CCiCap Awarded
The third round of CCDev, officially called Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) Program, has been awarded. NASA has awarded over $1.1 billion, giving $460 million to Boeing, $440 million to SpaceX, and $212.5 million to Sierra Nevada. CCiCap will give companies until May 2014 to complete milestones, with the ultimate goal of having crewed flights to the ISS by 2017. As with CCDev 2, optional milestones will exist. Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log
Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Excalibur Almaz, and Blue Origin will unfortunately not take part in the rest of the program. This does not mean they are done, however, with all three companies planning to move forward without the award money. Press Releases at ATK and EAI
LauncherOne
Scaled Composites has announced that it will reopen work on LauncherOne. The project's goal is to develop a rocket that launches from SpaceShipTwo and can bring 500 lbs. of cargo to LEO for less than $10 million. Numerous customers and partners are already lining up including Planetary Resources, Surry Satellite, and Spaceflight, Inc. Separately, it has been discovered that Scaled Composites is developing a liquid engine in parallel with their hybrid engine. Press Releases at VG, Planetary Resources, Surry Satellite, and Spaceflight, Inc., and article by Doug Messier at Parabolic Arc
The Big Move
XCOR Aerospace has announced that they will build their new Commercial Space Research and Development Center Headquarters in Midland, Texas. The facility is expected to take eighteen months to build, and will house XCOR's R&D. Press Release at XCOR
Power Hitter
Moon Express has added yet another power hitter to their all-start lineup, announcing that they have hired ex-Google exec Dr. James Crawford as their new CTO. The company, alongside the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), recently demonstrated their lunar telescope in Hawaii, and Founder and CEO Bob Richards gave a great explanation of the company's plans. Press Releases at XPRIZE and Video at Youtube
In other GLXP news, Omega Envoy and Team Phoenicia have each added two partners. Omega Envoy with the Florida Space Institute and Global Engineering Management and Support, Inc., and Team Phoenicia with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems LLC and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Press Releases at EarthRise Space and XPRIZE
Little Company, Big Progress
Masten Space Systems rocket Xaero has set a new vehicle and company altitude record of 444 meters. They have not only provided a cool video of the record-setting launch, but an even cooler video of Xombie's most recent launch. Blog Post at Masten and Video at Youtube
Terminal Velocity Aerospace
Ex-NASA CTO Bobby Braun has created Terminal Velocity Aerospace which will be dedicated to improving re-entry safety and furthering the utilization of space. During his year and a half at NASA, Braun advocated for the budget to develop cutting-edge technology to aid NASA's future missions, and helped formulate the NASA Space Technology Program, which recently selected 14 technologies for development on commercial suborbital flights. Press Releases at TVA and NASA
DARPA in Space
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has jumped into the space arena with two new projects: Project Phoenix, nicknamed ZombieSat, and their Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) Project. The former is structured around the development of satellites that scavenge defunct satellites for parts to make new satellites. The latter is designed to produce a rocket capable of launching a 100-pound satellite into low Earth orbit for less than $1 million. Winners in the ZombieSat project include ATK, Novawurks, SS/L, and Altius. Article at AviationWeek, and Press Releases at ATK, NovaWurks, SS/L, and Altius
The Next Step
Rocket Crafters has set out to develop suborbital point-to-point spacecraft for both civil and military applications. Their commercial designs will carry passengers to all corners of the world, cutting travel time to 1/6 of what airlines currently achieve. The Utah-based company was founded in 2010, and has already accumulated an impressive list of partners. Rocket Crafters Website
Rocketdyne Sale
Aerojet parent company GenCorp has bought Rocketdyne for $550 million from Pratt &Whitney parent company United Technologies. The sale will nearly double the size of GenCorp's business. Aerojet has also established a European subsidiary with Thales in Belfast. Press Releases at Aerojet
Slip N' Slide
Orbital Sciences has announced that its Antares flight has slipped to October. This is one of many delays in the inaugural launch of Antares, but with the hand-off of the launch pad from Wallops to Orbital, this is hopefully the last. Clark Lindsay at HobbySpace and Dan Leone at SpaceNews
The State of Space
Two interesting studies have come out this month. The first, from the Tauri Group, suggests that approximately 80% of the suborbital market demand is in human spaceflight. The second, from Futron, claims that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge in space - government space. What, oh what, could the solution be? Maybe that NewSpace thing is important after all! Release at FAA and Summary at SatNews
Department of Space
An opinion piece from CNN puts together a solid case for the creation of a Department of Space. In the author's view, the economic, technological, and political stars have aligned to create the perfect opportunity to create a department with both government and private spaceflight oversight. Madhu Thangavelu at CNN
NewSpace 2012 A Success!
The Space Frontier Foundation's NewSpace 2012 conference was a resounding success, attracting a whole new level of participation from the commercial, government, and investment communities. With yet another record number of attendees, over 500 people gathered to take part in this year's conference, including leaders from across the industry. Press Release at Space Frontier Foundation
