 MCGREGOR, Tx - One of NASA's industry partners, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), completed a full-duration, full-thrust firing of its new SuperDraco engine prototype at the company’s Rocket Development Facility in McGregor, Texas. The firing was in preparation for the ninth milestone to be completed under SpaceX's funded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
“SpaceX and all our industry partners are being extremely innovative in their approaches to developing commercial transportation capabilities,” said Commercial Crew Program Manager Ed Mango. “We are happy that our investment in SpaceX was met with success in the firing of its new engine.”
Nine months after CCP awarded SpaceX $75 million to design and test its Dragon spacecraft with a launch abort system, the company test fired its SuperDraco development engine to demonstrate its capabilities of keeping an astronaut crew safe during launch and ascent. The engine produced full thrust within approximately 100 milliseconds of the ignition command. It also fired for 5 seconds, which is the same amount of time the engines would burn during an emergency abort.
"Eight SuperDracos will be built into the sidewalls of the Dragon spacecraft, producing up to 120,000 pounds of axial thrust to quickly carry astronauts to safety should an emergency occur during launch," said Elon Musk, SpaceX chief executive officer and chief technology officer. "Those engines will have the ability to deep throttle, providing astronauts with precise control and enormous power."
SuperDracos are powered by the same propellant that powers the 18 Draco thrusters Dragon will use to maneuver in orbit and during re-entry. To achieve the power necessary to quickly carry the spacecraft out of harm’s way, SuperDraco engines would burn through propellant 200 times faster than the engines Dragon uses for orbital maneuvers.
"Crews will have the unprecedented ability to escape from danger at any point during the launch because the launch abort engines are integrated into the side walls of the vehicle," Musk said. "With eight SuperDracos, if any one engine fails the abort still can be carried out successfully."
Ultimately, SpaceX intends for the Dragon and SuperDraco engines to be fully reusable, which will help advance the company's long-term goal of making spacecraft more like airplanes that can be flown repeatedly with minimum refurbishment. SpaceX has 10 milestones to meet under the Commercial Crew Development Round 2 (CCDev2) agreement, which continues through at least May.
All of NASA's industry partners continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities that will ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station, reducing the amount of time America is without its own system.
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| Test fire of the SuperDraco engine. Eight of these will be mounted onto the side of the manned version of the Dragon spacecraft to pull the capsule free in case of a launch abort. Photo Credit: SpaceX |
|  FRENCH GUIANA - The first Vega lightweight launcher has completed its build-up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, and will now undergo final checkout for a liftoff scheduled on February 9.
This maiden flight will be performed under responsibility of the European Space Agency, and is to qualify the overall Vega system – including the launcher, ground infrastructure and operations from the launch campaign to payload delivery in orbit. As a result, it represents an important step towards the lightweight vehicle’s introduction in Arianespace’s launcher family at the Spaceport, which already consists of the heavy-lift Ariane 5 and the medium-lift Soyuz. Build-up of the Vega on its launch pad was completed January 24 with the integration of its “upper composite” – consisting of nine satellites and their protective payload fairing atop the vehicle. During the upcoming mission, Vega's AVUM fourth stage will first reach a circular orbit at an altitude of 1,450 km. and an inclination of 70 deg. to release the Italian LARES laser relativity satellite, which is the flight’s main passenger. Built for the ASI Italian space agency by CGS S.p.A. Compagnia Generale per lo Spazio, LARES is a small solid tungsten sphere weighing nearly 390 kg. and featuring 92 retroreflectors. Ground stations will send laser pulses to measure the precise time it takes the beams to travel between the ground and the passive satellite as it passes overhead. LARES builds on the experience of two Italian-American geodetic missions (Lageos-1 and Lageos-2), and is to improve measurements of the Lense-Thirring effect by a factor of 10. The Lense-Thirring effect is the part of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity that describes the distortion of space-time caused by the rotation of a body with mass. After LARES is deployed during Vega’s inaugural flight, the launcher’s AVUM fourth stage will then perform a maneuver lowering its perigee to 350 km. before deploying the eight other satellites. The largest of these is ALMASat-1 (the ALma MAter SATellite), a 12.5-kg. technology demonstrator microsatellite developed and built by the University of Bologne. Its launch will test the performance of this low-cost, multipurpose 30-cm. platform to prepare for future missions in technology demonstration applications or Earth observation. Completing the satellite payload are seven CubeSats that have been developed by more than 250 university students from six different countries. They represent four years of work in the European Space Agency’s CubeSat program, which began in 2007 when the organization decided to include an educational payload on the Vega launch vehicle’s maiden flight. The CubeSats are picosatellites of standardized dimensions – cubes of 10 cm. per side, with a maximum mass of 1 kg. – which can be operated from university or radio amateur ground stations. They serve as an educational tool that offers hands-on experience for aerospace engineering students in designing, developing, testing and operating a spacecraft system and its ground segment. When Vega enters the Arianespace launcher family, it will provide a capable system for orbiting small- to medium-sized satellites, responding to the growing number of small institutional, scientific spacecraft and other payloads in this category that are under development or planned worldwide. The benchmark mission is for a 1,500 kg. payload lift performance into a 700 km.-altitude circular orbit. Vega has three solid-propellant stages, along with a liquid-propellant upper module for attitude/orbit control and satellite deployment. It will operate from the Spaceport’s ZLV launch site, which originally was used for the Ariane 1 and Ariane 3 vehicles, and has been refurbished for its new role with Vega. The upcoming maiden mission is designated VV01 using Arianespace’s numbering system, with the first “V” representing the French word for flight (“vol”), and the second letter referring to Vega.
