To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.
If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@space.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Robotic Chinese lunar test mission ends successfully. Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft positions itself to support first ever comet landing on Nov. 12. International Space Station transition positive for science, private sector, says entrepreneur. India readies unpiloted December test flight of future human capsule. U.S. space shuttle monument opens in Titusville, Fla. Russia launches military communications satellite. U.S. commercial space efforts confront back to back failures. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo lost in fatal inflight breakup. Unfolding National Transportation Safety Board investigation finds unexpected tail section deployments. Last week’s losses of SpaceShipTwo and Orbital Sciences Antares/Cygnus resupply mission to the International Space Station stir debate over risk and policy. United Launch Alliance and partner Blue Origin hint at new U.S. rocket. Pending U.S. Defense Authorization bill expected to prompt debate in Congress over a proposed ban on use of Russian propulsion for U.S. national security missions. A look at major space activities scheduled for the week ahead.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
Chang’e 5 test vehicle “Xiaofei” lands successfully
The Planetary Society (10/31): China demonstrates capabilities to launch and retrieve an uncrewed lunar mission spacecraft. The mission capsule parachuted to Earth on Friday, following an intact re-entry. Launched a week earlier on a flight to circle the moon, the mission sets the stage for an announced 2017 robotic mission to land on the moon, gather samples of the soil and rock and return them to Earth.
Rosetta reaches comet lander delivery orbit
AmericaSpace.com (10/31): The European Space Agency’s comet following Rosetta mission spacecraft matches orbits with 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko on Friday. Rosetta is prepared to drop a lander, Philae, onto the comet’s surface Nov. 12, an exploration first.
Low Earth Orbit
Privately-funded space research leverages scarce public funding | commentary
Roll Call (10/30): Entrepreneur Jeffry Manber takes exception to disparaging remarks about the International Space Station from U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn. The space station, notes Manber, is undergoing a transformation as it opens to experiments and technology demonstrations by the private sector that herald new products and economic opportunity.
ISRO gearing up to launch unmanned crew module
Hindustan Times (11/1): The India Space Research Organization looks to December for the unpiloted test flight of a future crew space module. The test flight will assess the heat shield on the spacecraft during atmospheric re-entry and splashdown.
Shuttle monument dedicated during Titusville ceremony
Florida Today (11/1): Stainless steel memorial to NASA’s 30-year shuttle program takes shape at the Space View Park in Titusville, Fla. “When I look back on the program, it was a great experience,” recalled former shuttle commander Robert Crippen, who was among those gathered for the opening of the memorial.
Military communications satellite launched from Russia
Spaceflightnow.com (11/1): Russia launches a military communications satellite on Oct. 30 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Can space industry survive 2 explosions in 4 days?
Associated Press via Stars and Stripes (11/1): The risk factor that confronts space travel, government or private sector, surfaced this week on the commercial front as SpaceShipTwo shattered in the air over California’s Mojave Desert, claiming the life of one pilot and injuring another. The tragedy followed the post launch loss of Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket as it lifted off from Virginia with supplies for the International Space Station. Commercial space travel by humans is inevitable, says one expert. However, the timeline may slow as the industry re-assesses its safety culture.
Commercial space advocates remain confident despite accidents
Space News (11/2): Lori Garver, NASA’s former deputy administrator, and others say the commercial space movement will survive last week’s losses of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket. One suggests that commercial space advocates drop references to “space tourism” because it suggests less than the actual ricks associated with the movement. Garver spoke before the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
Opinion: Commercial space learns a valuable painful lesson
Spaceflightinsider.com (11/2): Has “new space” grown over confident? Two closely spaced accidents suggest early successes led the movement to overlook the high risks associated with the pursuit. “What’s important to remember, though, is that spaceflight is a dangerous, hard business, and even after 56 years, it is far from “routine,” according to Spaceflight Insider’s Collin Skocik.
Virgin Galactic rocket plane deployed braking system prematurely
Spaceflightnow.com (11/3): SpaceShipTwo’s deployable tail section was repositioned and deployed prematurely, just prior to Friday’s fatal breakup, acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart told a Sunday night news briefing from the Mojave, Calif. crash site. The rocket ship’s fuel tank and motor, an early focus of speculation as to the cause of the tragedy, were found intact in the wreckage. “There’s much more that we don’t know,” said Hart. Normally, the ship’s twin tail boom is repositioned for descent through a two-step process. Telemetry and video reveal the tail booms were unlocked early by co-pilot Michael Alsbury and subsequently deployed though not commanded to do so.
NTSB says SS2 debris field indicates in-flight breakup, Scaled identifies pilots
Spacepolicyonline.com (11/1): Acting NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart estimates SpaceShipTwo’s fatal breakup over California’s Mojave Desert on Friday could take a year to investigate. The rocket ship was owned by Virgin Galactic and flown by Scaled Composite test pilots Peter Siebold and Michael Alsbury. Siebold parachuted and survived with injuries. Alsbury, who perished, was found in the wreckage which was scattered across five miles. Airborne and ground cameras, radar and other sensors are expected to furnish data.
Branson determined to find cause of Virgin spaceship crash, pilots identified
Reuters (11/1): Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s billionaire leader, vows to pursue SpaceShipTwo development for commercial passengers, following Friday’s in air breakup over the Mojave desert. “If we can overcome it, we will make absolutely certain that the dream lives on,” said Branson.
Surviving pilot in Virgin Galactic crash ‘alert and talking’
Los Angeles Times (11/1): National Transportation Safety Board starts investigation into the loss of SpaceShipTwo on Friday. The accident claimed the life of copilot Michael Alsbury and injured pilot Peter Siebold.
Virgin Galactic co-pilot remembered as “respected, devoted colleague”
CBS News (11/1): SpaceShipTwo co-pilot Michael Alsbury, 39, who perished in Friday’s crash, recalled as devoted husband and father of two.
Clues from SpaceShipTwo’s wreckage: Did the crew compartment fail?
The Daily Beast (11/2): Report, based on analysis of video by former NASA astronaut, looks to possible structural failure as cause of SpaceShipTwo breakup.
First stage propulsion system is early focus of Antares investigation
Spaceflightnow.com (10/31): Statements from Orbital Sciences point to the first stage of the company’s Antares rocket as the source of the failure that led to the destruction of the rocket shortly after lifting off from Virginia on Oct. 28. The first stage structure is produced in Ukraine. The two first stage engines originated from the Soviet era moon program.
Cargo from failed rocket launch found at Wallops pad
WVEC-TV, of Hampton Roads, VA (10/31): Orbital Sciences finds some cargo from the International Space Station bound Antares rocket and Cygnus resupply capsule that broke apart seconds after lifting off from Wallops Island, Va., on Oct. 28. The damaged supplies, spotted among a substantial debris field, are expected to help investigators determine what happened to the Antares rocket.
Alabama.com (10/31): ULA, developer of the Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets, and partner Blue Origin suggest development of a new commercial rocket and rocket engine in Alabama is possible.
Battle looming over Russian engine ban in U.S. defense bill
Space News (10/31): The National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, legislation pending before the U.S. Congress, would ban the use of Russian rocket engines for the launch of U.S. national security payloads. The clause is likely to divide the U.S. House, the publication reports.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of November 2-8, 2014
Spacepolicyonline.com (11/2): NASA will brief Thursday on Exploration Flight Test-1, the first uncrewed spaceflight for the Orion capsule set for Dec. 4 and on Friday hosts a forum in Phoenix on the Asteroid Initiative. New developments in the losses of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo and Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket are likely as well.
Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources. The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories. The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content. The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra. For information on the Coalition, visit www.space.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@space.com.
