Boeing – Page 51 – Spaceflight Now

NASA outlines why it passed over Sierra Nevada

January 20, 2015 Stephen Clark

NASA cited the complexity of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser space plane and an uncertainty of when the proposed crew transport craft would be ready to fly astronauts to the International Space Station as the primary reasons the agency picked Boeing and SpaceX for lucrative contracts to develop commercial space taxis.

GAO reaffirms NASA’s commercial crew decision

January 6, 2015 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a protest filed by Sierra Nevada Corp. challenging NASA’s selection of competitors Boeing and SpaceX to build commercial human-rated space capsules to fly astronauts to the International Space Station.

U.S. military’s X-37B space plane lands in California

October 17, 2014 Stephen Clark

The U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane concluded its third mission, streaking through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and gliding to an automated landing on a runway at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., after spending a record 675 days in orbit.

GPS modernization continues with quick pace of launches

October 13, 2014 Stephen Clark

A new satellite launched Aug. 1 has joined the U.S. Air Force’s GPS navigation network to help guide everything from bombs to road trippers to their destinations, with final preparations on track to send up another GPS spacecraft at the end of October.

X-37B space plane scheduled to return to Earth soon

October 13, 2014 Stephen Clark

A robotic U.S. Air Force space plane is set to land in California as soon as this week after a secretive 22-month flight hundreds of miles above Earth.

NASA clears commercial crew contractors to resume work

October 9, 2014 Stephen Clark

Boeing Co. and SpaceX, selected by NASA last month to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, can resume development of their human-rated spacecraft after officials ordered a work stoppage prompted by a protest by Sierra Nevada Corp., the company left out of the contracts.

X-37B space planes to move into shuttle hangars

October 8, 2014 Stephen Clark

Boeing engineers are outfitting two decommissioned space shuttle hangars at the Kennedy Space Center for the U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B space plane.

Boeing, SpaceX told to stop work under crew contracts

October 1, 2014 Stephen Clark

NASA has directed Boeing and SpaceX to halt activities under contracts awarded last month to build commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the Space Station while the U.S. Government Accountability Office reviews a protest of NASA’s decision filed by Sierra Nevada.