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| Vega’s upper composite – consisting of nine satellites inside the payload fairing – is mated atop the launcher inside its mobile gantry Photo Credit: Arianespace |
|  CAPE CANAVERAL - The Delta Mariner, owned and operated by Foss Marine, made contact with the Eggner Ferry Bridge at U.S. Highway 68 and Kentucky Highway 80 over the Tennessee River Thursday evening, Jan. 26 at 8:15 p.m. Central Time resulting in a portion of the bridge collapsing.
The 312-foot vessel was carrying an Atlas booster and Centaur upper stage for the Air Force's Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-2) mission scheduled to launch in April and an interstage adapter for NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission scheduled to launch in August. There is no schedule impact to either launch date expected at this point.
The Mariner cargo area of the ship and the flight hardware did not experience any damage. The hardware is well instrumented and all data from these instruments is being reviewed to confirm that there were no issues.
The Coast Guard is conducting an investigation.
The Delta Mariner was commissioned in 2002 to transport flight hardware from the United Launch Alliance factory in Decatur, Ala., to launch sites at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
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| The Delta Mariner Drops off a Delta booster segment at NASA's Stenis Space Center. Photo Credit: Boeing |
|  SALT LAKE CITY, Ut - ATK's (NYSE: ATK) Liberty program successfully held its Launch System Initial Systems Design (ISD) Review, which completes the third of five milestones in the company's unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the Commercial Crew Development Program. The SAA enables NASA and the Liberty team to share technical information related to the Liberty Transportation System during the Preliminary Design Review phase of the program. During this meeting ATK presented the status of Liberty's systems level requirements, preliminary design and certification process. "This unfunded partnership with ATK on its Liberty systems brings expertise from around the globe and we are glad to contribute our more than 50 years of human spaceflight experience to this effort," said Ed Mango, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager. "With the SAA in place we have been able to work closely with NASA's Commercial Program and receive valuable feedback as we develop the Liberty Transportation System," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "We continue to develop Liberty with the goal of providing the safest, most reliable, cost-effective and capable launch vehicle for crew transport." The current SAA continues through at least March 2012. The two milestones met earlier included a Requirements Status Briefing and a Technical Interchange Meeting for the Liberty Transportation System. The ISD Review included Liberty team members from ATK, Astrium (an EADS Company), their subcontractors, and representatives from NASA's Commercial Crew Office at Kennedy Space Center and NASA representatives from other centers. Prior to the signing of the SAA, the Liberty team successfully conducted a System Requirements Review and a System Development Review. All efforts to date have been supported exclusively by internal funding. The commercial crew Liberty Transportation System combines two of the world's most reliable propulsion systems. ATK is the prime, providing the human-rated five-segment solid rocket motor as the first stage. Astrium is providing the core stage from the Ariane 5 rocket, including the Vulcain 2 engine, as Liberty's upper stage. The launch vehicle has the capability to lift 44,000 pounds to low-Earth-orbit. "Liberty not only has the highest pounds-to-orbit of any other vehicle currently working under commercial agreements, it also is the only vehicle that was originally designed for human rating," said Rominger. The five-segment motor is derived from the human-rated Space Shuttle and Ares solid rocket motors, and the core stage for the Ariane 5 was originally slated to lift the Hermes Space Plane. The current goal is to begin test launches in 2015, with a crewed flight in 2016.
