Atlantis Officially Set to Go on July 8; Press Conference at 3:30
NASA has officially set the launch date for the final space shuttle mission for July 8. The post-FRR press conference is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm EDT. Watch on NASA TV.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:12 pm ET
GPS Interference Concerns Spark Congressional Action on LightSquared
The controversial proposal by LightSquared to operate a satellite-terrestrial wireless mobile broadband communications system that might interfere with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers encountered rough sledding in Congress on two fronts last week.
Two subcommittees of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (HT&I) committee held a hearing on June 23 where LightSquared opponents offered dramatic testimony about what would happen to GPS users if the terrestrial segment of the system is allowed to operate. The next day, the House Appropriations Committee acted to prevent the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from allowing the company to proceed until the GPS interference issues are resolved.
The FCC granted a provisional license to LightSquared on January 26. It required the company to work with the GPS community to determine the extent of interference and report back by June 15. The FCC granted the company’s recent request for a two-week extension; the report is now due on Friday, July 1. The license prohibits the company from commercial operations of its terrestrial network until the interference issues are settled.
At the hearing, aviation interests in particular lambasted the FCC for granting a provisional license at all. RTCA, Inc., which functions as a federal advisory committee to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), did a study that determined that LightSquared’s plans to use three spectrum deployment phases would be “incompatible with the current aviation use of GPS,” although use of a single lower channel could be acceptable.
The government’s National Space-Based PNT Systems Engineering Forum (NPEF) issued a separate report in mid-June recommending that the FCC rescind the license.
At the hearing, a LightSquared Vice President, Jeffrey Carlisle, defended his company’s plan. He assured lawmakers that the company “has no intention of conducting its operations in a way that interferes with government or commercial aviation or maritime operations in the United States…” The system involves the use of a geostationary satellite – SkyTerra, launched last fall – and 40,000 terrestrial cellular base stations. Users can use the satellite, the base stations, or both, depending on their needs. SkyTerra Communications, Inc. was purchased by Harbinger Capital Partners, a hedge fund and major investor in Lightsquared, earlier in 2010. LightSquared’s supporters praise the company’s promise as a mobile wireless broadband provider.
The House Appropriations Committee, however, was not persuaded. The day after the hearing, it adopted an amendment to the FY2012 Financial Services Appropriations bill that would prohibit the FCC from spending funds to remove the conditions it placed on the license or to otherwise permit LightSquared to proceed until the FCC has resolved the GPS interference issues. The Financial Services appropriations bill includes the FCC. The amendment was offered by Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH) and Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS) and adopted by voice vote.
At a Secure World Foundation meeting on June 16, Peter Marquez, who oversaw development of President Obama’s National Space Policy when he was on the staff of the National Security Council, and Andrew Palowitch from the Air Force/National Reconnaissance Office Space Protection Office, expressed exasperation at the FCC for granting the license as well. Marquez, who now works for Orbital Sciences Corp. and is a member of the NPEF’s parent advisory committee, said the issue is consuming an inordinate amount of time at the White House and elsewhere in the Obama Administration. The National Space Policy reaffirms the U.S. Government’s commitment to GPS services and interference mitigation for GPS and similar systems.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:14 pm ET
Sunset Launch Visible Along Mid-Atlantic Coast Tonight
Weather permitting — and there’s a really good chance it will not be — the first Operationally Responsive Space satellite, ORS-1, will be launched at sunset today. The launch from Wallops Island, Virginia should be visible along portions of the Mid-Atlantic East Coast.
Launch of the Minotaur 1 rocket with the ORS-1 satellite is scheduled for 8:28 pm EDT. The Air Force satellite will launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) at the southern portion of the DELMARVA (Delware-Maryland-Virginia) peninsula. A NASA map showing areas where the launch should be visible is available on WFF’s website. The website states that as of yesterday evening there was a 70 percent chance that weather will prevent the launch. Launch opportunities extend through July 10.
ORS-1 is a small reconnaissance satellite that is part of an effort to build and launch comparatively simple satellites more quickly than traditional satellites in response to urgent needs of field commanders. The goal for ORS-1 was to launch within 24 months of getting approval to build it. It fell short of that time frame. It is the first operational satellite of its type; two precursors (TacSat-2 and TacSat-3) were previously launched.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:17 pm ET
Bolden to Speak at National Press Club on Friday
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden will speak at the National Press Club at 1:00 pm EDT this Friday, July 1. The event will be shown on NASA TV and streamed at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:12 pm ET
House Appropriators Again Deny Pu-238 Funding in DOE Bill
Once again, congressional appropriators have turned down the Administration’s request for funding within the Department of Energy (DOE) bill to restart production of plutonium-238 (Pu-238) needed for NASA’s space probes.
In a report filed on Friday (H. Rept. 112-118 to accompany H. R. 2354), the House Appropriations Committee said that it remained concerned that the Administration wants DOE to pay for half the costs when it is NASA that benefits from the Pu-238.
“The Committee remains concerned that the Administration continues to request equal funding from NASA and the Department of Energy for a project that primarily benefits NASA. The Committee provides no funds for this project, and encourages the Administration to devise a plan for this project that more closely aligns the costs paid by federal agencies with the benefits they receive.”
