New Mars Forums

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: COTS - status

As far as other getting into this game of becoming provider they are going to need deep pocket.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

This is why they have lightning towers. Still not sure why Starship doesn’t need them. 

'Can you explain'

https://twitter.com/SpcPlcyOnline/statu … 8303611907

Japanese space startup's dreams of moon landing are crushed after ispace's robot fails to touchdown

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech … nding.html

ispace Statement On The HAKUTO-R Lunar Landing Attempt

https://spaceref.com/science-and-explor … g-attempt/

Cygnus an expendable American cargo spacecraft developed by Orbital Sciences Corporation now manufactured and launched by Northrop Grumman Space Systems

Space-X has a lot of delivery experience with many new cargo missions under the CRS-2 contract, which NASA awarded SpaceX, perhaps it would also deliver cargo to Mars or the Lunar Gateway?

Robotic Arm Releases Cygnus Space Freighter from Station

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/202 … m-station/

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-04-28 16:13:44)

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,431

Re: COTS - status

wishful thinking that its not sort of like the flame engine diverters and debris deflectors as seen...

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

'Astra' is a strange one, Commercial science or Part of the old System?

Astra Spacecraft Engine thrusters firing in our new 3-station vacuum chamber. Learn more about the Astra Spacecraft Engine

https://twitter.com/Astra/status/1662167916060758021

Astra is an American launch vehicle company, incorporated by Chris Kemp and Adam London. Formerly known in media as "Stealth Space Company", the company formally came out as Astra Space, Inc. in a Bloomberg L.P. article by Ashlee Vance. Investors include BlackRock, Advance, ACME, Airbus Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff, former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, and more.

In 2021 they launched a successful demo payload demonstration launch for the U.S. Space Force, Astra is developing a satellite bus for customer payloads.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

NASA Selects Seven Companies the Kickstart the Low Earth Orbit Economy

https://spaceref.com/newspace-and-tech/ … t-economy/

In the wake of building a nascent Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Economy, NASA is pulling together a promising team of seven leading companies to further advance space capabilities, with the goal of growing the LEO economy to the point it can sustain both government and future commercial needs, NASA announced in a June 15 press release.

The seven private space companies, which were chosen based on their relevance to the industry and their ability to provide the requested financial and technical resources, include: Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space Corporation, SpaceX, Special Aerospace Services, ThinkOrbital Inc., and Vast Space LLC.

The initiative, Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 (CCSC-2), is the second of its kind. Selections for the first CCSC were made in 2014, resulting in the development of commercial rockets, spacecraft, and spacesuits. This year, the goal is to advance commercial space-related efforts, with an emphasis on expanding human presence within LEO.

“What we can do and learn together in microgravity can push the limits of humanity’s progress and innovation in areas like medicine, technology and scientific understanding,” Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program Office, told SpaceRef over email.

While NASA’s partnership with each company will look a little different, the overall collaboration is supported through the unfunded Space Acts Agreement, meaning no funds will be exchanged between NASA and any of the selected companies. Instead, NASA plans to offer contributions of “technical expertise, assessments, lessons learned, technologies and data,” according to the press release. Although companies may collaborate, these are standalone agreements, and the selected companies are not required to work together.

“A robust [low Earth orbit] economy has competition and multiple capabilities available offer more opportunities to a broader customer base,” Hart said. “This approach is meant to spur innovation and drive down cost over time.”

Dominating the space-tourism realm, Blue Origin will collaborate with NASA to develop an “integrated commercial space transportation capability that ensures safe, affordable and high-frequency U.S. access to orbit for crew and other missions,” according to the press release.

Northrop Grumman is working to build its Persistent Platform, and NASA will help to “provide autonomous and robotic capabilities for commercial science research and manufacturing capabilities in low Earth orbit.”

NASA will help Sierra Space develop its own LEO ecosystem, “including next-generation space transportation, in-space infrastructure and expandable and tailorable space facilities providing a human presence in low Earth orbit.” Sierra Space is already partnered with Blue Origin on its Orbital Reef project, which, under contract with NASA, plans to send a cargo space plane called Dream Chaser to the International Space Station (ISS) as early as 2024.

SpaceX will be collaborating with NASA on an integrated LEO architecture “to provide a growing portfolio of technology with near-term Dragon evolution and concurrent Starship development.” The company noted that this new architecture includes Starship as both a means of transportation, as well as an in-space LEO destination element.

