Transportation Industry

Aerospace & Defense News - Space

AirGuide Business, Sept 1, 2008

Sep 1, 2008

A scale-model plasma rocket engine that is to be tested at the International Space Station could be delivered in 2012 by a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program launch system. Houston, Texas-based AdAstraRocket's ISS Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (Vasimir) test article will be a scale-model engine similar to the VX-200 prototype being operated in the company's vacuum facility. The ISS test engine will be called Vasimir Flight (VF)200-1. AdAstraRocket chief executive Franklin Chang-Diaz met with NASA on August 21 and was told about the capabilities of Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Falcon 9. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences are the two companies participating in COTS. Falcon 9 is SpaceX's rocket that would launch its Dragon capsule, and Orbital's Taurus II booster would orbit its Cygnus spacecraft that could have a 2,300kg (5,000lb) cargo capacity for the ISS. None of these COTS vehicles have yet flown. Aug 29, 2008

Competitive threats to Europe's space industry posed by India and China - as well as opportunities for co-operation - are to be the focus of a C[umlaut]200,000 ($296,000) European Space Agency study. The study will assess opportunities in the two Asian markets, analyze China and India's "domains of excellence", the competitive threats to European industry and the developing countries' strategies and technologies that Europe "may wish to emulate". The study will also review political, regulatory, economic and business aspects affecting European industry's competitiveness in these markets. Aug 29, 2008

Alliant Techsystems

Alliant Techsystems' Launch Vehicle (ALV) suborbital rocket carrying two NASA hypersonic experiments, was destroyed 27 seconds into its X-1 flight from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Launched at 5:10 local time, the ALV is a two-stage all solid fuel motor design. The cause of the failure is unknown and a joint NASA, ATK investigation is under way. Aug 26, 2008

Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo prime contractor Scaled Composites has awarded California based-Spacedev a $15 million contract that runs through to 2012 for SpaceShipTwo (SS2) rocket motor development that will occur mostly over the next two years. SpaceDev's engineering services for Scaled's hybrid rocket design include manufacturing and integrating motor system components and conducting ground tests. It will also assist Scaled with SS2 flight tests. Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo prime contractor Scaled Composites has awarded California based-Spacedev a $15 million contract that runs through to 2012 for SpaceShipTwo (SS2) rocket motor development that will occur mostly over the next two years. SpaceDev's engineering services for Scaled's hybrid rocket design include manufacturing and integrating motor system components and conducting ground tests. It will also assist Scaled with SS2 flight tests. Aug 26, 2008

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