Europe’s aerospace sector appears to be waking up to the possibility that American companies are on the verge of establishing first stage reusability. In June, Airbus-Safran announced Adeline, an acronym for Advanced Expendable Launcher with Innovative Engine Economy. Adeline is a recoverable first stage propulsion package which would return the engine and avionics of an Ariane […]
SpaceX may not have discovered “unicorns dancing in the flame trench” of pad 39A as Elon Musk famously suggested, but the world’s leading NewSpace company looks increasingly likely to have a new, and perhaps equally daring neighbor at Cape Canaveral. Florida Today reports that Space Florida is closer to signing a deal with Blue Origin […]
Adeline: Image Credit Airbus Ever since SpaceX changed the focus of its quest for launch vehicle re-usability from parachute recovery to powered first stage landings, observers have wondered just what response might be offered by uber competitor and market leader Arianespace. At first, the French led consortium scoffed at the potential threat posed by Elon […]
On Tuesday, SpaceX released this YouTube “Flight Animation” depicting a Falcon Heavy launch and landing from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. There are a couple of interesting points to consider, particularly in the context of the recently released Draft Environmental Assessment regarding SpaceX’s plan to use abandoned Launch Complex 13 at the […]
Coming together. Image Credit: XCOR Aerospace Coming on the heels of the 10th anniversary lamentation/celebration of SpaceShipOne’s winning the Ansari XPRIZE, an event which saw more than a little criticism aimed at Virgin Galactic for its frequent delays with SpaceShipTwo, the other company racing to introduce a commercial suborbital spaceplane, XCOR, announced major progress in […]
Still Working…Still Waiting. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic Saturday, October 4th, 2014 was the ten year anniversary of the SpaceShipOne’s winning the Ansari X-Prize, a feat which built on its legacy of becoming the first privately funded, piloted “rocket” to pass the 62.5 mile high Karman line and go into suborbital space. Ten years later, on […]
A press release from Sierra Nevada Corporation issued in advance of a presentation at the International Astronautical Congress suggests a somewhat diminished version of its Dream Chaser space plane may have a future irrespective of what happens with the protest the company has lodged regarding NASA’s Commercial Crew CCtCap award. SNC Press Release: SPARKS, Nev. […]
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 […]
The future is being revealed one Youtube video at a time. Late yesterday, SpaceX released this chase plane video of the Falcon 9 first stage under controlled descent as it approaches the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the July 14 Orbcomm 2 launch. Regrettably, the camera operator attempts to refocus just as it nears […]
SOAR Second Stage Space Plane Image Credit: Swiss Space Systems One of the most intriguing of a growing number of NewSpace companies targeting the small satellite launch market is Swiss Space Systems. With its plans for 2/3 reusable launch system consisting of an Airbus 300 carrier plane, and unmanned fully re-usable SOAR rocket plane as […]
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