Special Aerospace Services is working with NASA on the safer assembly of commercial LEO destinations of in-space systems. The company is focusing on robotic technology called the Autonomous Maneuvering Unit (AMU) and the Astronaut Assist-AMU for commercial in-space servicing and mobility applications.

ThinkOrbital will collaborate with NASA on the development of CONTESA (Construction Technologies for Space Applications) and ThinkPlatforms, which are “self-assembling, single-launch, large-scale orbital platforms.” CONTESA, on the other hand, “features welding, cutting, inspection and additive manufacturing technologies, and aids in large-scale in-space fabrication,” the NASA press release explains.

Lastly, Vast is working with NASA to develop the technologies and operations required for its microgravity and artificial gravity stations. This includes Vast’s Haven-1 commercial space station, which will provide a microgravity environment for crew, research, and in-space manufacturing.

“It is great to see companies invest their own capital toward innovative commercial space capabilities, and we’ve seen how these types of partnerships benefit both the private sector and NASA,” Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight at NASA headquarters in DC, said in the press release. “The companies can leverage NASA’s vast knowledge and experience and the agency can be a customer for the capabilities included in the agreements for the future.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-06-24 07:54:48)

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Perhaps IRocket could have commercial customers for stations?

Startup iRocket wins Space Force contract to demonstrate rocket engine

https://spacenews.com/startup-irocket-w … et-engine/

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-08-04 18:16:30)

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Cygnus Resupply Capsule Reaches Space Station

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/ … ce-station

NG-19 is the nineteenth flight of the Northrop Grumman robotic resupply spacecraft Cygnus and its eighteenth flight to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-2) contract with NASA.

https://spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/

Spacecraft Fire Experiments (Saffire-VI) - Understanding how fire behaves in space is vital for developing fire prevention and fire suppression methods, but flame-related experiments are difficult to conduct aboard an occupied spacecraft. The Spacecraft Fire Experiments (Saffire) use the Cygnus resupply craft after it leaves the space station to remove the risk to crew and spacecraft. Saffire-VI is the last of this series, building on previous results to test flammability at different oxygen levels and to demonstrate fire detection and monitoring as well as post-fire cleanup capabilities

http://www.nasa.gov/content/overview-fo … ly-mission

another similar topic

'Fire on the ISS, lunar base or Mars habitat or domes'

https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=3908

Northrop Grumman planning Cygnus upgrades

https://spacenews.com/northrop-grumman- … -upgrades/

“We’re looking at what we have to do with the Cygnus spacecraft, what we have to do with the services that it provides,” said Rick Mastracchio, director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman Space Systems. “We’re trying to prepare and think way ahead on how do we start updating the vehicle, making sure we have a spacecraft that will be flying 10 years from now, 20 years from now.”

Among those changes is increased payload capacity. The current version of the Cygnus can carry abut 3,750 kilograms of pressurized cargo to the station. An upgraded version in development will increase that to 5,000 kilograms, said Lucas Migliorini, cargo logistics development engineering manager at Northrop Grumman, in another conference presentation.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-08-04 18:18:29)

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Astra lays off, reassigns employees as it refocuses on satellite propulsion

https://spacenews.com/astra-lays-off-re … ropulsion/

Astra Space announced Aug. 4 it has laid off a quarter of its workforce and reassigned others from launch vehicle to satellite propulsion development as its cash reserves dwindle.

Industry layoffs

The Astra layoffs are just the latest involving space startups in recent months as they have struggled with finances and an investment climate that has cooled significantly in the last year.

On Aug. 1, Earth imaging company Planet said it was laying off 117 employees, about 10% of its workforce. The company blamed the layoffs on an expansion of the company after it went public in late 2021 that resulted in “increased cost and complexity,” said Will Marshall, chief executive of Planet, in a statement. He also cited changes in the broader economy.

“For both of these reasons, we are making changes to prioritize our attention on the highest ROI [return on investment] opportunities for our business and mission, while reinforcing our path to profitability,” he stated.

Other space industry companies that have announced layoffs recently include engine developer Ursa Major Technologies, which laid off about a quarter of its 250 employees in June, and spacecraft propulsion company Benchmark Space Systems, which laid off 15% of its 118 workers in late June, shortly before raising a $33 million Series B round.

