New Commercial Rocket Descent Data Helps NASA with Future Mars Landings

NASA successfully captured thermal images of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on its descent after it launched in September from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The data from these thermal images may provide critical engineering information for future missions to the surface of Mars.

"Because the technologies required to land large payloads on Mars are significantly different than those used here on Earth, investment in these technologies is critical," said Robert Braun, principal investigator for NASA's Propulsive Descent Technologies (PDT) project and professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

"This is the first high-fidelity data set of a rocket system firing into its direction of travel while traveling at supersonic speeds in Mars-relevant conditions."

"Analysis of this unique data set will enable system engineers to extract important lessons for the application and infusion of supersonic retro-propulsion into future NASA missions."

NASA equipped two aircraft with advanced instrumentation to document re-entry of the rocket's first stage.

The first stage is the part of the rocket that is ignited at launch and burns through the rocket's ascent until it runs out of propellant, at which point it is discarded from the second stage and returns to Earth.

During its return, or descent, NASA captured quality infrared and high definition images and monitored changes in the smoke plume as the engines were turned on and off.

Thermal imagery of the Space X Falcon 9 first stage performing propulsive descent Sept. 21. 

Supersonic retropropulsion data obtained from this flight test is being analyzed by NASA to design future Mars landing systems.

Image Credit: NASA

"NASA's interest in building our Mars entry, descent and landing capability and SpaceX's interest and experimental operation of a reusable space transportation system enabled acquisition of these data at low cost, without standing up a dedicated flight project of its own," said Charles Campbell, PDT project manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA's Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI) project team at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, had their eyes, cameras and telescopes trained on the Falcon with the help of two long-range aircraft provided by NASA and the U.S. Navy.

A NASA WB-57, a twin jet engine high-altitude research aircraft from Johnson, was equipped with a long-range infrared optical system to capture the images. 

It is a unique full-motion video camera system that is gimbal-mounted on the nose of the WB-57. It collects full-color high definition and infrared video.

A Navy NP-3D Orion aircraft from the Naval Air Systems Command Weapons Division's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron-30 at Point Mugu, California, was equipped with a long-range infrared optical system and also took thermal images of the launch.

ESA's Partner Arianespace Claims 60% of the Commercial Launch Market

European commercial launch provider Arianespace has announced that it has signed four new commercial launch contracts.

This marks an impressive 11 launch contracts signed so far this year for the company, with two current contracts under negotiation to be completed by the year’s end.

According to the company, these four contracts bring Arianespace’s total launch backlog to 38 satellite launches for 29 different customers.

The value of these combined orders exceeds $5.82 billion. The company claims to now hold 60% of commercial launch market.

JCSAT-1

All four launches satellites are between 3,300 and 3,500kg and will be launched by an Ariane 5 rocket with other, heavier satellites, whose launches are already on the books.

The Ariane 5 is capable of delivering 10,000kg of payload to geosynchronous transfer orbit, over twice as much as its competitor SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

This ability to lift two larger satellites at once helps the company stay competitive with other providers.

“Dual manifesting allows Arianespace to be very competitive on price,” a company spokesperson told me. “It is part of our business model.”

SSL's Optus 10 satellite being prepped for launch at Arianespace’s launch center. 

Credit: Arianespace

In 2016, Arianespace will be launching communications satellite JCSAT-1 for its customer SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation.

The satellite will be used to broadcast TV signals for its customers.

This will be the 29th satellite that Arianespace has launched for SKY Perfect since 1989.

KTSat's Koreasat 7

For Korean satellite communications provider, KTSat, Arianespace will be launching Koreasat 7.

This satellite, to be launched in 2016, will provide communications services to customers in Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and India.

This will mark the third KTSat launch performed by Arianespace.



Thales Alenia Space will build Koreasat-5 and Koreasat 7.

Avanti Communications Hylas 4

In 2017, Arianespace will be launching the telecommunications satellite Hylas 4 on behalf of its customer, the London-based Avanti Communications.

Hylas 4 will be built by Orbital Sciences and will provide TV and data services to Africa, Europe and Latin America.

During the third quarter of 2016, Arianespace will launch IntelSat 36 on behalf of telecoms service provider Intelsat.

This will be the 55th satellite that Arianespace has launched for Intelsat.

The satellite will deliver data services to customers in Asia and Africa.

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket lifting off. 

Credit: Arianespace

“We are very honoured by our customers’ renewed confidence, as well as the new customers we have added to our clientele,” Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said in a statement.