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| Liberty components Photo Credit: ATK |
ATK is an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico, and internationally, and revenues of approximately $4.8 billion. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com. |  PARIS - Final checkout of Europe’s new Vega launcher was completed last Friday, marking another milestone towards its maiden flight from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The first Vega launch campaign began in November with the installation of the P80 first stage on the launch pad. The two solid-propellant second and third stages were added to the vehicle, followed by the AVUM – Attitude & Vernier Upper Module – liquid-propellant fourth stage.
All four stages have undergone final acceptance, including the testing of the avionics, guidance, telemetry, propulsion, separation pyrotechnics and safety systems. These steps culminated on 13 January with Vega’s ‘synthesis control checks', where all systems were put into launch mode for the vehicle's final acceptance. This included pressurising the AVUM propulsion systems that actuate the thruster valves.
The rocket’s elements were switched on from the control bench to simulate the launch countdown. The onboard software then took over and simulated the different stages of a flight. The interfaces between the vehicle and the control bench were also tested. The test review confirmed that everything ran as expected and that the launcher is ready for flight. What’s next?
The ‘upper composite’ – the fairing and payload – will be integrated, followed by final checkout of the fully assembled launcher and the countdown rehearsal. The first launch, VV01, is targeted for 9 February. It will carry nine satellites into orbit: the Italian space agency’s LARES and ALMASat-1, together with seven CubeSats from European universities. This mission aims to qualify the Vega launch system, including the vehicle, its launch infrastructure and operations, from the launch campaign to payload separation and disposal of the upper module. A flexible system
Vega is designed to cope with a wide range of missions and payload configurations in order to respond to different market opportunities and provide great flexibility. In particular, it offers configurations able to handle payloads ranging from a single satellite up to one main satellite plus six microsatellites. Vega is compatible with payload masses ranging from 300 kg to 2500 kg, depending on the type and altitude of the orbit required by the customers. The benchmark is for 1500 kg into a 700 km-altitude polar orbit.
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Vega payload before encapsulation in fairing on 19 January - ESA, 2012
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|  Fiber optic controls and astronomic interferometry experts to unite for next-generation space imaging WASHINGTON - Military satellites are critical sources of communications and data for today’s operations environments. Through DARPA’s Phoenix program, useable antennas or solar arrays from retired satellites in geosynchronous orbit (GEO – 36,000 kilometers above earth) could be removed and potentially repurposed as components for new satellites to provide vital mission support. However, identifying cooperating satellites from which to harvest an array is a difficult and lengthy task using current ground-based satellite imaging techniques. By introducing precise fiber optic controls to ground-based telescopes, this challenge may be overcome. DARPA’s Galileo program seeks to bridge the precision fiber optic controls and long-baseline astronomical interferometry technical communities to enable imaging of objects in GEO faster than is possible today. “We know the fiber optic control community is engaged in precision control of light,” explained Air Force Lt. Col. Travis Blake, DARPA program manager. “If those solutions could be meshed with the unique demands of astronomic imaging, we could develop a new means of better, faster imaging of objects in GEO. We encourage experts from both technical communities to participate in Galileo’s upcoming Proposers’ Day.” Technology for imaging objects in space uses astronomical long-baseline interferometers, which rely on several interconnected telescopes grouped together to measure light reflections off an astronomical object as it moves across the sky. Current systems, however, can only view space objects from limited angles due to a complicated combination of evacuated light pipes—which can be several hundred feet long—turning mirrors and the active metrology required between telescopes to establish an extremely high-precision optical path. Imaging objects in GEO is a slow process because they don’t move much in the sky relative to the Earth’s rotation. Galileo seeks to harness the power of precision fiber optic controls to connect astronomical interferometry telescopes via flexible fiber optics cable, removing the need for rigid light pipes. Fiber optics technology may enable a larger number of interconnected mobile telescopes, which could more quickly capture the data required of an object in GEO from multiple angles, resulting in faster image creation. DARPA issued a special notice today announcing the upcoming proposers’ day for the Galileo program. |  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Jan. 19, 2012 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has received the first on-orbit signals from the fourth Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite it is delivering to the U.S. Air Force. The signals indicate that WGS-4, the first in the Block II series, is healthy and ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing. WGS-4 launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle today at 7:38 p.