Recently in commercial launch services Category

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) is to launch a satellite for the US Air Force's Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office in June this year, following delivery of SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch vehicle to the company's Pacific ocean based-Kwajalein launch site in May and the spacecraft's arrival in the June.

For those of you that have a small fortune and would like to make it even smaller here is an event to explain how to do it, by becoming a space industry entrepreneur

The state of Virginia continues to progress with its zero tax law for space businesses

Alliant Techsystems has had its own business problems with its move to increase its Canadian presence

No doubt that company is also eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Service progamme phase one space act agreement award decision by NASA, now expected this Friday, on 8 February

Following the launch of the Russian Express-AM33 telecom satellite on a Khrunichev Space Center Proton last week, we can expect the launch of the Samara Space Centre Soyuz-U booster with the Energia Progress M-63 cargo ship tomorrow

credit: S P Korolev Energia rocket and space corporation

So next month we finally get to find out who will inherit the $175 million (or some of it) left behind by Rocketplane-Kistler's departure last year from NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration programme

According to Hobbyspace.com Space News has already named the finalists for NASA's exploration systems mission directorate's (ESMD) "prize" and they are Spacehab, Andrews Space, Orbital Sciences and PlanetSpace

Before all that happened I spoke to Planetspace and Spacehab, both of whom are working with Lockheed Martin

Find Chair Force Engineer's view on the PlanetSpace/Lockheed/Alliant Techsystems (ATK) proposal here

My personal view is that at this stage, whomever wins the ESMD phase one SAA, what really matters is who wins NASA's space operations mission directorate's (SOMD) International Space Station resupply contract that it will place this year

International Space Station resupply is needed from late 2010, depending on when Shuttle is retired. Any one can apply for the SOMD contract so really this ESMD phase one SAA is a red herring

Yes, winning the SAA and successfully completing its milestones to receive NASA funding will not count against you but the SOMD contract is to be placed THIS year. If the contract is placed before Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)'s fourth quarter launch of its Falcon 9 rocket none of the likely bidders will have demonstrated any of the proposed COTS launch systems

Because of the use of proven Lockheed Martin and ATK rocket systems for Spacehab's and Planetspace's proposals I think these bids, even if they don't win the ESMD SAA, have just as good a chance at winig the SOMD contract

It won't be easy. It is going to be extremely difficult for anyone to beat SpaceX and win SOMD's ISS resupply contract because much of the hardware used for Falcon 9 has already been test flown with Falcon 1, and the Merlin 1C will fly this April, if all goes according to plan, and SpaceX's COTS milestones have all been successfull as far as we know and they have included COTS programme flight reviews

If anyone thinks I'm wrong, don't hold back

I think the likely scenario for any possible competitor to win the SOMD contract, when they haven't already won an ESMD SAA, is that SpaceX would have to fail in its SOMD resupply contract demonstration mission several times before another contractor was considered

Watch this video, care of businesswire.com, of the recent test firing of two Space Exploration Technolgoies' (SpaceX) Merlin 1C engines, integrated into the Falcon 9 first-stage, at the SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas

Powered by liquid oxygen and rocket grade kerosene, the pair of Merlins produced over 805kN (181,000lb)-thrust during the test. The next test, using three engines on the first-stage, is scheduled for February. A total of nine Merlin 1C engines will power the Falcon 9 rocket's first-stage

Charles Miller has just sent me the following;

Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) and CSI have released additional information about our proposal for NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. You can find that information at the following sites.

SS/L published an article in "The Space Review"

A week ago SS/L answered questions from the members of NASAspaceflight.com

You can listen to a two-hour episode of "The Space Show" from last Friday, where Andy Turner of SS/L and I answer questions

Other Information

You can find the SS/L COTS Fact Sheet, a recent "Space News" article, and other information here

Onwards and upwards,

- Charles

Charles E. Miller
Chief Executive Officer
Constellation Services International, Inc.

The Space Review has a roundup of spaceport info and via Hobbyspace.com the Review has some details from the recent Space Systems Loral announcement

While over at Aviation Week’s OnSpace blog there is more Google lunar X Prize fun

New Space champion Space Exploration Technologies founder Elon Musk is talking about his profit expectations and plans to float his firm

Talking of making money out of low Earth orbit, Transterrestrial Musings has a link to the latest in a series of investment "summits" for budding space venture capitalists

Meanwhile its invasion of the space enthusiasts in Washington DC soon apparently

If that is all too much then sit back for some moderate to heavy topics over at The space Review

The commercial world of launch services saw two successfull launches recently, with only the second Boeing Delta IV launch, now part of the United Launch Alliance joint venture, and you can watch the launch here

While in Russia International Launch Services, the Khrunichev Space Center built Proton rocket's private sector arm, was returning to commercial flight and sending the Sirius 4 satellite into orbit, following an earlier Proton return to flight mission on a launch for the Russian government

And their future competition, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), took one more step towards realising its medium lift Falcon 9 rocket by completing development of its engine, the Merlin 1C, but also suffering a small fire while starting work on its Cape Canaveral launch pad

SpaceX of course is involved in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transpotation System (COTS) programme as a funded space act agreement signee and since the departure of its fellow participant Rocketplane Kistler from that, companies that have had equivalent unfunded agreements with the US space agency, such as Spacedev, have been pushing their successes - namely milestones met - so cue Spacehab and its ARCTUS transportation system

Finally, if you have the time have a read of some of this COTS speculation over at Space Politics

Hobbyspace.com is reporting that the self styled "New Space" businesses are getting interest from the US mass media

While in the "New Media" that is Jeff Foust's Space Review Rocketplane Global's new XP vehicle design gets profiled

One member of that business community, Spacedev is reporting progress with its unfunded NASA space act agreement (SAA) that it wants to turn into a funded commercial orbital transportation services demonstration (COTS) programme SAA. Here is a COTS related Spacedev promotional video for its Dreamchaser vehicle;

Then there is the reality of propulsion hardware testing at Spacedev

And last but not least Peacekeeper ICBM derived launch vehicle services provider E'Prime Aerospace is also making progress thanks to the US Federal Aviation Administration.