Who Is Aerospace and What Do They Want In Commercial Space?

The Aerospace Corporation is a federally funded research and development organization.  To those in the space industry, their name is pretty familiar. Now, having been involved in oversight of USAF and NRO boosters and spacecraft for 50 years, they want to expand further into the NASA arena, especially as commercial space players like SpaceX are actually [...]

Space Refueling Lacks Customers

The idea of refueling a satellite sounds great…until you think it through. The fact that newly launched satellites will be more technically capable and modern is important; the fact refueling doesn’t equate to a straight-line life extension is important; the issue of liability should a spacecraft be damaged during refueling is important.  In summary, the [...]

Sea Launch: Not Quite Dead Yet; Actually Feeling Much Better

Sea Launch appears to have emerged from bankruptcy following a cash infusion from Russian rocket-maker Energia and a court order.  The cash infusion–$140 million–brings with it 95 percent ownership of Sea Launch. Interesting Energia Sea Launch facts: At full operation, Sea Launch’s operating costs will total less than $50 million per year Sea Launch expects to [...]

Zombiesat Affecting More Satellites

Zombiesat, AKA Galaxy 15, continues to cause geostationary belt trouble. Costs to date: about $2.5 million with perhaps another $1 million to go. The Naval Research Laboratory says Galaxy 15 is victim one in the new solar cycle, which produced a space-flood of  magnetic energy in early April. How does it all end?  Probably with [...]

Galaxy 15, Space’s On-Orbit Zombie

Fried by a massive solar storm, Galaxy 15 continues to menacingly roam the geosynchronous belt. Forcing innocent, non-zombie satellites to maneuver away from its undeconflicted signals, Galaxy 15 may soon lose all attitude control and die an icy, mechanical death. Are your space systems prepared to repel a zombie sat attack?

Senate Authorizers Move NASA Away From Commercial Space

Senate authorizers have taken the administration’s etch-a-sketch for NASA, turned it upside down, and shaken (not stirred) violently. Granted it’s only an authorization bill and it hasn’t been sent to the full Senate, reconciled, or signed into law.  However…it will have legs. The biggest deal in the near-years is it halves the Obama request for [...]

Movin’ Out of Cali

Only LL Cool J is contemplating about goin’ back to Cali…he doesn’t think so. Satellite telephone provider Globalstar, on the other hand, is absolutely moving out of California, and will be relocating their corporate headquarters to Louisiana. Globalstar chairman Jay Monroe said the move will “dramatically reduce our operating costs.”  Probably their commute times as [...]

Commercial Space–The Only Way to Fly

Note: this article originally appeared in Air University’s The Wright Stuff Commercial Space–The Only Way to Fly By Mark Stout You may have heard something called ‘commercial space’ is going to significantly change or even revolutionize NASA, and perhaps by extension, the rest of the U.S government’s space requirements as well.  As such, let’s unpack the [...]

NASA In The Wringer

The House Science and Technology Committee is not happy with NASA’s to-date ability to explain and defend their FY2011 budget request. Because the Committee hasn’t gotten what they’ve asked for, they’ve asked somewhat more forcefully–by directing the NASA administrator to deliver the documents used to prepare the FY11 budget. Not good for NASA. NASA is [...]

SpaceX and Iridium Agree to $492 Million Launch Services Deal

SpaceX will be the major launch agency for Iridium next. Let’s see–here’s my ROM.  As many as nine or ten Vandenberg launches with a massive amount of weight to orbit margin assuming a stack of five or six satellites.  Perhaps other customers will emerge to use up some of that margin, but that adds complexity regarding [...]