SpaceX is raising half a billion for development. It sure would be nice to see some initial hops a year or so from now.
Category Archives: Space
Across The Pond
About to leave Miami for London, first time in an A380. I’ll check in when I get to Heathrow. If my phone works…
(Update a few hours later)
Standing in a long line at Heathrow for passport control. If they have the poor judgment to let me into the country, I’ll be heading into town for lunch with friends in Chelsea.
Solid-Rocket City
I really don’t see how NGL is going to be competitive with SpaceX and Blue Origin (or even Vulcan, if it happens), unless the USAF decides to keep Orbital ATK alive for national-security reasons. I hope that NASA isn’t compelled to purchase launches. Solids are fine for missiles, but other than strap ons, they never belonged in launch systems.
On The Road Again
I’m flying to Miami this afternoon, to make more progress on the house in Florida, then I’m off to London on Friday night from there. I’ll be staying with Samizdata people there, then to Vienna on Sunday for the Legal Subcommittee meeting of COPUOS, to see what’s going on in terms of space law and particularly property rights. Not sure when I’ll be back in London after that, but I’ll be back in Florida on the 18th. I’ll be taking devices and try to check in occasionally, but blogging may be light and scattered for the next couple weeks.
Interested In Water On Mars?
Then this post by Bob Zimmerman is for you.
End Of An Era
I didn’t mention this at the time he announced it was happening to his staff, but George Nield has retired from the FAA. Not clear what the future holds for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, or who the next head of it will be, but it’s unlikely to remain within the FAA, given the mood on the Hill. It never should have been there. The entire federal regulatory apparatus needs to be restructured for the coming era in commercial spaceflight, both launch and for on-orbit activities.
Lockheed Martin’s Fusion Reactor
I sure hope this pans out, and works in space as well.
Space Regulation
With the Legal Subcommittee meeting of COPUOUS in Vienna a little over a week away (I’ll be attending this year), Laura Montgomery has a new paper out, and Christopher Johnson has some thoughts, too.
JWST And The Media
Thoughts from Bob Zimmerman on the latest overrun and schedule slip, and the shoddy reporting of it.
The JWST
It’s delayed again, and over budget. Again.
I would have canceled it years ago. It was a mistaken concept from the get go. For what we’ve spent on this program, we could have had orbital servicing capability, obviating the need for the origami, and even allowing servicing in situ.