“The eleven contracts signed so far this year, and the two exclusive negotiations under way, clearly demonstrate the pertinence of Arianespace’s product offering, which strikes an optimum balance between reliability, availability and cost.”

Arianespace has had 256 successful launches since it was founded in 1980.

Its next launch is scheduled for September 11, where it will be taking two telecommunications satellites into orbit.

$248 Billion for Manufacture and Launch of 1,155 Satellites Over Next Decade

Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) Satellite Mission. 

The proposed SWOT mission is a collaboration between NASA and CNES.

In the commercial space sector, business analysts and consultants Euroconsult anticipates a total of 350 satellites to be launched over the decade, most of which will be for the replacement of capacity existing in-orbit.

According to Euroconsult's newly released research report, Satellites to be Built and Launched, 115 satellites will be launched on average yearly over the next decade (2014-2023).

In comparison with last year's forecast, the number of satellites is stable while market value is growing, thus translating the growing economic importance of the sector, for both governments and commercial satellite companies.

Governments all over the world will be responsible for more than 75% of the $248 billion in revenues expected from the manufacturing and launch of these 1,155 satellites.

Governments' dominance of the space industry continues to increase as established space countries replace and expand their in-orbit satellite systems and more countries acquire their first operational satellite systems, usually for communications and broadcasting or for Earth observation and imagery intelligence.

Nearly 90% of the government market value will remain concentrated in the 10 countries with an established space industry, but growth in the government market will derive from new satellite systems in 35 nascent space countries, creating a market of $2 billion on average per year to be provided principally by foreign suppliers as local industry capabilities develop simultaneously.

Rachel Villain

According to Rachel Villain, Principal Advisor at Euroconsult and editor of the report, "governments in established space countries continue to drive innovation for satellite systems with benefits to local industries and the foreign governments to which they export."

In the commercial space sector, Euroconsult anticipates a total of 350 satellites to be launched over the decade, most of which will be for the replacement of capacity existing in-orbit.

These satellites will be equally divided between the geostationary orbit (GEO) and lower altitude orbits (MEO and LEO); 83% of market value remains concentrated in the geostationary orbit, the destination of 300+ satellites operated by 30 commercial companies for communications and broadcasting services.

Still, the constellations to be launched in non-geostationary orbits for communications services and Earth observation imagery should represent a market of $1 billion per year on average over the decade.

Technology advances in satellite payloads and higher competition in launch services allow the continuous improvement of CAPEX efficiency of commercial GEO satellites for communications and broadcasting services.

Electric propulsion will definitively be part of the economic equation, even if only five all-electric commercial satellites are now under construction.

NASA Seeks Proposals for Commercial Mars Data Relay Satellites

One possible area for improvement is laser or optical communications. NASA successfully demonstrated laser communications technology in October 2013 with its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) mission.

LADEE made history using a pulsed laser beam to transmit data over 239,000 miles from the moon to Earth at a record-breaking download rate of 622 megabits-per-second (Mbps).

NASA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to investigate the possibility of using commercial Mars-orbiting satellites to provide telecommunications capabilities for future robotic missions to the Red Planet.

"We are looking to broaden participation in the exploration of Mars to include new models for government and commercial partnerships," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

"Depending on the outcome, the new model could be a vital component in future science missions and the path for humans to Mars."

The RFI details possible new business models that would involve NASA contracting to purchase services from a commercial service provider, which would own and operate one or more communication relay orbiters.

The solicitation is open to all types of organizations including U.S. industry, universities, nonprofits, NASA centers, and federally funded research and development centers, in addition to U.S. government and international organizations.

NASA is interested in exploring alternative models to sustain and evolve its Mars' communications relay infrastructure to avoid a communications gap in the 2020s.

The RFI encourages innovative ideas for cost-effective approaches that provide relay services for existing landers, as well as significantly improving communications performance.

Lisa May

Mars landers and rovers currently transmit their science data and other information to Earth either by a direct communication link or via orbiting satellites acting as relay stations.

The direct link is severely limited because of mass, volume, and power limits on the rovers.

To address these limits, NASA's Mars Exploration Program currently uses relay radios on its Mars science orbiters.

The spacecraft carry high-gain antennas and higher power transmitters that provide very high-rate, energy-efficient links between orbiters and surface missions as the obiters pass overhead.

