Making Way for the Big Guy

SpaceX's land lease in McGregor, Texas was amended by the city to allow testing of rockets with higher thrust, such as the Falcon Heavy. SpaceX also finished testing of fairings in the Reverberant Acoustic Test Facility at NASA Glenn. The Grasshopper also reached new height records and tested their new precision landing system, and SpaceX was awarded the launch reservation contract for Canada's RADARSAT constellation. Article at Waco Tribune, Press Release by NASA, Video and Press Release by SpaceX

Open House

Boeing unveiled a mockup of the CST-100 capsule for the first time. Astronauts conducted evaluations of the vehicle over the course of 8 hours, checking for things like maneuverability and ergonomic fit. They also completed an emergency water-recovery tests at facilities at Bigelow Aerospace in Las Vegas. Press Release by NASA and Boeing

Learning to Walk Before Flying

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has recently shipped its Dream Chaser flight vehicle to NASA Dryden Flight Research Center for various tests. They finished assembling the vehicle and have started testing the landing gear system by towing the vehicle around the NASA facility. SNC also has announced John Olson as the new Vice President of SNC Space Systems. Article at Parabolic Arc, Video by NASA, and Press Release by SNC

Faster, Better, and Safer

Ball Aerospace and Aerojet Rocketdyne completed tests on a new green propellant that reportedly has almost 50% better performance than hydrazine. Aeroject and NASA also successfully tested a 3D printed rocket engine injector assembly. Press Releases by Ball Aerospace and NASA

Up and Up

Virgin Galactic (VG) has appointed Steve Isakowitz as the new President. He previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer. Since the first powered flight of SpaceShipTwo, they have been conducting more glide tests and selling more tickets, with now over $70 million in the deposits. VG also announced the Galactic Unite South Africa Scholarship Programme in celebration of Mandela Day. Press Releases by Virgin Galactic and Article by Albuquerque Journal

Preparing for Phase II

NASA released the draft request for proposal (RFP) for the next phase of commercial crew, the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability Contract (CCtCap). The contracts for CCtCap will be based on the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) while the current CCiCap contracts are Space Act Agreements. While the NASA budget is currently uncertain, the Senate Appropriations Committee allocated $775 million to the commercial crew program. Announcement by NASA and Press Release by Commercial Spaceflight Federation

Brainstorming

Following some of the recent successes in commercial partnership programs, NASA has issued a few request for proposals (RFI) to solicit ideas for future collaborations. One is on robotic lunar landers, and the other one has a broader scope, looking at emerging commercial space capabilities. NASA also announced awards for Phase I of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program and selected proposals for micro-thruster propulsion research. Press Release by NASA

SFF celebrates 25 years at NewSpace Conference

The Space Frontier Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary at the annual NewSpace Conference, which was held in San Jose last month. There have been several mentions about the conference in the usual space news outlets, such as in Space.com, Space News, SpacePolitics.com, and The Space Review, as well as in CBS. A big thanks to our conference attendees and online viewers. The videos of the sessions will be available later at SpaceVidCast's Youtube channel. Space Frontier Foundation website and Articles on Space.com, Space News, SpacePolitics.com, The Space Review, and CBS News

UK Weighs In
The United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) announced to invest £60 million into developing the SABRE air-breathing rocket engine. The country also announced an investment of £90 million for the broader aerospace industry. Press Releases by UKSA and UK Department for Business Innovation & Skills

Fly Me To The Moon
Moon Express (ME) recently welcomed Tim Pickens to their team, and they announced the opening of ME's propulsion facility in Huntsville, AL. The International Lunar Observatory Association and ME also announced the world's first mission to the lunar south pole to deliver a lunar observatory. Press Releases by Moon Express

Coming Together
In preparation for its next flight, Orbital Sciences Corporation received the pressurized cargo-supply module for its Cygnus spacecraft from the Italian company Thales Alenia Space. Orbital successfully launched its Antares rocket in April, and the next test flight is scheduled for September. Article by Space News

Hacking Space
Last September, DARPA awarded SpaceGAMBIT $500,000 to fund community hacker and maker spaces to develop open-source space projects. This month, SpaceGAMBIT announced its first round of funded projects, which include education projects, space suits, bioreactors, and closed-cycle human habitats. Press Release by SpaceGAMBIT

Bzzzzzz
The Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) recently announced its expansion into Asia, with its head office based in Hong Kong. SXC is XCOR's general sales agent and has been creating a buzz with its marketing campaign, such as the Apollo Axe campaign with Unilever. Speaking of buzz, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who was part advertisement campaign, recently joined SXC as part of its Advisory Board. Press Releases by SXC

Many Suitors
Kennedy Space Center's launch pad 39A now has two suitors, SpaceX and Blue Origin. Until recently, SpaceX was the only bidder for the pad, and this raised some concern because it may lead to exclusive use. Blue Origin's bid is to develop the pad for multiple users. In other Florida spaceport news, Space Florida initiated the environmental impact study for Shiloh. Article by Florida Today and Press Release by Space Florida

Go!

Generation Orbit Launch Services, a small payload air-launch provider, announced Max Vozoff as their senior business strategist. Generation Orbit also entered a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force to mature the company's launch capabilities. Press Releases by Generation Orbit

The Space Show

Dr. Jeff Foust, Dr. Robert Zubrin, and Rick Boozer share their respective NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.

DC-X 20th Anniversary Event

Join the DC-X Team as they celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the First Flight of the Delta Clipper Experimental August 16, 17, & 18, 2013, at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and the New Mexico Museum of Space History, Alamogordo, NM.