Virgin Orbit laid off 675 employees, 85% of its workforce, in late March, shortly before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company later liquidated its assets at auction and laid off its remaining employees.

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-08-06 08:03:19)

GW Johnson

Member

From: McGregor, Texas USA

Registered: 2011-12-04

Posts: 5,797

Website

Re: COTS - status

Layoffs and bankruptcies among new space entrants should not surprise anyone.  Despite all the hype,  flying into space is hard!  There is a whale of a lot more to it than having a rocket engine that works in ground tests.  All that stuff is very expensive,  and more expensive than you anticipated,  because you will suffer more failures than you think.  Typical investors and stockholders are greedy.  That is not a good combination.

Look at SpaceX.  They are quite successful in the launch business today.  Yet they nearly went bankrupt right at the start,  when they first got started flying Falcon-1's out of Kwajalein.  The first 3 attempts failed.  The 4th succeeded,  but Musk himself said they would have folded up right there if that 4th flight had failed.  That's when they learned there's a lot more to flying supersonic staged vehicles with rocket propulsion,  than just having the rocket engines.  It took hiring the right kinds of people with the right kind of experience,  and also talking to some old hands with the right experience,  to learn and incorporate those lessons.  Luck played a big role,  too.

GW

Last edited by GW Johnson (2023-08-06 08:38:28)

---

GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

GAO affirms NASA's decision on Intuitive Machines' $719M lunar contract

https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/GAO_ … t_999.html

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Europe to hold competition to build space cargo ship

https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Euro … p_999.html

The European Space Agency announced Monday it would hold a competition between firms to build a ship to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, in a potential first step towards independent missions carrying astronauts.

The ESA's 22 member states, whose space ministers were meeting at a two-day summit in the Spanish city of Seville, also agreed to provide financial support for Europe's long-delayed Ariane 6 rocket.

The summit comes at a difficult time for European space efforts, as the Ariane 6 delays have left the continent without a way to independently blast its missions into space.

Europe also faces growing competition not just from the United States, but newer players China and India, as well as private companies such as billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.

ESA chief Josef Aschbacher told the summit that "a new economy is developing in low Earth orbit that will transform space exploration," adding that "private companies are revolutionising the landscape from launchers to exploration".

Aschbacher proposed "a competition between innovative European companies" to develop a ship that would transport cargo to the ISS by 2028 -- then bring it back to Earth.

The project will require "transport, docking and re-entry capability, something Europe does not possess today," he added.

"The service vehicle could later evolve to a crew vehicle and serve other destinations beyond low Earth orbit," he said.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Possible Cargo or Space-Tug? the Dream Chaser looks similar to other X-plane mini-shuttle spaceplane concepts

They had said Tenacity and other Dream Chasers will be mated with a Shooting Star module, providing an additional 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of payload capacity, in addition to the 2,000 lb (910 kg) carried by the spaceplane.

Sierra Space's Shooting Star Module Begins Rigorous Testing at NASA Facility
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Sier … y_999.html
Sierra Space has commenced a comprehensive testing campaign for its Shooting Star cargo module at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. This significant step marks a critical phase in preparing the spacecraft for its first mission to the International Space Station (ISS), focusing on its resilience to the harsh conditions of space and the rigors of launch.

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

DARPA picks 14 companies for lunar architecture study

https://spacenews.com/darpa-picks-14-co … ure-study/

“LunA-10 has the potential to upend how the civil space community thinks about spurring widespread commercial activity on and around the Moon within the next 10 years,” Michael Nayak, DARPA program manager for LunA-10, said in a statement.

The 14 companies selected are:

    Blue Origin
    CisLunar Industries
    Crescent Space Services LLC
    Fibertek, Inc.
    Firefly Aerospace
    GITAI
    Helios
    Honeybee Robotics
    ICON
    Nokia of America
    Northrop Grumman
    Redwire Corporation
    Sierra Space
    SpaceX

The companies, Nayak said in a statement, each offered “a clear vision and technically rigorous plan for advancing quickly towards our goal: a self-sustaining, monetizable, commercially owned-and-operated lunar infrastructure.”

Mars_B4_Moon

Member

Registered: 2006-03-23

Posts: 9,776

Re: COTS - status

Private U.S. moon landers prepare for historic launches

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti … -launches/