NewSpace News: Issue #111

September 2014

After launching on July 13th, Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus spacecraft has recently completed its third resupply mission to the International Space Station. The mission, third in a series of eight scheduled missions, was a success and serves as further proof of the company's capabilities. Hauling over 2000 kg of payload atop an Antares rocket, the Cygnus has become the flagship for Orbital Sciences after being lauded by international news organizations. In the near future, Orbital has offered a glimpse at an extended Cygnus that will potentially be used for even larger payloads to the ISS. The next resupply mission for Orbital is expected to launch no earlier than October 14th. Press Release by NASA, Photo by Astronaut Alex Gerst

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) has begun development of an early flight demonstration for their entry in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Experimental Spaceplane XS-1 Spaceplane program. Using a large booster and an expendable upper stage, the XS-1 aims to improve the price, convenience, and frequency of accessing low earth orbit (LEO). Working with Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites, NGC plans to develop a spaceplane with a one-day turnaround and low operational footprint. This research program is being pursued under a 13-month, Phase I contract, which is valued at $3.9 million. Press Release by Northrop Grumman

In return for selecting the south Texas site near Boca Chica beach for their new launch facility, SpaceX has been offered a 10-year tax break as part of Cameron County's incentive package. The Spaceport Board of Directors has also agreed to accept $13 million from the Texas Spaceport Development Trust fund. The complete agreement will be made available to the public once both parties have officially signed off. Article by Brownsville Herald

XCOR's hangar renovations in Midland, Texas have begun. To mark the start of the project, a wall breaking ceremony was held at the site. The renovations are scheduled to finish in early summer of 2015, and it will become the home of the Lynx spacecraft, XCOR's corporate headquarters, and its research and development facilities. Press Release by XCOR, Image by Midland Development Corporation

Orbital Outfitters (OO) has revealed its designs for the altitude chamber complex that will be built in Midland, Texas. The facility will feature several chambers to test equipment and spacesuits, simulate normal and emergency flight conditions, and train crew members. OO is building XCOR Aerospace's spacesuits for the Lynx spacecraft, and the suits will be tested in this facility. Article on News West 9

UrtheCast, the company providing ultra high definition video feeds from the ISS, has announced its second quarter and six-month financial results. Although still in the red, the year to date comprehensive loss totals $8 million, which is less than 2013's comprehensive loss of $11.8 million. The future prospects look good; tThe company has recently concluded negotiations over a potential five-year, $65 million contract with an unnamed customer. UrtheCast's medium resolution still camera has successfully achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC), and the company plans to install second-generation Earth Observation (EO) sensors, in partnership with Nanoracks. Data from the new sensors is expected to be available in 2017. Update by UrtheCast

Bigelow Aerospace has released a video that highlights their progress on their inflatable habitats including the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which will be used temporarily on the International Space Station (ISS). They have also released video clips of their BA 330 module undergoing underwater tests. Video by Bigelow

MISHAAL Aerospace, which is one of many contenders in launching small payloads to space like Generation Orbit, XCOR, and Virgin Galactic, has successfully completed the first static test of their hybrid LOX/Plastic-loaded-HTPB rocket system. This marks a major milestone as the first true test of the new hybrid engine. The company plans to use this engine on their upcoming M-SV launch vehicle. Intended for small satellite launches to LEO, the M-series is being designed, developed, and launched entirely in-house by MISHAAL. Press Release by MISHAAL

Five studies have been selected to move forward to Phase II of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. Studies were chosen for their potential to drastically transform future missions. Concepts include a 10-meter wide high-altitude balloon reflector (C.K Walker, University of Arizona, Tuscon), a low gravity spacecraft/rover hybrid platform (Marco Pavone, Stanford), and an ultra-large photographic aperture made of an orbiting dust cloud (Marco Quadrelli, JPL). The chosen groups will receive up to $500,000 for two years of additional development. Press Release by NASA

Firefly Space, a company dedicated to providing launch vehicles for small satellites, has recently added General Astronautics (GenAstro) to their list of strategic partners. The Washington D.C.-based GenAstro will assist Firefly in working with the federal government and with strategic planning. Press Release by Firefly

The Space Angles Network has announced a partnership with Sweden-based Space Travel Alliance (STA), which seeks to catalyze private spaceflight in Europe. This new link will allow seed capital and investments to flow into Spaceport Sweden and help promote new developments in Europe. Press Release by Space Angels Network

In a bid to remain a top space faring nation, the Russian government has increased the Roscosmos budget by over $6.5 billion a year to modernize and expand the program. The bulk of this budget will be used to renovate aging launch facilities and satellite constellations. $770 million has been allocated to resurrect the lunar program, starting with a $27 million landing probe to test newer technologies. Roscosmos director Popovkin stated that the lunar efforts are to begin examining the poles of the moon to search for water ice and other volatiles. President Vladimir Putin has spoken fervently about the Russian program expanding into deep space and lunar missions, and this new budget seems to indicate he has every intention to keep that promise. Article by Moscow Times

The principal investigator of HI-SEAS Mars analong Dr. Kim Binstead, author and journalist Michael Belfiore, and Space 2001 author Rob Godwin share their respective NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.

All members of the NewSpace community are invited to celebrate the largest space event on Earth, World Space Week, October 4-10. The idea is simple - by synchronizing space education and outreach on such a grand scale, the voices of space supporters are amplified and reach a larger audience than otherwise possible. While all aspects of space are welcome, this year's theme is "Space: Guiding Your Way," with a focus on space-based navigation such as GPS and it's impacts on society. The Space Frontier Foundation embraces World Space Week as an effective means of promoting the messages of NewSpace and helping to grow the community. We encourage you to participate by spreading the word, helping to inspire students about space, and planning or attending a space related event of any size on the WSW global calendar. For more information, please visit the WSW website.