Russia Gives Green Light to Super-Heavy Rocket Project “A project to build a new super-heavy carrier rocket was included into the draft new Federal Space Program (FSP) Roscosmos chief Oleg Ostapenko said on Thursday. “A [super] heavy carrier rocket was included into the new FSP. Work is still under way, with the first stage envisaging the construction of a rocket capable of lifting from 70 to 80 metric tons,” Ostapenko […]

Lawmakers seek end to U.S. reliance on Russian rocket engine, Reuters “U.S. reliance on Russian engines has been a long-time concern for lawmakers, but those worries have been heightened by Russian actions Washington believes are destabilizing Ukraine. Senators also raised concerns about U.S. dependence on Russian rocket engines at a hearing Wednesday and said they would press for work on an alternate engine. Chief Pentagon arms buyer Frank Kendall told […]

NASA FY2015 Commerce, Justice, and Science Bill Subcommittee Markup [Watch], SpaceRef Business “The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies marks up its fiscal year 2015 Appropriations bill on April 30, 2014. The bill contains $51.2 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Commerce, the Department of Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other related agencies.”

NASA Award: Demolish Shuttle Mate Demate Device “Contracting Office Address – NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center, Code A, P.O. Box 273, Edwards, CA 93523-0273 Description – In accordance with this contract, the contractor shall furnish all materials, labor, equipment and facilities, except as specified herein to be furnished by the Government, and shall do all that which is necessary or incedental to the satisfactory and timely performance of the project entitled, […]

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Marks Up NASA Reauthorization “The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology today approved the NASA Authorization Act of 2014 (H.R. 4412) with unanimous bipartisan support. The bipartisan bill reaffirms Congress’s commitment to space exploration, both human and robotic, and makes clear that human spaceflight to Mars is NASA’s primary goal.” House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Approves Bipartisan NASA Authorization Act “The […]

Falcon 9 onboard camera shot right before splashdown. Full vid posting shortly to http://t.co/0ibzGWMxzu. pic.twitter.com/RXcKJ1d36G — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2014 Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA. No trampoline needed — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 29, 2014

To Save A Satellite, Former NASA Guy Takes Crowdfunding To Space, NPR All Things Considered story “ISEE-3/ICE is a satellite that was once used to monitor space weather, but it’s been unused for decades. NASA doesn’t want to spend the money to bring it back to life, but Cowing and his colleagues are determined to do it. If they can raise $125,000 on a crowdfunding site called RocketHub, Cowing says […]

Text of SpaceX Complaint vs The United States, SpaceRef Business “The following is the introduction of the complaint filed by SpaceX with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims with respect to the recent EELV contract awarded to United Launch Alliance (ULA). The full complaint is also available for download. Introduction: 1. The Air Force has entered into an unlawful contract for rocket launches with the United Launch Alliance (“ULA”), a […]

Effort To Exempt Satellites from Russia Sanctions Complicated by Latest from U.S. State Dept., SpaceNews “The U.S. State Department on April 28 said it would deny requests to export defense hardware and services — categories that under the U.S. Munitions List include satellites and satellite components — to Russia as part of expanded U.S. sanctions aimed at reversing Russia’s incursion into Ukraine if the exports “contribute to Russia’s military capabilities.” […]

NASA OIG: Space Communications and Navigation, NASA’s Management of the Space Network “… because of budget reductions and the loss of other expected revenue, in FY 2016 the Space Network will not have sufficient funding to meet all planned service commitments. Although NASA agreed to provide free access to Space Network services for some customers beginning in FY 2014 in exchange for their contributions to the design and development of […]