NewSpace News: Issue #106

April 2014

The Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has made two announcements regarding the expansion of its partnerships and activities. Experts from NASA Marshall and Teledyne Brown will collaborate with SNC to develop design reference missions using the Dream Chaser to support ISS operations and science. The manufacturing of the orbital spacecraft will be done at the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana by Lockheed Martin. The company is also busy evaluating wind tunnel data from their tests at NASA's Langley and Ames Research Centers, and they are conducting tests on their reaction wheels and engines. Press Releases by NASA and SNC

Boeing has the completed the pilot-in-the-loop test of their CST-100 spacecraft and the primary structures critical design review. The primary structure consists of the crew module and the service module, and the completion of the CDR allows Boeing to begin fabrication of the vehicle. Boeing was also awarded the Airborne Launch Assist Space Access (ALASA) contract from DARPA. The goal of the program is to reduce the cost of launching microsatellites into orbit by 66%. Press Releases by NASA and Boeing, Video by NASA

Building on the success on the deployment of the 28-satellite Earth imaging constellation, Planet Labs has announced that it will be launching more than 100 satellites in the over the next 12 months. This will allow the company to image the entirety of Earth every 24 hours. Press Release by Planet Labs

Interorbital Systems has successfully launched its Common Propulsion Module Test Vehicle (CPM TV). The 7,500-lb thrust engine accelerated the 1,200 lb rocket to over Mach 1 and 10,000 ft. The CPM TV carried two CubeSats, a payload by Synergy Moon, and a music album. Interorbital Systems is one of several companies developing a low-cost launch vehicle to deliver small payloads to orbit. Press Release by Interorbital and Video by Synergy Moon

NASA is soliciting proposals for the Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities (CCSC) Initiative. This initiative follows the success of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), and it is one of several that NASA has announced such as the Lunar CATALYST initiative. NASA has also announced the winners of the SBIR Phase II, and among the recipients include companies such as Paragon, Tethers Unlimited, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, and Ventions. Press Releases by NASA

NASA's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal has been released, and the agency has requested $848 million for commercial crew and $706 million for space technology. The president's overall budget request also included an additional spending line that could add $856 million to the NASA budget, which would be spread across different accounts. Press Release by CSF and Article by SpacePolitics.com

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced that it will begin the second series of protein growth experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). The participants not only include academic institutions but also Japanese pharmaceutical companies. Press Release by JAXA

The Google Lunar XPRIZE (GLXP) team SpaceMETA has raised $10 million in initial investments from Brazilian entrepreneur Silvio Miglio. The funding will enable SpaceMETA to accelerate their developments towards the GLXP competition deadline of December 2015. In other GLXP news, the son of Buzz Aldrin, Andrew Aldrin has left the United Launch Alliance (ULA) to become the president of Moon Express. Press Release by SpaceMETA and Moon Express

Terminal Velocity Aerospace (TVA) has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop a high-altitude drop test article, which will test the communications and parachute systems. This effort is part of TVA's larger developmental goals of developing a reentry device capable of returning payload mass and volume equivalent to 4 CubeSats. Press Releases TVA

The Space Frontier Foundation (SFF) has announced the Settlement Enabling Test (SET), which is comprised of seven sets of questions to determine if a space program or initiative helps promote and accelerate space settlement. It is an extension of SFF's original Frontier Enabling Test, and so far, the Constellation program has been evaluated using the SET. Press Release by SFF

Last year, Facebook launched Internet.org, a partnership with leading technology companies to provide the Internet to everybody from anywhere in the world. The latest announcement has revealed that this endeavor will involve constellations of aerial vehicles and satellites, and Facebook has hired experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, Ames Research Center, and others to realize the goal of ubiquitous access. Article by Facebook

Mars One has announced a new project to build a simulated Martian outpost, which will be used to train future crews. The organization has recently welcomed the Kristian von Bengston, the co-founder of Copenhagen Suborbitals, to the Mars One team, and he will be leading the outpost project. Press Release by Mars One

Space Florida and Swiss Space Systems (S3) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for future use of the Shuttle Landing Facility and associated infrastructure at the Kennedy Space Center. S3 also established a new subsidiary in Florida for US operations. The company has announced that it will begin offering microgravity flights out of Florida similar to the Zero G Corporation. Press Release by S3

Author Bob Zimmerman and Elysium Space's Brett Stroozas share their respective NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.

Space Frontier Foundation is excited to announce NewSpace 2014 Conference, which will be held from July 24-26 in Silicon Valley, CA. NewSpace 2014 shall usher in a broad spectrum of space related topics that will influence new ideas and innovation and serve as a stepping stone for the future of commercial space exploration and development. This year's conference will be host to an extensive range of topics including: orbital debris, space data, space policy discussions, newspace business models, launch companies and more. NewSpace 2014 will serve as the premier gathering for space industry leaders, providing an opportunity to learn about the latest issues in commercial space.