Commercial
McAlister Discusses Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent presentation to the human exploration and operations committee of the NASA Advisory Counsel (NAC), Phil McAlister, Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Development discussed the next…
Dream Chaser ETA heads to Dryden for drop tests
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) have shipped their Dream Chaser ETA (Engineering Test Article) to the Dryden Flight Research Center in California. The vehicle will be prepared for a…
A return to the Moon would send NASA back to square one – Bolden
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden has strongly ruled out missions to land on the Moon as part of NASA’s exploration roadmap, claiming any future political re-direction to return humans…
From Shuttle to SS2 – Sturckow joins Virgin Galactic
Space Shuttle veteran Frederick “CJ” Sturckow has joined Virgin Galactic’s commercial flight team. The retired U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Colonel has been joined by retired U.S. Air Force…
Cygnus ISS debut provisionally moved to September
The debut mission for Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft – known as ORB-D – is now tracking a provisional launch date of September 28. The slip relates to an engine…
NASA’s Commercial Crew Catch 22 as another $424m heads to Russia
NASA administrator Charlie Bolden emphasized the need for Congress to fully support funding for the Agency’s Commercial Crew Program, after signing a $424m extension for the use of…
First powered flight success for SpaceShipTwo
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo (SS2) finally conducted its debut powered flight on Monday, paving the way towards its space tourism aspirations. The historic milestone was conducted high over the…
Antares conducts a flawless maiden launch
Orbital Sciences Corporation have – at the third launch attempt – launched their new Antares rocket’s maiden flight on Sunday. Following two scrubs over the past few days,…
Orbital’s Antares: An eye on the present and the future
Orbital are still hoping to launch their Antares rocket on its debut trip into space this coming week, despite an issue during its Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR). Elsewhere,…
USCV-1: NASA planners slip first ISS commercial crew mission to late 2017
The first NASA crew to ride to the International Space Station on a commercial spacecraft may have to wait until at least the end of 2017, after NASA’s…
Dragon Splashdown concludes SpaceX’s CRS-2 mission
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft has successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, following its departure from the International Space Station (ISS). Known as End Of Mission (EOM)…
Golden Spike workshop to explore lunar landing site options
The Golden Spike company are to host an international scientific workshop in October, aimed at evaluating the details of their commercial lunar expeditions. With a focus on the…
CRS-2 Dragon homecoming delayed due to high seas in the splashdown zone
The planned unberthing and return of SpaceX’s CRS-2 Dragon (SpX-2) was delayed by one day due to the forecast of high seas in the splashdown zone. Dragon was scheduled to…
Falcon 9 boost as Merlin 1D engine achieves major milestone
SpaceX’s Merlin 1D engine has achieved flight qualification status during its test program at the company’s rocket development facility in McGregor, Texas. An enhanced design to the engines…
Stars align for Orbital’s Antares – A-One debut set for mid-April
Orbital’s Antares rocket is finally set to make its debut flight into space, following the approval of a launch window that opens on April 16. Dubbed the A-One…
Facilitating the commercial crew era for Kennedy’s OPFs
As the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) continues its transformation into a multi-user spaceport, the three buildings dedicated to processing the since-retired Space Shuttle orbiters are aiming to once…
MAF undergoing major modification work ahead of SLS production
The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) has begun its transformation back into the birth place of giant rockets that will enable the United States to return to deep space…
SSRMS removes payload from Dragon trunk to mark new milestone
SpaceX’s CRS-2 (SpX-2) Dragon achieved another milestone on Wednesday, as the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) carefully removed a pair of grapple bars from the spacecraft’s trunk….
CASTOR 30XL prepares for static fire ahead of providing Antares boost
ATK’s CASTOR 30XL Upper Stage motor is deep into preparations for a static fire test, set to take place this spring at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in…
Resilient CRS-2 Dragon successfully berthed on the ISS
Back to full health, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft was captured and then berthed by the Canadarm 2 on the International Space Station (ISS) Sunday morning. Arriving just one day…