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Controllers confirmed initial contact with the spacecraft 58 minutes later at 8:36 p.m. Eastern time at a ground station in Dongara, Australia. Boeing's Mission Control Center in El Segundo, Calif., confirmed that the satellite is functioning normally. "WGS-4 continues Boeing's commitment of supporting the Air Force's mission of delivering critical communications to warfighters," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. "The company will remain focused, committed and dedicated to this mission as we continue to build the WGS series of satellites." Following a sequence of orbital maneuvers and on-orbit tests, WGS-4 will be placed into geosynchronous Earth orbit. The satellite joins WGS-1, which entered service over the Pacific Ocean in April 2008; WGS-2, which began operations over the Middle East in August 2009; and WGS-3, which entered service over the Atlantic Ocean in June 2010. Together, the four WGS satellites will provide assured access to high-data-rate, jam-resistant communications for U.S. forces and allies around the world. The Block II series includes additional capabilities, such as a new radio frequency bypass that supports the transmission of airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance imagery at data rates approximately three times greater than those currently available on Block I satellites. All WGS satellites are built on the proven Boeing 702HP platform, which features highly efficient xenon-ion propulsion, deployable thermal radiators and advanced triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar arrays that enable high-capacity, flexible payloads. The WGS communications payload has unique flexibility that is important to the military, as well as the ability to interconnect terminals that operate in different frequency bands and to reposition coverage beams based on evolving mission needs. WGS supports missions including tactical communications to and between ground forces, and relaying data and imagery from airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms.
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| WGS Launches on ULA Delta IV Photo Credit: ULA |
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 63,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense. |  Centennial, Colo – United Launch Alliance (ULA) announced today that Mike Leinbach has joined the company as the Director of Human Spaceflight Operations. “We are fortunate to have Mike with his wealth of human spaceflight experience join the ULA team,” said George Sowers, ULA’s vice president of Business Development. “His background in leading overall space shuttle launch activities for more than a decade, executing 37 space shuttle launches, will be invaluable as we develop human spaceflight capabilities for our Atlas and Delta systems.” Prior to joining ULA, Leinbach had a distinguished 27-year career with NASA at Kennedy Space Center. Beginning in 2000, he led the launch team for all space shuttle missions, serving as the final “go” for launch, and as the senior operations expert for all flight elements and ground support equipment processing. "With ULA having been selected as the launch vehicle of choice for three of the four Commercial Crew Development companies, Mike’s expertise in human launch systems provides a strong synergy in bringing together two world-class launch cultures,” said Jerry Jamison, vice president of Launch Operations. Leinbach has been honored with numerous awards including the 2004 Presidential Rank Award, NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal and NASA’s Medal for Outstanding Leadership.
Leinbach holds a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture and a Master of Engineering in civil engineering with emphasis in structural dynamics from the University of Virginia. ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen, Texas, San Diego, Calif. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif. |  FRENCH GUIANA - Arianespace wrapped up another busy – and historic – 12 months of commercial launch services today by orbiting six satellites for mobile voice and data services on the ninth flight of 2011 – during a year in which the company lofted a total of 29 payloads using the Ariane 5 and Soyuz members of its launcher family. For today’s launch, the liftoff occurred at 11:09 p.m. local time on December 28 from Baikonur Cosmodrome’s Launch Pad #6 and was the 1,784th flight of a Soyuz family vehicle. During the mission, Soyuz’ re-ignitable Fregat upper stage performed two propulsive burns separated by a coast phase of approximately 50 minutes, followed by the Globalstar satellites’ separation in a two-step process. The initial spacecraft pair was released from the upper portion of a purpose-built dispenser system, followed 1 minute, 40 seconds later by the remaining four satellites’ separation from the dispenser’s lower section. Anthony J. Navarra, Globalstar’s President of Global Operations, was at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site for today’s mission and quickly confirmed the six satellites’ deployment and their good health. “I cannot express my gratitude enough for all of the hard work that has been done by Arianespace and Starsem, and for all of the teams’ excellent work,” Navarra said. "These satellites were flawlessly placed exactly where we needed them so that our ground stations could find them on the very first pass. It's amazing that we can find six satellites within 30 minutes of them being placed into space. Only Arianespace has done that so well over all the years we have worked together." Globalstar’s second-generation platforms are trapezoidal in shape to facilitate their integration under the Soyuz payload fairing, and they weighed approximately 650 kg. each at launch.