Mars Reconnassaince Orbiter (MRO)

MARS Relay Strategy
"The current Mars relay strategy has been extremely successful in providing the science and engineering data returned from the Martian surface over the past decade," said Lisa May, lead program executive for NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

Because NASA has launched science orbiters to Mars on a steady cadence, the current strategy has been cost effective.

MAVEN

However, NASA has no scheduled Mars science orbiters after MAVEN arrives on the Red Planet in the fall.

This creates the need to identify cost-effective options to ensure continuity of reliable, high-performance telecommunications relay services for the future.

"Looking ahead, we need to seriously explore the possibility of the commercialization of Mars communications services," said May.

"This will offer advantages to NASA, while also providing appropriate return-on-investment to the service provider."

Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, which NASA leased to SpaceX for commercial use

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, and Kennedy Space Center director Robert Cabana are seen together at Kennedy's Launch Pad 39A, which NASA leased to SpaceX for commercial use on April 14, 2014.

Credit: Robert Z. Pearlman

One of NASA's most historic launch pads is now under new management.

Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is now under the direction of SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies), the private spaceflight company headed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The launch pad, which was the site where Apollo 11 lifted off on the first manned moon landing in July 1969, will now support the company's rockets and spacecraft as they depart for Earth orbit, and possibly destinations beyond.

"Today, this historic site, from which numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions began, and from which I first flew and left the planet on STS-61C on Columbia, is beginning a new mission as a commercial launch site," said Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator and former astronaut, during a press conference held at the pad.

SpaceX launches second commercial satellite - Thaicom-6 video

US company SpaceX said Monday it had deployed a commercial Thai satellite, in its second successful launch in weeks.

The private firm's two-stage Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 2206 GMT, carrying with it the Thaicom 6 telecommunications satellite.

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) confirmed on Twitter that Thaicom 6 had been delivered "to a perfect orbit."

Thaicom 6, which belongs to satellite operator Thaicom, will provide services to Southeast Asia and parts of Africa.

SpaceX successfully launched its first commercial satellite on December 3pp for Luxembourg company SES, which had previously used European Ariane rockets or the Russian Proton for its launches.

The SES-8 satellite was due to provide television, cable TV and other services to countries including Thailand, India and Vietnam.

With Monday's second successful launch, SpaceX seems to be making its mark in the commercial satellite launch business, estimated to be worth $190 billion. Its orders amount to $4 billion for 50 launches, 75 percent of which are for commercial satellites.

This second successful launch is also important as SpaceX seeks to be considered a serious candidate by the Pentagon for launching large military satellites.

These launches are currently reserved for the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

It takes at least three successful launches to qualify.

Sony Camera Commercial: Skydiving from near Space to Earth

Sony Camera Commercial: Skydiving from near Space to Earth

SpaceX launches commercial satellite after 3rd attempt

After two delays, private US company SpaceX on Tuesday successfully launched its first commercial satellite, after repairs were made to the Falcon 9 rocket.

It roared into space at 2241 GMT from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, SpaceX said in a statement.

Its $100 million satellite was placed in orbit 14 minutes later, a SpaceX spokesman confirmed.

The rocket's cargo was a telecommunications satellite for the Luxembourg company SES, which until now has used European Ariane rockets or the Russian Proton for its satellite launches.

"Restart was good, apogee raised to 80k km (50k miles). Yes!!!," SpaceX owner Elon Musk, the billionaire Internet entrepreneur, said shortly after takeoff.

SES-8 is SpaceX's first launch to a geostationary transfer orbit -- 80,000 kilometers (50,000 miles) from Earth -- and most challenging mission to date, the company said earlier on Twitter.

The SES-8 satellite is due to provide television, cable TV and other services to countries including China, India and Vietnam.

SpaceX is eager to get into the commercial satellite launch business, estimated to be worth $190 billion a year.

The launch is the first using an improved version of the Falcon 9 after a test flight in California.

3D Printing: No longer a Sc-Fi Fantasy

In this photo taken Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Wayne Losey, co-founder of Dynamo DevLabs, speaks about 3D printing during the Hardware Innovation Workshop in San Mateo, Calif.

With the printers users make whatever they like, iPad stands, guitars, jewelry, someone even made a rifle.

About the size of a microwave oven, the printers usually extrude plastic, layer upon layer, to create objects.

Sales are projected to jump from about $1.7 billion in 2011 to $3.7 billion in 2015. 

Credit: AP Photo/Eric Risberg

Invisalign, a San Jose company, uses 3-D printing to make each mouthful of customized, transparent braces.

