Tag: FAA
-
Moon Express wins a green light from U.S. government for its lunar mission
An artist’s conception shows the Moon Express MX-1 lander in lunar orbit. (Credit: Moon Express) BELLEVUE, Wash. – Moon Express says it has received preliminary clearance for the robotic lander that it plans to send to the moon next year, after a voluntary payload review involving the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies. The clearance…
-
Virgin Galactic receives FAA license to fly SpaceShipTwo – and it’s taxiing on runway
Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane, known as VSS Unity, is pulled behind a Range Rover Autobiography vehicle during its first taxi test at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port. (Credit: Virgin Galactic) Virgin Galactic says it’s received an operator license from the Federal Aviation Administration for flying its SpaceShipTwo rocket plane into outer space with commercial…
-
White House works out a process to clear commercial missions to moon and Mars
An artist’s conception shows Moon Express’ MX-1 lander extending its robotic arm to take a “selfie” of the spacecraft on the lunar surface with Earth in the background. (Credit: Moon Express) After months of discussion, federal agencies are closing in on a process to approve commercial missions to other celestial bodies – including the moon, Mars…
-
Moon Express asks FAA to review its plans for Google Lunar X Prize landing in 2017
An artist’s conception shows the Moon Express MX-1 spacecraft orbiting the moon in preparation for landing. (Credit: Moon Express) Moon Express, the lunar exploration venture backed by Seattle tech entrepreneur Naveen Jain, says it’s asking the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct a payload review of its spacecraft and plans for a mission to the moon…
-
NTSB’s SpaceShipTwo findings put more pressure on FAA in commercial space
A video screengrab shows SpaceShipTwo’s wings in their “feathered” position moments before the rocket plane’s breakup on Oct. 31, 2014. (Credit: Virgin Galactic / NTSB) The recommendations coming out of a federal investigation of last October’s fatal SpaceShipTwo breakup are likely to add to the challenges facing the commercial spaceflight industry – but they could also provide…
-
Data, not debris, takes spotlight in Falcon 9 failure investigation
Although recovery teams in the Atlantic Ocean have retrieved wreckage from Sunday’s Falcon 9 launch failure, the best clues to the cause of the crash lie in raw data transmitted from the rocket as it disintegrated, SpaceX officials said Wednesday. Officials with the California-based rocket company said there is no breakthrough in the investigation into…
-
FAA opens way for companies to stake claims to lunar rights
Photo via YouTube/Moon trailer Do we have the right to reserve rights to the moon? Apparently so. At least that’s the message the U.S. government appears to be sending. In an exclusive report by Reuters, “U.S. companies can stake claims to lunar territory through an existing licensing process for space launches.” The Federal Aviation Administration, in a “previously…