

Today during the Farnborough International Air Show 2012, Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline, announced "LauncherOne", a new air-launched rocket specifically designed to deliver small satellites into orbit.

With substantial funding already raised from Virgin Galactic's partner aabar Investments PJS, and with commercial flights of this new orbital launch vehicle expected to begin by 2016, Virgin Galactic aims to offer frequent and dedicated launches at the world's lowest prices. Virgin Galactic also announced that four private companies have already put down deposits as future LauncherOne customers, expressing their intent to purchase a total of several dozen launches, which would exceed the level of early commitment of any previous new launch vehicle.

At the same event, Virgin Galactic Founder Sir Richard Branson revealed that the company has now accepted deposits for suborbital flights on SpaceShipTwo from 529 future astronauts, a number greater than the total count of people who have been to space throughout human history. This news comes following a flurry of recent test activity and confirmation that all major components of SpaceShipTwo's rocket system have been qualified for powered flight, on track to begin before the year's end.

"Virgin Galactic's goal is to revolutionize the way we get to space," Branson said. "I'm immensely proud of what we have already achieved as we draw near to regular suborbital flights on SpaceShipTwo. Now, LauncherOne is bringing the price of satellite launch into the realm of affordability for innovators everywhere, from start-ups and schools to established companies and national space agencies. It will be a critical new tool for the global research community, enabling us all to learn about our home planet more quickly and affordably."

Billionaire-backed Planetary Resources, the company that in April announced ambitious plans to mine space rocks for minerals, will hitch a ride with space tourism company Virgin Galactic.

The new union is a sign that the nascent commercial space-flight industry could soon become self-sustaining. It was prompted by LauncherOne, a low-cost satellite-launching rocket that Virgin founder Richard Branson revealed on 11 July at the Farnborough International Airshow, UK.

Virgin Galactic, headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is best known for its plans to ferry paying tourists to the edge of space. The idea is to take the tourist-carrying SpaceShipTwo rocket to an altitude of 7 kilometres using aircraft WhiteKnightTwo. SpaceShipTwo will then be dropped so it can fire its engine and climb to an altitude of 100 kilometres – giving passengers a 5 minute spell in microgravity and an out-of-this-world view. An air launch means the rocket itself does not have to push through the densest part of the atmosphere, making the launch extremely fuel efficient.

The idea behind LauncherOne is to use the same process to launch satellites. From 2016, Virgin plans to sling LauncherOne beneath WhiteKnightTwo in place of SpaceShipTwo for satellite launches.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA hired Space Exploration Technologies to launch an ocean monitoring satellite, a key win for the start-up rocket company that also wants to break into the U.S. military's launch business, NASA officials said on Thursday.

The $82 million contract covers launch, payload processing and other services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's ocean-measuring Jason-3 satellite, which is slated to fly in December 2014.

Launch would take place from SpaceX's new complex at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

NASA, which handles procurements for NOAA, also awarded three launch contracts, worth $412 million for Delta 2 rockets built by United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.

One of the satellites earmarked for a Delta 2 flight is the replacement for a carbon dioxide tracking satellite lost in February 2009 after a failed launch on an Orbital Sciences Corp Taurus rocket.

The launches, slated for July 2014, October 2014 and November 2016, also will take place at Vandenberg.

SpaceX, which is owned and operated by internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, already holds NASA contracts worth $1.6 billion to fly cargo to the International Space Station, a $100 billion laboratory that orbits about 240 miles above Earth.

The company in May successfully flew a demonstration mission to the station, a key milestone in its efforts to win U.S. military launch contracts as well.

If all goes according to plan over the next five years, NASA will no longer have to rely on Russia to get Americans to the International Space Station.

The space agency announced on Friday that it has awarded three companies -- Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX, and Boeing -- contracts totaling over $1.1 billion "to design and develop the next generation of U.S. human spaceflight capabilities."

"Today, we are announcing another critical step toward launching our astronauts from U.S. soil on space systems built by American companies," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, according to press materials from NASA. "We have selected three companies that will help keep us on track to end the outsourcing of human spaceflight and create high-paying jobs in Florida and elsewhere across the country."

