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SpaceDev picked by Air Force for sophisticated nanosatellite SPACEDEV NEWS RELEASE Posted: April 2, 2006 SpaceDev has been awarded a $1.25 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, for the preliminary design of a nanosatellite capable of independently providing localized Space Situational Awareness of the local space environment of a host satellite. SpaceDev's design for the satellite, otherwise known as an Autonomous NanoSatellite Guardian for Evaluating Local Space (ANGELS), includes the satellite hardware assembly, detailed design schematics, software and flight algorithms, operations manuals, testing plans, and interface control documents. "SpaceDev is honored to have been awarded a contract for the next phase of this nanosat program. We received this contract after performing significant design work on the prior phase but also after a highly competitive proposal process," said Mark Sirangelo, SpaceDev's chief executive officer. "We have assembled a highly capable team, including BAE Systems, Emergent, SAIC, Schafer, and Vacco, to design and construct these sophisticated satellites in a short timeframe and at a low cost." The purpose of the AFRL experiment is to scale Space Situational Awareness capabilities and functionality into a nanosatellite package. The contract requires the nanosatellite to be capable of flight experimentation by early 2009. The satellite will be designed to have a one-year mission life at geosynchronous orbit, with a three year goal of operational life from the time of launch. Nanosatellite solutions are required to be compact, affordable, and effectively designed. The vehicle is expected to allow operations with minimal ground intervention. SpaceDev received the contract award from the AFRL to carry the design to a Preliminary Design Review level. This award includes an option to carry the design to a Critical Design Review level with technology at a system Technology Readiness Level of 5, by no later than May 2007. SpaceDev creates and sells affordable and innovative space products and solutions to government and commercial enterprises. SpaceDev's innovations include the design, manufacture, marketing and operation of sophisticated micro- and nano-satellites, hybrid rocket-based orbital Maneuvering and orbital Transfer Vehicles as well as sub-orbital and orbital hybrid rocket-based propulsion systems for safe human space flight. In addition, Starsys Research Corporation was acquired by SpaceDev on January 31, 2006, renamed Starsys, Inc., and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of SpaceDev. Starsys is engaged in the design and manufacture of mechanical and electromechanical subsystems and components for spacecraft. Starsys' subsystems enable critical spacecraft functions such as pointing solar arrays and communication antennas and restraining, deploying and actuating of moving spacecraft components. |
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Full coverage of the Expedition 13 crew's launch aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to begin a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
External cameras on the International Space Station captured this incredible footage of the March 29 solar eclipse. The station flew through the eclipse over the Middle East as the moon passed in front of the sun and cast its shadow on the Earth.
A total solar eclipse occurred March 29. This video from Side, Turkey shows the period of totality when the moon slid between the Earth and Sun. The eclipse revealed the Sun's glowing outer halo of million-degree gas, called the solar corona.
In early March, NASA cancelled its Dawn mission built to orbit two of the solar system's largest asteroids using ion engine propulsion. Technical problems and cost overruns were blamed. But in this news conference from March 27, agency officials announce NASA's decision to reverse the cancellation and restart the mission.
Lockheed Martin holds this news conference in Houston on March 24 to announced that it is partnering with the State of Texas to locate the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program office in Houston, as well as systems engineering, software development and qualification testing, if the corporation wins the NASA contract to build the next generation spacecraft for NASA.