Space Travel 2018

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Boeing offers SLS-launched lunar lander to NASA

November 6, 2019

WASHINGTON — Boeing announced Nov. 5 that it has submitted a proposal to NASA to develop a lunar lander that could be launched in a single piece on a Space Launch System rocket. The company said its “Fewest Steps to the Moon” proposal, submitted for NASA’s Human Landing Services program, minimized the number of launches…

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Engineer charged with falsifying inspections of SpaceX hardware

May 28, 2019

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have charged a man with falsifying inspection records for hardware his company produced for SpaceX, highlighting an issue about the overall aerospace industry supply chain. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York filed charges May 22 against James Smalley, a former employee of PMI Industries, a Rochester,…

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NASA seeks additional $1.6 billion for 2024 Moon plan

May 14, 2019

WASHINGTON — The White House and NASA announced May 13 that they will seek an additional $1.6 billion in funding for the agency in fiscal year 2020, a “down payment” on efforts to achieve a human lunar landing by 2024. In a tweet late in the day, President Trump announced the additional funding to support…

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Space Force proposal shifts satellite communications procurement to Air Force Secretary

February 26, 2019

One of the consequences of creating a Space Force is the breakup of Air Force Space Command. The procurement of commercial satellite communications services that is now under AFSC would be reassigned to the Secretary of the Air Force. JACKSONVILLE, FL — The Air Force Space Command in December assumed responsibility for the procurement of commercial satellite…

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Relativity to build launch site at Cape Canaveral

January 18, 2019

Jacksonville, FL — Relativity, the startup developing a small launch vehicle using additive manufacturing technologies, announced Jan. 17 it has won approval from the U.S. Air Force to build a launch site at Cape Canaveral. The company said it had received a “Statement of Capability” from the 45th Space Wing, which operates Cape Canaveral Air…

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Hurricane satellites reveal flooding

January 14, 2019

Jacksonville — Researchers examining data produced by small satellites launched in 2016 to track ocean winds were surprised the mission produced valuable information on soil moisture and flooding. NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, a constellation of eight 30-kilogram satellites built by the Southwest Research Institute and the University of Michigan, observed the Amazon River basin in far…

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DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4 satellite to gyro failure

January 7, 2019

JACKSONVILLE — DigitalGlobe announced Monday that its WorldView-4 satellite has malfunctioned. In a statement, DigitalGlobe, a division of Maxar Technologies, said the control moment gyros on WorldView-4, launched in November 2016, have failed, preventing the spacecraft from pointing accurately. The company said that while efforts are continuing to restore the spacecraft, “Maxar believes that WorldView-4 will likely…

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The greatest spacestories of 2018

December 27, 2018

SpaceX’s Starman mannequin is seen inside Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster with Earth in the background, shortly after launch on Feb. 6, 2018. As of Nov. 2, the duo were beyond the orbit of Mars. Credit: SpaceX The year 2018 saw a wide range of milestones in spaceflight, stretching all the way from the sun…

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