Tag: Boeing
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CCtCap: NASA won’t abandon Commercial Crew loser
As NASA closes in on the next major milestone of its Commercial Crew Program (CCP), the Agency has noted its desire to continue the “sharing of knowledge” with any partner that loses out on continued NASA funding. The first NASA crew to ride on a US commercial vehicle is expected to occur in December, 2017 –…
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NASA Outlines its Plans for Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent conference with its industry partners, NASA outlined the next phase of its strategy to enable the certification of commercial crew transportation systems to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The goal is to return domestic launch and transportation capability by the year 2017. Certification Strategy: Phase 1 of the certification…
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McAlister Discusses Commercial Crew Certification
In a recent presentation to the human exploration and operations committee of the NASA Advisory Council (NAC), Phil McAlister, Director of the Commercial Spaceflight Development discussed the next steps that will be necessary for commercial crew providers to be certified to begin transportation of commercial crew to the International Space Station in 2017. Optional Milestones…
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USCV-1: NASA planners slip first ISS commercial crew mission to late 2017
The first NASA crew to ride to the International Space Station on a commercial spacecraft may have to wait until at least the end of 2017, after NASA’s planning group realigned the US Crew Vehicle -1 (USCV-1) mission to a launch date of November 30, 2017. The new schedule includes the Russian Soyuz manifested as…
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SpaceX and beyond: Latest from the new space race
The docking of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule with the International Space Station is a landmark for the private space industry, marking the first time a commercial spacecraft has flown a mission to the International Space Station, to deliver supplies. The SpaceX Falcon 9 carries the Dragon capsule to orbit, launching last week from Cape Canaveral. (Credit:…
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Pictures: Boeing drops its spaceship from 14,000 feet
Boeing’s CST-100 descends from the sky over Arizona. (Image credits: Boeing) Here’s another milestone in the commercial space race: Boeing says it completed a successful test yesterday of the parachute drop system for its CST-100 spacecraft, releasing the capsule from a helicopter at 14,000 feet. Boeing says the test, conducted over the Delamar Dry Lake…
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The Respected Rocket – Atlas V making the early strides of the transition
While fancy youtube videos and twitter-based cheer-leading continues to be the weapon of choice against the post-Shuttle era depression, one vehicle is quietly going about its business with tangible results, as opposed to backslapping tweets. The Atlas V launch vehicle – about to launch a mission to Mars – is on a winning streak, which includes strides towards…
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Boeing spaceship emerging from Space Shuttle’s shadow
Rendering of Boeing’s CST-100 approaching International Space Station. (Boeing image.) Boeing is showing that it’s serious about developing a new spaceship, announcing that it will base the operations and manufacturing for its Crew Space Transportation program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the longtime home of the Space Shuttle program. The company’s CST-100 spacecraft…
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Pic of the Day: Juno takes off for Jupiter on an Atlas V
Photo Credit: NASA Hey, at least the end of the Space Shuttle Era doesn’t mean the end of spectacular blast-offs. That’s an Atlas V rocket, lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., this morning and carrying the unmanned spacecraft Juno — launching a five-year mission to Jupiter. Expect to hear a lot more about the Atlas V in…