Tag: ULA
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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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Delta II passes FRR for next week’s NPP (NPOESS Preparatory Project) launch
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II launch with the NPP (NPOESS Preparatory Project) satellite has passed through its Flight Readiness Review (FRR) on Friday. The launch from SLC-2W at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California has been set for a launch window which opens at 9:48am GMT on October 28. NPP Mission: NPP…
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SpaceX ready to compete in the EELV launch market via Air Force agreement
Often cited as a highly contentious issue by SpaceX head Elon Musk, the stranglehold on the US Air Force market appears to be loosening, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the USAF, the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) and NASA, which opens up the potential for commercial launch vehicles – such as Falcon 9 –…
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NASA oversight of CCDev-2 Partners reveals progress milestones
NASA’s key Commercial Crew Development (CCDev-2) drive appears to be progressing to plan, as four companies press on with the development of their manned vehicles, with an aim to transport crews to the International Space Station (ISS) by the middle of this decade – aided by Agency money, whilst allowing for the key oversight from…
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NASA and ULA agree SAA to complete the human rating of Atlas V
NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have announced an agreement for technical support via NASA’s Commercial Crew Program focusing on the human rating of the Atlas V launch vehicle. The unfunded act is expected to result in certifying Atlas V to launch NASA astronauts riding in vehicles such as the Dream Chaser, Boeing CST-100 and…
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ULA Delta IV launches GPS IIF-2 from Cape Canaveral
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) have launched their Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral on Saturday morning, carrying the second in a series of next-generation Global Positioning Satellites – GPS IIF-2. Launch occurred at the start of nineteen minute window which opened at 06:45 UTC (02:45 EDT). Delta IV Launch: GPS IIF-2 will be the second in…
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ULA Delta IV launches GPS IIF-2 from Cape Canaveral
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) have launched their Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral on Saturday morning, carrying the second in a series of next-generation Global Positioning Satellites – GPS IIF-2. Launch occurred at the start of nineteen minute window which opened at 06:45 UTC (02:45 EDT). Delta IV Launch: GPS IIF-2 will be the second in…
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Four companies win big money via NASA’s CCDEV-2 awards
NASA has awarded four Space Act Agreements in the second round of the agency’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev-2), a commercial effort aimed to foster domestic crew transportation by the middle of the decade. The winners – ranging from lifting body to capsule spacecrafts – were Blue Origin, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and…
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Atlas V launches second X-37B OTV test flight mission
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) have launched their Atlas V 501 carrying the X-37B OTV-2 spacecraft on Saturday, the second attempt following Friday’s scrub due to unacceptable weather at Cape Canaveral. The launch came at the start of the second available launch window, which opened at 5:46pm, due to work to to replace a valve on…
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NASA and Commercial industry combine to outline FTD Propellant Depot plan
A collaboration between experts at numerous NASA centers and commercial companies have created a plan for an “in-space LO2/LH2 PTSD (Propellant Transfer and Storage Demonstration) mission, to affordably support a 2015 demonstration and follow-on missions”, highlighting an exploration architecture built around existing vehicles and Propellant Depots. PTSD Flagship Technology Demonstration: Answering a Request For Information…