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Launch of Cassiope Slips to Sept. 10
The first launch of Space Exploration Technologies’ (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on the first mission not relating to a NASA initiative, will have to wait a bit longer. Liftoff of the Cassiope communications satellite on the highly successful F9 launch vehicle has been pushed back five days, from […] More
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NASA Tests Limits of 3-D Printing With Powerful Rocket Engine Check
With several smaller, successful tests completed using the technology, NASA conducted another test firing of an engine that had a fuel injector produced by 3-D printing. The process, known as additive manufacturing, has made the news recently as other tests have successfully been conducted. The Aug. 22 test firing generated an estimated 20,000 pounds of […] More
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Q-and-A: Engineer Talks Future of 3D-Printed Rocket Engines
On July 11, 2013, the aerospace firm Aeroject Rocketdyne and NASA tested a rocket engine fuel injector that was constructed using additive manufacturing, or “3D printing” as it is more commonly called. By all accounts the test was a complete success. Wanting to bring more information on the subject to you, we reached out to […] More
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in Commercial, SpaceX, Falcon 9, Commercial Crew Development Program, Dragon, Space Exploration Technologies, Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, Commercial Space
Dragon Spacecraft Passes Another Milestone Toward Crewed Flight
Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) has just passed the seventh of 15 development milestones set by NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) initiative. Along with Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation, SpaceX is being funded by NASA to develop a commercial transport vehicle for astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS). More
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SpaceX’s Grasshopper Ascends, Conducts Lateral Manuevers
Space Exploration Technologies, more commonly known as “SpaceX,” successfully completed another test flight of the company’s Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) “Grasshopper” vehicle today, Aug. 13. The Grasshopper—described as, essentially, a Falcon 9 test rig—flew to an altitude of 250 meters and conducted a 100 meter lateral (horizontal) move. Upon completion of these maneuvers, Grasshopper […] More
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ATK to Provide Solid Rocket Motors for Stratolaunch System
Utah-based ATK has received a contract from Orbital Science’s Corporation to produce propulsion systems for the Air Launch Vehicle (ALV) that Orbital is building for Stratolaunch Systems Corporation. It is hoped that this new delivery system will have a positive impact on providing access to orbit. More
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SpaceX Signs Agreement for Potential Military Launches
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) and SpaceX have signed an agreement that will eventually allow SpaceX to be considered as a launch provider for U.S. military satellites, on June 7. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) is an important milestone for SpaceX on the road to Falcon 9 v1.1 […] More
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Art in a Fairing Vacuum Chamber Test
[youtube_video]http://youtu.be/LtI1V624vWM[/youtube_video] Video courtesy of SpaceX The test of the 17 m long, 5 m wide fairing was conducted inside the world’s largest vacuum chamber at NASA’s Plum Brook Station facility at Glenn Research Center. More
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ISS: A Future Beyond 2020?
Use of ISS is, per Section 501 (a) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010[1], to be operated until 2020. Although since the 2010 NASA Act was written NASA has talked about extending the use of ISS beyond 2020 to as late as 2030, the decision to operate ISS beyond […] More
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From ISS to Mars: A SpaceX Odyssey
Mars, the world that has transfixed so many for so long, has also apparently captured the eye of the front runner in the commercial space revolution—Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). A number of statements, rumors, and plans have come out of the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company over the last couple years which point to ambitious plans that […] More
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