The company which likes to pride itself on being the original Newspace company, (and often refuses to refer to SpaceX by name) Orbital Sciences, announced today that it is engaging in a “merger of equals” with Alliant Techsystems, or ATK, the defense, munitions and space company which is perhaps best known as the major contractor […]
ATV-4 Prepares for Launch, Image Credit Arianespace NASA has announced that it is extending the existing commercial resupply contacts held by Orbital Sciences and SpaceX through 2017, even as it holds the door open for competition from other potential providers in the next round of competition labelled CRS2. Based on the announcement which is included […]
While NASA is currently do doing very little to apply the successful contract approach of funded Space Acts Agreements the agency used to good effect in the COTS and CRS programs where its deep space plans are concerned, the agency is continuing to work around the edges with unfunded Space Act Agreements. Today, NASA announced […]
RD-180 What exquisite timing. In a week where the Russian built RD-180 main engine, used to power the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, has come under heavy scrutiny, word comes out that Orbital Sciences has dropped its lawsuit against ULA over access to the engine. From a Space News article on the issue: “The parties […]
Two items out of CASIS First, an interesting story regarding the observation that certain tumor cells which grow aggressively and are difficult to treat on Earth, appear to be a bit more docile in the environment of Zero-G. The discovery gives scientists a possible window into devising new methods of understanding, and ultimately destroying some […]
Although NewSpace companies are already revolutionizing some market segments such as the the smallsat industry, progress in other areas, notably launch systems, has been much slower, with the clear exception of SpaceX. Two companies which harbor long term crew capable orbital ambitions, Virgin Galactic and XCOR, are on the threshold of beginning suborbital passenger flights, […]
On Friday, NASA published a request for information (RFI) regarding the next round of ISS supply services to be purchased under the Commercial Resupply Services Program- CRS. This round is expected to last from 2017 all the way to 2024, provided Congress and the International Partners agree on a proposal put forward by the Obama […]
Orbital Sciences Press Release ORBITAL SIGNS LAUNCH AGREEMENT WITH SKYBOX IMAGING — Company to Launch Six Commercial High-Resolution Imaging Spacecraft for New Customer Aboard Commercial Version of Minotaur Rocket in Late 2015 — (Dulles, VA 20 February 2014) – Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world’s leading space technology companies, today announced that […]
Recent years have seen a number of meaningful space anniversaries, and to some they can are increasingly somber moments of reflection on what we once could do, on what happened a long time ago. Today however, is something else. Today marks the ten year anniversary of something the we didn’t do at all, implement the […]
In case you missed it, here is yesterday’s press release from Orbital Sciences announcing the early morning capture and berthing of the second Cygnus cargo vessel to ISS. ORBITAL’S CYGNUS SPACECRAFT SUCCESSFULLY BERTHS WITH INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION — Rendezvous and Berthing Operations of Company’s First Operational Cargo Logistics Mission Proceeded Smoothly — — Cargo Unloading […]
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