Boeing CTS 100

Boeing are currently developing their Crew Space Transportation craft with a view to capturing a slice of the commercial payload market. The Apollo CM style module would launch atop a man rated Atlas V or a Delta IV in order to transport crew and supplies to the International Space Station, and, possibly, to a commercial space station - the BA330 - currently being designed by Bigelow Aerospace.

Reporters at the recent Farnborough airshow were treated to a vision of, what Boeing believe will be, a competitor to SpaceX's Dragon Capsule, in the form of computer generated imaginary of a future CTS visiting a Bigelow commericial space complex.

Currently, money for the CTS development is coming is coming from NASA's Crew Development programme - a pot from which the agency hopes to draw a vehicle capable of delievring American astronauts to the ISS when the Shuttle retires in 2011. However, it remains to be seen if CD money will be forthcoming after September when the fate of Obama's commercial space plans will be decided on Capitol Hill.

Images:Bigelow Aerospace/Boeing

Falcon 9 lifts off

SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, have conducted the first sucessful test flight of their Falcon 9 rocket. On June 4, the rocket lifted off at 1845 GMT. from pad SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral, Florida and began its long climb to orbit. There were a few minor problems during the flight; the second stage beginning an uncommanded roll and the first stage parachute failing to deploy properly, but never the less, the rocket's dummy payload achieved an almost precise orbit insertion - a huge boost to the company's plans to provide low cost access to orbit.

During the maiden flight a dummy payload mass was used to simulate the weight (and record flight data) of the soon to be flown Dragon Capsule - a 3.7 metre diameter Apollo CM style re-entry vehicle that will be used to fly both crew and cargo towards the International Space Station; this is in line with NASA's $1.6 bn payment to SpaceX for up to 12 Dragon/Falcon 9 flights. Each flight will likely carry around 6 tonnes of supplies to the ISS.

Although Falcon 9 is dubbed as being able to provide low cost access to orbit, analysts are still cautious as to whether or not Elon Musk can maintain a minimum cost, high flight schedule. In addition to its taxi work to the ISS, the F9 is also touted as being able to place telecommunications satellites in geosynchronous orbit - dramatically undercutting the Russian Proton and Ariane 5 launchers.

Images: SpaceX

Falcon 9 update

SpaceX of Hawthorne, California continue to prepare for the inaugural test flight of their Falcon 9 rocket. After having conducted static test firings of the Falcon 9's first stage on April 13 their next task is safety.

This is where the FTS or Flight Termination System comes in. Basically, if Falcon 9 strays from its designated flight corridor after launch then the rocket requires a system that will 'split the vehicle's fuel and oxygen tanks' - to destroy the vehicle in other words - before it can descend to inhabited or restricted areas.

FTS certification is therefore a vital step in preparing for the inaugural flight.

Image: SpaceX

Obama goes New Space

President Obama's 2011 budget does not include funds for Project Constellation, NASA's deep space sequel to the Apollo programme. In a move that has surprised the US aerospace community, Obama has instead opted to cancel Ares I and V in favour of outsourcing US human spaceflight to New Space companies.

While many spaceflight commentators believed that the Obama budget would heavily favour private companies to launch crew and payload to the ISS, it now seems as if New Space will be relied upon for ALL future US access to orbit and beyond; NASA it seems, are to be taken back to their routes as an essential research and development arm of the US government.

So what will the future of US human spaceflight look like? Well, it will look something like this.

Say the US government wants to return a couple of hundred pounds of rock from Ares Vallis on Mars. Instead of NASA designing and building its own rocket, NASA will instead purchase the use of an already existing Heavy Lift private rocket to accomplish its goals. Where no privately operated Heavy Lift system exists, NASA will specify its requirements and the private sector will, in turn, (without cost plus) build such a system in order to service NASA's goals - (see SpaceX's idea for a Super Heavy Falcon).

A good analogy to the new plan is airline travel. Governments don't run airlines, private companies build and operate the planes. Passengers simply pay the cost of the flight. Imagine similar for space travel and you have the gist of the Obama plan.

With many private rocket builders and operators inhabiting the market, diversity and competition will drive down costs so that the expense of space travel will begin to fall. This is the dream of all New Space entrepreneurs, but will it happen?

While the Obama 'vision' is revolutionary, it also has its detractors, who point out the need for the US government to create an operational market into which the New Space rocket and vehicle builders can move. While the ISS is a fitting target, a far more fascinating target would have been the Moon. With the loss of Constellation, there will be somewhat of a loss of energy to move beyond LEO - even if New Space does successfully make it up there. Imagine a New Space company that specialises in extracting H20 from lunar soil and you get an idea of the opportunity that has been missed with the loss of Constellation.

With the imminent launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9, we shall soon see if Obama was right in placing America's eggs in a single basket.

SpaceShipTwo unveil

Monday 7th finally saw the unveiling of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo at the Mojave Air and Space Port, California. The 60 ft long craft was towed out infront of guests and dignitaries before state governer Scwartznegger broke a champagne bottle over the nose of the vehicle to christen 'VSS Enterprise'.

VSS Enterprise will now begin a gruelling 18 month schedule to certify it for passenger use.

Pictures: Virgin Galactic

Space Elevator Team wins

If you've read Arthur C Clarke's Fountains of Paradise or Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy then you are no doubt familiar with the concept of the Space Elevator. Constructed of super tensile materials and stretching 100,000 km into space - until now the elevator has been a thing of science fiction. However, a Seattle-based team, LaserMotive aims to change all that, and has recently won $900,000 dollars in the Space Elevator Games - a competition set up by NASA to see if machines powered by laser beams could climb cables into the sky.

So what did LaserMotive accomplish to win the prize?

LM's cable climber actually managed to ascend a 3000 ft long cable suspended from a helicopter at a speed of around 8mph. This was accomplished some four times in two days. The best ascent time was 3 minutes 48 seconds.

The next stage of the competition involves the team beaming power up a 1/4 inch steel cable to power their platform. If LaserMotive can accomplish this at around 11mph then they stand to win the second level prize of $2M. NASA's Centenial Challenges director Andy Petro commented: "Power beaming is truly a 21st century technology"

Image: Space.com

Launcher One Satellite System

Several concepts are emerging for Virgin Galactic's Launcher One Satellite System. Currently in consultation with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) - re-known for their micro satellites - Branson's company was initially waiting to see if the UK government would contribute funding for a SSTL led launcher study; the idea being that an SSTL produced rocket could be launched from a Virgin Galactic White Knight. With the funding for the SSTL rocket study still forthcoming from the UK government, Galactic are now moving ahead with their own in-house designed launcher system.

Current satellite launch costs are something in the region of $5-10 million. If Virgin Galactic are going to move into the satellite business then they need to develop a system that can do the job for $1-2 million. SSTL currently rely on converted Soviet missiles like the Dnepr to launch their satellites - so the need for a UK led air-launch effort to ensure lower costs and limit conversion delay is paramount. Check out the images from the 60th International Astronautical Congress in Daejeon, Korea as shown in October

Images: BBC, Flight Global