This flight utilized the same basic modernized Soyuz version that Arianespace introduced at the Spaceport in French Guiana during 2011, and was equipped with the ST-type fairing with an external diameter of 4.1 meters and a length of 11.4 meters. Today’s launch was designated ST24 in Arianespace’s numbering sequence, signifying the 24th flight performed by its Starsem affiliate since beginning operations in 1999 with an inaugural mission that carried four Globalstar first-generation satellites.
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| Soyuz launches out of the Baikonure Cosmodrome with six Globalstar satellites. Photo Credeit: Arianespace |
Arianespace’s 2011 launches at a glance
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Date
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Launcher
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Payload(s)
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December 29, 2011
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Soyuz-2
Flight ST24
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Six Globalstar second-generation
satellites (from Baikonur Cosmodrome)
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December 17, 2011
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Soyuz ST-A
Flight VS02
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Pléiades 1, ELISA (x4) and SSOT
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October 21, 2011
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Soyuz ST-B
Flight VS01
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Two Galileo IOV (In-Orbit Validation) satellites
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September 21, 2011
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Ariane 5 ECA
Flight VA204
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Arabsat-5C & SES-2
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August 6, 2011
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Ariane 5 ECA
Flight VA203
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ASTRA 1N & BSAT-3c/JCSAT-110R
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July 13, 2011
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Soyuz-2
Flight ST23
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Six Globalstar second-generation
satellites (from Baikonur Cosmodrome)
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May 20, 2011
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Ariane 5 ECA
Flight VA202
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ST-2 and GSAT-8
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April 22, /2011
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Ariane 5 ECA
Flight VA201
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Yahsat Y1A & Intelsat New Dawn
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February 16, 2011
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Ariane 5 ES
Flight VA200
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Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Johannes Kepler
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READ THE PRESS KIT HERE: http://www.arianespace.com/images/launch-kits/launch-kit-pdf-eng/ST24-Globalstar2-launch-kit.pdf Today’s mission, performed from Baikonur Cosmodrome by the Starsem affiliate of Arianespace, carried the latest cluster of second-generation satellites for Globalstar and utilized the medium-lift Soyuz. This was the third of four such launches contracted to Arianespace by Globalstar for its latest series of spacecraft, and the six payloads orbited during the 1 hour, 40 minute mission will join Globalstar’s constellation that provides voice, Duplex and Simplex data products and services. “This demonstrates once again that Soyuz, its Fregat upper stage and the dispenser system are the right choice to launch the Globalstar 2 constellation,” stated Jean-Yves Le Gall, the Chairman & CEO of both Starsem and Arianespace. “Tonight was the 11th launch that Starsem and Arianespace have performed for Globalstar, and I want to thank Globalstar for its confidence. We already are preparing the 12th launch, which will occur next year.” “Launches speak louder than words” With the year-ending flight, Arianespace confirmed its market leadership by once again living up to the company’s unofficial motto: “Launches speak louder than words.” In the past 12 months, Arianespace orbited eight telecommunications spacecraft for worldwide customers; deployed 12 second-generation satellites for the U.S.-based Globalstar; launched Europe’s second Automated Transfer Vehicle to service the International Space Station; lofted two In-Orbit Validation platforms for the European Galileo satellite navigation service; orbited the Pléiades 1 and SSOT multi-role civilian/defense imaging spacecraft for France and Chile, respectively; and carried four French-developed ELISA demonstrators for defense-related electronic intelligence gathering. The nine missions conducted in 2011 carried a total combined payload mass of more than 63,000 kg., and involved numerous launch services milestones. This included Soyuz’ historic introduction at the Spaceport in French Guiana, bringing the Russian-built medium-lift workhorse into Arianespace’s launcher family with a pair of highly accurate missions performed just two months apart: the inaugural launch in October, and a follow-on flight earlier this month. Soyuz is now operational for commercial flights from the Spaceport alongside the heavy-lift Ariane 