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Back for Round Two
Blue Origin has done it again. Just two months after landing their first rocket, the Seattle-based company has brought their New Sheppard booster safely back to Earth
for the second time
. Reusability
is a critical step in commercializing space. In addition to raising the bar, January's event offered Blue Origin's team of scientists an opportunity to observe and measure adjustments made to systems and landing procedures after their successful November flight.
With one reflight under their belt, President Rob Meyerson announced that Blue Origin will shorten the time gap between subsequent flights in 2016. He also stated that the company expects to run dozens of test flights over the next couple years before opening capsule doors to the public.
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Don't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams
SpaceX and Orbital ATK have won contracts to continue supplying the ISS through the second phase of the Commercial Resupply Services program (CRS2). Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC)'s Dream Chaser mini-shuttle has also won a cargo resupply contract under CRS2. Dream Chaser has a folding-wing design, and it is designed to fit inside existing launch vehicle fairings, making it compatible with a diverse suite of rockets. After detaching from the station, Dream Chaser will also be capable of making autonomous horizontal landings to any assigned runway. Unlike the capsules, this capability will avoid large landing forces and allow scientists to retrieve time-sensitive samples like biology experiments within a few hours of landing. All three contracts are scheduled launches starting in 2019 and will continue through the ISS' current service life of 2024.
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Just Like Mom Used to Make
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You Don't Need Gravity to Grow Crops
Zero Gravity Solutions Inc. (ZGSI) and NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) have signed the Space Act Agreement enabling ZGSI to work on developing new agricultural technologies and products, and this will allow both ZGSI and NASA to inquire into each other's related research. One of the four primary objectives includes evaluating and testing the potential utility of ZGSI products to NASA space biology and life support applications.
According to a press release by ZGSI, the initial product to be studied is their BAM-FX, a nutrient delivery formulation designed to "effectively deliver bioavailable forms of important nutrients to support plant growth." Preliminary research with the product used over multiple crop types demonstrated an increase in crop yields.
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Commercial Crew Checklist
NASA's Commercial Crew Program has made significant progress with its industry partners Boeing and SpaceX achieving significant milestones last year. Both companies are working on developing separate spacecraft and launch systems.
Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will be aiming to complete parachute testing with full-scale spacecraft, Starliner structural testing, qualification testing, and drop testing into water. As part of supporting facility development, Boeing will also be working on a part-task trainer for training astronauts, spacesuit qualification, C3PF high bay and mission control center at Kennedy Space Center, and high-fidelity mission simulator. ULA will be working on Atlas V construction and Space Launch Complex 41 Modifications.
SpaceX will be working on completing Crew Dragon's parachute testing, spacecraft testing and training mock-ups, Crew Dragon Assembly - 3 spacecraft, environmental control and life support system and validation of propulsive module land landing. The Falcon 9 team is preparing for evaluation-manufacturing and launch pad 39A completion. SpaceX will also be completing its spacesuit qualification.
By the end of this year Boeing and SpaceX will be much closer to America's return to human spaceflight.
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OneWeb, Nine Hundred Satellites
A new joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus Defense and Space will manufacture a Low Earth Orbiting Satellite constellation consisting of 900 satellites to provide global internet broadband. The plan calls for the first 10 flight models to be built in France, and the majority of the satellites to be built in Florida. Matthew O'Connell took the office of CEO for OneWeb Ltd. last fall and has brought in consultants to assess the company's business projections. The timeline for commercial service has slipped to sometime in 2020.
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Investing in the Future
The European Space Agency (ESA) confirmed this month that its 2016 budget is up 18.4% from last year. This brings the agency's coffers to €5.25B (~$5.86B) for 2016. ESA attributes this increase in contributions by member governments to a number of specific mission stakes. Italy's contributions, for instance, have increased over 50% from last year. Italy also holds a major stake in the Vega rocket, which has just completed validation testing, and major updates and purchase orders are expected through a recent ESA spending package. Though many member countries have increased their contributions this year, the agency continues to debate the fate of its largest planned expenditures - the Euro-Russian ExoMars mission and ESA's role in the future of the ISS.
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- Escape Dynamics shuts down [Link]
- Cubesats riding to deep space with EM-1 [Link]
- Luxembourg wants to mine asteroids too [Link]
- UK's Clyde Space opens US office [Link]
- Nanoracks considering private airlock on ISS [Link]
- UAE to work with Italy's ASI [Link]
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This month, Richard Rocket of NewSpace Global and John Strickland of the National Space Society
share their respective
NewSpace initiatives with Dr. David Livingston on The Space Show.
[Link]
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Other Cool Things
Dragon Hover Test [Video]
JWST mirrors installed [Link]
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UPCOMING LAUNCHES
Feb 16
Rockot : Sentinel 3A
Feb TBD
Falcon 9 : SES 9
Unha : Kwangmyongsong
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NEWSPACE MENTIONS IN THIS ISSUE
Adidas
Airbus Defense and Space
Blue Origin
Boeing
Clyde Space
Escape Dynamics
Nanoracks
OneWeb
Orbital ATK
Planetary Resources
Sierra Nevada Corporation
SpaceX
ULA
Virgin Galactic
Y-3
Zero Gravity Solutions
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