Planetary Resources
NewSpace all-stars Peter Diamandis and Eric Anderson have established a new asteroid mining company named Planetary Resources Inc. The company is being funded by Director James Cameron, Google's Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, and numerous other big-name investors. Kenneth Chang at New York Times
Polaris Rover
Astrobotic has unveiled a lunar polar prospector rover design, named Polaris, and has won an award from NASA to develop it. The rover will launch atop a Falcon 9 within three years, and search the Moon's north pole for rich deposits of water ice, methane, and other important resources. Press Releases at Astrobotic
The Great Enterprise Initiative
The Space Studies Institute has announced the Great Enterprise Initiative and two special projects that "will hasten the day when space settlement arrives." One of the projects is named G-Lab, which will be space-based variable- or partial-gravity laboratory. The other project is named E-Lab and will bring together promising closed environment life support technologies to find a comprehensive life support solution for space settlement. Update at SSI
So Close!
Virgin Galactic is very close to launching customers...where have we heard that before? Well, it might actually be true this time. They got an ITAR exemption for foreign customers, completed the 10th RocketMotorTwo test, and have stated that the motor will be completed in two months. Alex Delmar-Morgan at Wall Street Journal, Dan Leone at SpaceNews, and Doug Messier at Parabolic Arc
A Mighty Wind
Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada have both completed wind tunnel tests on their vehicles. The two companies are competitors in NASA's CCDev 2 program, and are now neck-and-neck in the CCDev race. Press Releases at Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada
CST-100 Parachute Test
Not to be outdone by their CCDev competitors, Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada, Boeing completed a parachute drop test of their CST-100 vehicle. The company also signed an agreement with JSC for mission planning, training, and flight operations. Press Releases at Boeing
Moon Express Moon Mining
GLXP contender Moon Express has announced that they have delivered a mission design package to NASA for the Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data (ILDD) Program. They also established a science advisory board. Press Releases at XPrize
Not-So-Nano Rack
NanoRacks LLC has signed a $1.5 million deal with The Center for the Advancement of Science and Space (CASIS) - the non-profit organization managing the ISS - to build an external research platform on the ISS. Press Release at CASIS
Reaction Engines Engine Action
Reaction Engines, creators of the Skylon spacecraft, have fully integrated the pre-cooling system into their Viper engine test stand. Initial tests indicate a good start to the test campaign, which will last several months. Jonathan Amos at BBC News
Stratolaunch Hangar Pictures
A few months ago, Paul Allen founded Stratolaunch to create an air-launch orbital system with Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites. Work is underway, with some cool pictures of their new hangar (under construction) and the disassembly of a 747 for parts. Doug Messier at Parabolic Arc
Cool Guys Don't Look At Explosions
Good thing NASA isn't too cool to look at them. To the contrary, they are so concerned about potential commercial cargo "explosions", they have released released an outline of how they intend to handle such an accident. Page 2 of NASA's Return on Investment Report Issue #6
The Space Show
Gwynne Shotwell, Tom Olson, and Rand Simberg discuss their respective NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.
International Space Development Conference
The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) covers several broad areas of study related to building a spacefaring civilization. Area such as: transportation to and through space, technology needed to live and work in space, and Earth-based activities to advocate for or educate others about space development. For 2012, ISDC is returning to Washington, D.C. The conference will be held from May 24 - 28, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Washington.
NewSpace Conference
The Space Frontier Foundation's annual conference is one of the most important commercial space conferences in the nation, and will be in July in Silicon Valley. NewSpace 2012 is where networking with leaders, supporters, investors and activists evolves into enterprises that propel the industry upward. It will host a wide-range of thought-provoking panels and visionary keynote speakers that will surpass NewSpace 2011's already highly-praised programming.