5, with Arianespace’s launcher family at French Guiana to be completed by the 2012 introduction of its lightweight Vega. This trio of vehicles will enable Arianespace to accommodate a full range of payloads on a variety of flight and mission profiles. Other Arianespace milestones during 2011 involved the heavy-lift Ariane 5. Its February mission with the Automated Transfer Vehicle lofted a record payload of more than 20 metric tons into low Earth orbit; which was followed in April by another record-setting flight that delivered a lift performance of 10,064 kg, while carrying the Yahsat Y1A and Intelsat New Dawn telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit. The five Ariane 5 flights performed by Arianespace in 2011 also brought the launcher’s consecutive successful missions to 46, underscoring the vehicle’s long-term reliability. The modernized Soyuz is used to loft Globalstar’s satellites |  GOTTINGEN - Can new types of engine make spaceflight easier and more economical? This question is being investigated by researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) using one of Europe's leading hypersonic wind tunnels, located in Göttingen. The engine is being tested for an Australian Scramjet-based Access-to-Space Systems (SCRAMSPACE) experimental spacecraft – SCRAMSPACE I – scheduled for launch in 2013. Flight at 10 to 15 times the speed of sound? Flight at these speeds employs a 'SCRamjet' (Supersonic Combustion Ramjet) – an engine designed for hypersonic flight at up to Mach 15. Unlike normal jet engines, there are no moving parts; a scramjet must first be accelerated to hypersonic speed in order to function. One of the leading countries in scramjet technology research is Australia, where scramjet combustion chamber functionality was first demonstrated during a test flight in 2002. Already then, DLR was also involved in this experiment. Potential advantages of scramjets Australians have set great expectations on scramjets for the future of space travel. "They could increase efficiency and reliability and reduce costs," hopes Russell Boyce of the University of Queensland, SCRAMSPACE project leader. The advantage of scramjets is that they use oxygen from the atmosphere, so only the fuel needs to be carried on board. According to Boyce's projections, a scramjet would ideally be combined with a multi-stage rocket. Significant challenges Testing the scramjet engine complete with intake, combustion chamber and exhaust nozzle requires special facilities. One of these is the High Enthalpy Shock Tunnel in Göttingen (Hochenthalpiekanal Göttingen; HEG), where tests are currently being carried out. "HEG is one of the largest and leading facilities for hypersonic research, where the models investigated can be larger than those we study in Australia," says Boyce. During operation of the 62-metre-long wind tunnel, a piston first compresses a gas that will act as a propellant. A steel membrane is then ruptured and a strong shock wave compresses and heats a test gas, before it is accelerated to 8800 kilometres per hour in the wind tunnel. The gas then flows around the model. "This scenario simulates flight at an altitude of around 30 kilometres," says Klaus Hannemann, Head of the Spacecraft Department at the DLR Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology in Göttingen. The researchers are interested in the complex aerothermodynamic processes taking place in the scramjet. How must the fuel be injected? How can the combustion process be improved? They are also investigating whether the physical and chemical conditions can be transferred to a larger engine. Only significantly larger scramjets could be sensibly considered for use in spaceflight. The possible use of scramjets in spaceflight is still a long way away. "We want to explore the fundamental potential for scramjets in these tests," explains Hannemann. Another challenge for scramjets is the development of new types of materials. The DLR Institute of Structures and Design in Stuttgart is a leader in this area and is supplying the control fins for the test flight. Launch and landing in the desert SCRAMSPACE I is scheduled for launch at the Woomera Test Range in Australia in March 2013. The 1.8-metre-long spacecraft will be transported to an altitude of 340 kilometres by two rocket stages. After leaving the atmosphere, the scramjet will separate from the launcher and control rudders will stabilise it for the return journey. During the return flight, the vehicle will be accelerated to Mach 8 – about 9900 kilometres per hour. The part of the experiment important to the scientists takes place at an altitude of between 27 and 32 kilometres. This is where the scramjet will ignite and a wide range of instruments will analyse the combustion. The landing in the Australian desert will be harsh: "It will already have broken apart in the atmosphere and will simply crash land," says Boyce. The critical data for the researchers will have already been transmitted to the ground through a radio link. The mobile rocket base (MObile RAketen Basis; MORABA), operated by DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, will carry out the launch of SCRAMSPACE I. DLR Braunschweig has analysed the aerodynamics of the scramjet. International partners involved in the Australian project include the Japanese and Italian space agencies.
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| SCRAMSPACE 1 Photo Credit: DLR |
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