NASA and the Private Sector - Page 60

Of course one of our goals is reusability, and unfortunately we didn’t get to recover the propulsion module because we lost pressure in our hydraulic system on descent. Fortunately, we’ve already been in work for some time on an improved hydraulic system. Also, assembly of propulsion module serial numbers 2 and 3 is already underway – we’ll be ready to fly again soon.

Lockheed Martin will build two communications satellites for Saudi Arabia’s Arabsat, and Arianespace and SpaceX will launch the commercial relay platforms under contracts valued at $650 million announced Wednesday.

Riyadh-based Arabsat said in a press release that it had signed deals with Lockheed Martin to manufacture the two spacecraft — named HellasSat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 and Arabsat 6A.

In a separate statement, Arianespace said the HellasSat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1 satellite would launch in 2018 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. The craft has launch mass of around 6,000 kilograms, or about 13,227 pounds, and will ride in the upper berth of the Ariane 5’s dual-payload adapter structure.

Arabsat said it will sign a contract with SpaceX to launch the Arabsat 6A satellite. Arabsat 6A is sized to launch on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, according to industry officials.

On May 05 2015 14:43 Simberto wrote:
Hm, why does the trunk fall that much shorter than the capsule, despite the fact that the capsule uses chutes?

On May 05 2015 09:40 oBlade wrote:
Interesting that it aborts with the trunk attached.

On May 05 2015 15:38 Yurie wrote:


I would guess that it is because of the jettison. Pushes capsule forward and trunk backwards.

PHOENIX — Nearly one year after changing the fuel used on its SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle, a Virgin Galactic executive said April 30 the company was open to switching back depending on its performance.

Will Pomerantz, vice president of special projects for Virgin Galactic, said in a presentation at the Space Access ’15 conference here that the company has an “internal horse race” between a rubber-based fuel, formally known as hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), originally selected for SpaceShipTwo’s hybrid rocket motor and a nylon-based one the company switched to last year.