This is the third time congressional appropriators have said no to providing DOE funds. in the FY2010 budget request, the Administration wanted DOE to fund all of the costs because historically DOE has built all of NASA’s radioisotope power supplies (RPS’s). DOE is the only U.S. entity permitted by law to make or store nuclear materials. NASA uses RPS’s to provide warmth and electricity for spacecraft that travel too far from the Sun to use solar energy or spend long periods in darkness on lunar or planetary surfaces.
The United States ceased production of Pu-238 years ago and NASA has been using Pu-238 purchased from Russia. Those supplies also are running dry, hence the need to restart production domestically. The National Research Council issued a report in 2009 calling the situation urgent.
In FY2010, Congress said no to DOE paying the full costs ($30 million). In the FY2011 budget request, the Administration proposed that NASA and DOE split the costs. Congress turned that down, too. The Administration requested the same thing for FY2012 and it does not look as though they have yet persuaded appropriators that DOE should pay half.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:14 pm ET
UPDATE 2: Events of Interest: Week of June 26-July 1, 2011
UPDATE 2: Administrator Bolden’s talk to the National Press Club on Friday was added. We also had added information about a Thursday meeting on space acquisition, but registration is full.; NO MORE RSVP’S PLEASE.
The following events may be of interest today and in the coming week. For more information, see our calendar on the right menu or click the links below. The House is in recess this week; the Senate is in session.
Sunday, June 26
- Laura Delgado interviewed on The Space Show with David Livingston, 3:00-4:30 pm EDT (noon-1:30 Pacific), listen and call in or email questions at http://www.thespaceshow.com.
Monday, June 27
- NASA media telecon with NASA Chief Scientist and NASA Chief Technologist, 12:00 pm (noon) EDT, listen at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio
Tuesday, June 28
- NASA press conference following Flight Readiness Review (FRR) for final space shuttle launch (STS-135, Atlantis), time TBD (check back here or follow NASA on Twitter where the time for the press conference will be announced)
Thursday, June 30
- THIS EVENT IS FULL; NO MORE RSVP’S PLEASE. CS3/Space Foundation meeting on Space Acquisition: Cost Control Through Competition or Economies of Scale, Capitol Visitor Center, room SVC 210-12, 12:00 – 3:00 pm EDT. THIS EVENT IS FULL; NO MORE RSVP’S PLEASE.
Friday, July 1
- NASA Administrator Bolden will talk to the National Press Club, Washington, DC, 1:00 pm EDT. Watch on NASA TV or listen at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:18 pm ET
House to Hold Hearing on NASA's New Space Launch System
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee today announced that it will hold a hearing about NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) in two weeks.
The hearing is scheduled for July 12 at 10:00 am EDT in 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is listed as the only witness. Congress has been anxiously awaiting NASA’s plan for building the SLS. It directed NASA to build this heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. NASA was supposed to submit a report about its reference design for the system in January 2011. A report was submitted, but it was only an interim version.
Earlier this week, the bi-partisan leadership of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee threatened to subpoena NASA documents about SLS and other matters that it requested in May if NASA does not provide them by next Monday.
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:14 pm ET
Laura Delgado to be Interviewed on The Space Show This Sunday
SpacePolicyOnline.com correspondent Laura Delgado will be interviewed on David Livingston’s The Space Show this Sunday, June 26. Listen at 3:00-4:30 pm EDT (12:00-1:30 pm Pacific time) as they discuss the wisdom of continuing to try to sell space exploration to the public by using the analogy of westward expansion in the United States — the frontier metaphor. The show is streamed live at http://www.thespaceshow.com and listeners may call in or email questions.
Ms. Delgado recently wrote about her views on the relevance of the frontier metaphor to the 21st Century space program for our website and for Space News. She believes the paradigms of the past may not make sense today. Join in the debate on Sunday!
Last Updated: Dec 05, 2011 6:14 pm ET
Senators Threaten to Subpoena NASA Documents
The chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee have written to NASA warning that they will issue a subpoena for NASA documents if the agency does not supply them by 6:00 pm on Monday, June 27.
Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) sent the letter on Wednesday. Referring to a previous letter they sent on May 18, the bipartisan committee leadership complained that NASA “has repeatedly refused to provide documents the Senate Commerce Committee needs to conduct appropriate oversight of your agency.” Saying that NASA had provided only a “partial response” to the May 18 letter, the Senators went on to say that “you have thwarted our oversight activities by witholding key documents” including “at least 19 separate drafts of a report it is required to submit to Congress under Section 309” of the 2010 NASA Authorization Act.
The letter highlights the continuing tension between the White House and Congress over the future of the U.S. human spaceflight program that has been the subject of numerous hearings since last year. Section 309 of the Act requires NASA to submit a report on how it will fulfill the Act’s requirements to build a new Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) to enable human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The report was required to be submitted by January 2011, but only an interim report was provided.
Congress is growing increasingly impatient with Administration delays in submitting the final report. NASA announced in May that the Orion capsule started under President George W. Bush’s Constellation program would be used for the MPCV, and reportedly is close to announcing its plans for the SLS. The most recent rumor is that the announcement will be made before the final space shuttle launch currently scheduled for July 8.