On December 19th, NASA awarded the launch contract for the 2016 Mars Insight Mission to United Launch Alliance, to be carried out aboard an Atlas V 401, for $160 million. The award is interesting for a number of reasons. In the first place, ULA does not like to reveal its launch prices if there any […]
On Thursday, December 12th, the GAO denied Blue Origin’s protest regarding NASA’s method of establishing its lease options for launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. One day later, press sources indicated that the agency, as expected, has entered into negotiations with SpaceX regarding the terms of the lease. Although nothing is certain until […]
According to a report in aerospace industry magazine Space News, a US district judge has denied a request by United Launch Alliance to dismiss the lawsuit levied against the monopoly launch provider by Orbital Sciences Corporation over access to the Russian built RD-180 first stage engine which powers the Atlas V rocket. Unless the case […]
Lifting off on time at 5:41 pm ET from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40, the first SpaceX Falcon 9 booster carrying a commercial communications satellite has successfully placed its payload, the SES-8 comsat into geostationary transfer orbit. Tonight’s launch was the culmination of a long and at times trying campaign which saw two previous attempts over […]
Correction : According to the SES-8 launch broadcast, the F9 was not returned to the hanger for cleaning, but rather addressed on the pad due to ease of access to the engines. Eight days after its initial launch attempt for the SES-8 satellite, and five days after a second effort on Thanksgiving day, Space […]
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