Satellite Industry Intelligence Since 1983
While the first test flight for Ares V is slated for 2018, aerodynamic testing already is under way at the Marshall Center's wind tunnel test facility in Building 4732. Engineers at the Marshall Center are taking the first steps in developing the Ares V heavy cargo launch vehicle, which is the heavy lifter of America's next-generation space fleet for the Constellation Program.
Read MoreNine teams with rocket-powered vehicles will compete for $2 million in NASA prize money during the 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, Oct. 24-25, at Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico.
Read MoreStandard procedures of the Flight 4 of Falcon 1 include rigorous testing. On Saturday we reported that the testing took place and reports were to be available soon. The results are in and, as expected, no major issues came up.
Read MoreThe thrill of watching a successful ground test of a rocket was enjoyed by Orbital Sciences Corporation [NYSE: ORB] when they completed the full-scale "pathfinder" ground operations of the Minotaur IV space launch vehicle in preparation for its inaugural flight that is currently scheduled to take place in early 2009.
Read MoreThe figurative canvas has come off, and now NASA knows what the preliminary design of the Ares I rocket will resemble, which is a major step toward building the nation's next generation launch vehicle. Starting in 2015, the Ares I rocket will launch the Orion crew exploration vehicle, including its crew of four to six astronauts, and small cargo payloads to the International Space Station.
Read MoreAn Alliant Techsystems suborbital rocket carrying two NASA hypersonic experiments was destroyed shortly after liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Friday, August 22nd. No injuries or property damage were immediately reported. The exact launch time was 5:10 a.m. EDT. The anomaly that caused the failure occurred approximately 27 seconds into flight and is not known.
Read MoreSpaceDev, Inc. (OTCBB: SPDV) has signed a multi-year contract with Scaled Composites to assist that firm in the development of a production rocket motor for the first commercial space vehicle designed for space tourism called SpaceShipTwo. The vehicle is being designed by Scaled for Virgin Galactic and is part of a complete space system that also includes the recently unveiled WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft.
Read MoreSpace Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) launched their Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission on Saturday, August 2nd. Unfortunately, the rocket failed after several minutes into the flight, the third such failure by SpaceX to launch this rocket. The anomaly that caused the failure has not yet been identified.
Read MoreSpace Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) launched their Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission on Saturday, August 2nd. Unfortunately, the rocket failed after several minutes into the flight, the third such failure by SpaceX to launch this rocket. The anomaly that caused the failure has not yet been identified.
Read MoreNASA and industry engineers have successfully completed the first drop test of a drogue parachute for the Ares I rocket.
Read More
Satnews is a leading provider of satellite news, events, publications, research and other satellite industry information in both commercial and military enterprises worldwide.