Mackenzies Chocolates, a confectioner in Santa Cruz, uses a 3-D printer to pump out chocolate molds.

Earlier this year, Cornell University researchers used a 3-D printer, along with injections of a special collagen gel, to create a human-shaped ear.

Once a science-fiction fantasy, three-dimensional printers are popping up everywhere from the desks of home hobbyists to Air Force drone research centers.

The machines, generally the size of a microwave oven and costing $400 to more than $500,000, extrude layer upon layer of plastics or other materials, including metal, to create 3-D objects with moving parts.

Users are able to make just about anything they like: iPad stands, guitars, jewelry, even guns. But experts warn this cool innovation could soon turn controversial—because of safety concerns but also the potential for the technology to alter economies that rely on manufacturing.



"We believe that 3-D printing is fundamentally changing the manufacturing ecosystem in its entirety—how and where products are made and by whom," said Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of New York-based Shapeways, an online company that makes and sells 3-D printed products designed by individuals.

Products include a delicate, twig-like egg cup (cost: $8.10) and a lamp that looks like a nuclear mushroom cloud (cost: $1,388.66).

Richard D'Aveni

"We're on the verge of the next industrial revolution, no doubt about it," added Dartmouth College business professor Richard D'Aveni.

"In 25 years, entire industries are going to disappear. Countries relying on mass manufacturing are going to find themselves with no revenues and no jobs."

On ground, sea or air, when parts break, new ones can be made on the spot, and even the tools to install them can be made, eliminating the need for staging parts in warehouses around the world, said Jeff DeGrange, vice president of Direct Digital Manufacturing at Stratasys Inc., currently the industry leader in a field of about 50 3-D printer companies.

Jeff DeGrange

"We're going to see innovation happening at a much higher rate, introduction of products at a much higher rate," said DeGrange.

"We live in an on-demand world now, and we'll see production schedules are going to be greatly compressed."

Airplane mechanics could print a replacement part on the runway. A dishwasher repairman could make a new gasket in his service truck. A surgeon could print a knee implant custom-designed to fit a patient's body.

But the military, D'Aveni said, is likely to be among the first major users of 3-D printers, because of the urgency of warfare.

"Imagine a soldier on a firebase in the mountains of Afghanistan. A squad is attacked by insurgents. The ammunition starts to run out. Is it worth waiting hours and risking the lives of helicopter pilots to drop it near you, or is it worth a more expensive system that can manufacture weapons and ammunition on the spot?" he said.

In the past two years, the U.S. Defense Department has spent more than $2 million on 3-D printers, supplies and upkeep, according to federal contract records.

Their uses range from medical research to weapons development. In addition, the Obama administration has launched a $30 million pilot program that includes researching how to use 3-D printing to build weapons parts.

NASA is also wading into this arena, spending $500,000 in the past two years on 3-D printing. Its Lunar Science Institute (LSI) has published descriptions of how it is exploring the possibility of using the printers to build everything from spacecraft parts while in orbit to a lunar base.

You can read more about the NASA and the LSI 3D Printing research here

Private, commercial space race: Bigelow and SpaceX

Private, commercial space race: Bigelow and SpaceX - SmartPlanet

With the launch of SpaceX’s much-delayed but successful Falcon 9 rocket last week, there’s been renewed attention given to private space efforts.

SpaceX and Bigelow are two of the most prominent private companies working in the field, and given the Obama administration’s encouragement of private space efforts, you might hear those two names as often as NASA.

The idea here is that private, commercial companies can be run more efficiently than NASA, which is a massive and expensive governmental organization. The Obama administration is banking on this, and is investing in companies like SpaceX.

SpaceX was founded in 2002, and is run by Elon Musk, probably best known for co-creating PayPal and Tesla Motors. SpaceX is perhaps the most prominent private, commercial aerospace company out there; the company has been contracted by NASA to provide lift to the International Space Station.

The launch of the Falcon 9 rocket on Friday is singularly impressive, despite several delays and a few hiccups. Says Kit Eaton of Fast Company:

Despite several technical glitches (an uncommanded roll of the rocket’s second stage, and incomplete parachute deployment and resulting impact damage to the first stage) the dummy payload was pushed into almost precisely the required orbit–demonstrating that a small private corporation can now successfully rival the industrial-military complex in being able to loft satellites into space.

The Falcon 9 rocket might actually be used by Bigelow Aerospace for that company’s inflatable space stations (yes, you read that right).