NASA has not had a way to transport astronauts into space since the retirement of the space shuttle last year. The agency pays Russia -- at a cost of about $63 million per round trip, according to Space.com -- to get Americans to and from the International Space Station.

The Boeing Company was awarded $460 million, the largest chunk of the prize. The aerospace and defense company said it will use the money to further develop the CST-100, a spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the ISS.

NASA awarded Space Exploration Technologies, also known as SpaceX, $440 million, which the company will use to further develop its Dragon spacecraft for astronaut transport. Earlier this year, SpaceX became the first private company to successfully dock a vehicle with the International Space Station.

According to the company, which is hoping to launch its first manned flights by 2015, the Dragon capsule will carry seven astronauts.

CubeSats have been great for developing emerging technologies and testing them in space, and giving the next generation of space explorers direct experience in designing and launching a spacecraft of their own. However, getting them launched has always been a challenge, and often comes with a hefty price tag or a sometimes long and complicated process.

We are VERY excited to announce that each of our Arkyd 100 spacecraft, currently in development, will have the capability to host and deploy a CubeSat payload from within the spacecraft’s bus. We believe that the CubeSat community is the heart of the aerospace industry’s innovative spirit and a fertile test bed for the innovators of tomorrow and future asteroid miners.

Though it's a bit late SpaceX successfully launched and tested it's Dragon capsule when visiting NASA watch I read this LA Times article which questions the ability of NASA to compete perhaps even survive such competition when it comes to the private industry.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden announced Thursday new milestones in the nation's commercial space initiatives from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The latest advances made by NASA's commercial space partners pave the way for the first contracted flight of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) this fall and mark progress toward a launch of astronauts from U.S. soil in the next 5 years.

Bolden announced Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has completed its Space Act Agreement with NASA for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS). SpaceX is scheduled to launch the first of its 12 contracted cargo flights to the space station from Cape Canaveral in October, under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services Program.

"We're working to open a new frontier for commercial opportunities in space and create job opportunities right here in Florida and across the United States," Bolden said. "And we're working to in-source the work that is currently being done elsewhere and bring it right back here to the U.S. where it belongs."

Through the COTS program, NASA provides investments to stimulate the American commercial space industry. As part of its COTS partnership, SpaceX became the first commercial company to resupply the space station in May, successfully launching its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the orbiting complex. During the historic mission, the Dragon was captured by astronauts using the station's robot arm, unloaded and safely returned to Earth carrying experiments conducted aboard ISS. Later this winter, Orbital Sciences Corp. plans to carry out its first test flight under COTS.

Bolden also announced NASA partner Sierra Nevada Corp. has conducted its first milestone under the agency's recently announced Commercial Crew integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. The milestone, a program implementation plan review, marks an important first step in Sierra Nevada's efforts to develop a crew transportation system with its Dream Chaser spacecraft.

CCiCap is an initiative of NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) and an Obama administration priority. The objective of the CCP is to facilitate the development of a U.S. commercial crew space transportation capability with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective access to and from the space station and low Earth orbit. After the capability is matured, it is expected to be available to the government and other customers. NASA could contract to purchase commercial services to meet its station crew transportation needs later this decade.

A space elevator capable of shuttling robots or humans from the Earth to space remains decades away. But a company headed by a former NASA researcher says it can build a space elevator on the moon using today's technology.

The LiftPort Group wants to raise $8,000 on the crowd-funding website Kickstarter for its first step — creating a floating balloon platform tethered to the ground so that a robot can climb 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) into the sky. But the fundraiser also marks the return of a company that had closed during the 2007-2012 economic recession.

"About six months ago we had a fundamental breakthrough — a breakthrough we think will transform human civilization — and we want you to be a part of it," said Michael Laine, president of the LiftPort Group.

The breakthrough will allow the LiftPort group to build a space elevator on the moon using existing technology and a single-launch rocket solution that has "Sputnik-like simplicity," Laine said. He added that the concept could become a reality within eight years.