Image Credit: SpaceX Based on questions asked at the NASA press conference announcing Boeing and SpaceX as winners of the Commercial Crew competition today, as well as those posed during an audio conference with the media which followed it, there is widespread confusion concerning the dollar differential between the two awards First though, a statement […]
It’s official. Making what it called a “A historic announcement about the future of America’s space program” SpaceX and Boeing were named as the two winners in NASA’s Commercial Crew competition at a press conference held at the Kennedy Space Center. The total amount of the award over the initial contract period is $6.8 billion. […]
Update: NBC new is reporting via veteran space journalist Jay Barbree that Boeing and SpaceX will be named the two winners of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program later today, with a larger share going to Boeing. Given that Boeing received a larger share than SpaceX, $460 million v. $440 million in the current round, and clearly has […]
The Wall Street Journal set off a firestorm Monday evening with an article by Andy Pasztor suggesting that Boeing is about to be named the walk off winner in NASA’s next phase of the Commercial Crew Competition, CCtCap, with an award made in conjunction with Blue Origin. Anything could happen. As long time observers will […]
Make of this what you will. Two late breaking stories suggest major changes may be afoot. First: The Wall Street Journal’s Andy Pasztor reports that Blue Origin is scheduled to participate in an event at the National Press Club on Wednesday, where a major engine initiative involving Blue Origin, Boeing and Lockheed Martin will be […]
Image Credit Virgin Galactic Confirming a schedule slip which comes as no surprise, Virgin Galactic is now estimating that the first passenger flight (with founder Richard Branson aboard) will not take place until February or March of 2015. 2015. The comments from the flamboyant businessman and adventurer came during an appearance with David Letterman on […]
Long time Russian space observer James Oberg has penned a very interesting article at NBCnews.com which suggests that Russia is subtly attempting to get the U.S. government to acknowledge its absorption of the Crimea by shifting some mandatory cosmonaut training to that region. From the article: “Shifting the survival training to Russian-occupied Crimea will require […]
Innerspace.net Commentary With the passing of the first week in September, NASA is presumably within a few weeks of announcing the winner or winners in the next phase of its Commercial Crew program. That phase, labeled Commercial Crew Transportation Capability or CCtCap, will see the selection of which firm is going to provide crew transport […]
Merlin 1-D Vacuum Engine Glows as it Drives Second Stage: Image Credit SpaceX Lit by the glow of 9 Merlin 1-D engines generating 1.3 million lbs. of sea level thrust, a SpaceX Falcon 9 V1.1 lifted off from Cape Canaveral in the early hours of Sunday morning, carrying with it the AsiaSat 6 communications satellite. […]
AsiaSat 8 Streaks into the Night Sky: Image Credit: SpaceX “Fly By Night Away from Here!” belted out Rush’s Geddy Lee, and SpaceX is hoping its Falcon 9 booster will do just that on a launch scheduled for 50 minutes after midnight out of Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40. After a 10 day interlude to check for […]
Recent Comments