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Third Time's the Charm — Russia's Proton Rocket Successfully Orbits SES-4

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 14, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 14, 2012 11:13 pm ET

Russia succeeded in launching a communications satellite for SES today after two previous attempts were scrubbed.

In an anomalous situation for the Russian space launch industry, two previous attempts to launch the SES satellite in December 2011 and January 2012 encountered technical problems close to launch and the rocket had to be removed from the launch pad for repairs. Designated SES-4 or NSS-14, the satellite was successfully lofted today. The need to roll back from the launch pad received considerable media attention because Russia’s aerospace industry is experiencing an unusual wave of accidents and failures.

Last Updated: Feb 14, 2012 11:13 pm ET

USGS Director: Landsat Has Many Fans, But Affordable Solution Needed for Future

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 14, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 16, 2012 12:52 pm ET

Marcia McNutt, Director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), said today that the Obama Administration is “full of fans of Landsat,” but that an affordable solution must be found to continue this series of land remote sensing satellites.

McNutt spoke at a briefing on the FY2013 budget request for USGS, part of the Department of the Interior. USGS is requesting $1.1 billion for FY2013, a $35 million increase over its FY2012 level. The request includes $53.3 million for USGS activities related to operating and disseminating data from Landsat 5 and 7, the two satellites now in orbit, and developing the ground system for the next in the series, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) or Landsat 8. NASA is funding the development and launch of the LDCM spacecraft. It is scheduled for launch in January 2013.

The pressing question is what comes next. The Landsat user community has grown tremendously since the data were made available for free in 2008. The medium resolution (30 meter and 15 meter) data from Landsat satellites have little commercial value compared to the high resolution (less than 1 meter) data available from companies like GeoEye and DigitalGlobe. Nonetheless, the data are critical for many applications, especially in agriculture and land use studies. The first Landsat (then called ERTS) was launched by NASA in 1972 and the resulting 40-year data-set is considered invaluable. The Landsat program has endured a tumultuous programmatic history and survives largely because of a strong and vocal user base.

Users now are worried about a gap in data acquisition both between now and when Landsat 8 is operational because Landsat 5 and 7 are failing, as well as after Landsat 8 stops functioning. Landsat 8 has a five-year design lifetime. Landsat 5 and 7 have operated long past their design lifetimes, but users cannot bank on that happening with future satellites. Landsat 5 was launched in 1984. Its operations were suspended last fall after it experienced an electronics failure. Landsat 7 was launched in 1999 and its data have been degraded since 2003 because of a failure in its scan line corrector.

In the FY2012 budget request, the Obama Administration proposed transferring the entire Landsat program to USGS, which would take responsibility for developing requirements and funding development, launch, and operation of future satellites. USGS is willing to take on the role, but Congress rejected the plan because of concerns about negative impacts on other parts of the USGS budget. Congress gave USGS only $2 million in FY2012 for studies related to the next in the series, Landsat 9.

McNutt said that USGS is working with NASA, NOAA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on how to craft an affordable program that would keep the Department of the Interior in the lead because “everyone is still convinced” USGS is the agency that best understands the user community.

For FY2013, however, USGS is not even requesting $2 million to keep level with FY2012. At today’s budget briefing, Matt Larsen, Associate Director for Climate & Land Use Change, said that only “a quarter of a million” — $250,000 — is in the budget proposal for Landsat 9 studies. USGS requested the National Research Council to conduct a study and make recommendations on how to implement a sustained land imaging program. Larsen said that would be one input to deliberations among Administration stakeholders, but that it also will release a Request for Information to the Landsat community in the coming weeks.

Last Updated: Feb 16, 2012 12:52 pm ET

Events of Interest: Week of February 13-18, 2012

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 12, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 12, 2012 4:34 pm ET

The following events may be of interest in the coming week. Click on the links below or on our right menu, or check our full calendar also on the right menu, for more details.

The House and Senate are both in session this week. Times, dates and witnesses for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check the relevant committee’s website for up to date information.

During the Week

Release of President Obama’s budget request for FY2013 will dominate conversation in Washington this week, even though many politicians and pundits already have declared it “dead on arrival.” Champions of defense spending, for example, are criticizing the depth of proposed Pentagon cuts even as Republicans insist that the deficit must be dramatically reduced by cutting federal spending and not raising taxes. The President’s Budget Request (PBR) does not reflect “sequestration,” the poison pill Congress and the White House included in the Budget Control Act last summer that would impose even more stringent cuts on both defense and non-defense discretionary spending. The failure of last year’s congressional supercommittee to reach agreement on other methods of cutting the deficit officially meant that sequestration should be in effect, but no one at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue wants to swallow that pill. Ignoring it appears to be the game plan of the moment. The shrill partisan debate that characterized Washington last year seems destined to be repeated this year, amplified by election year politics. What will happen to space program funding is anyone’s guess. Nonetheless, release of the budget tomorrow is the opening shot of the FY2013 budget debate. Many departments and agencies are holding briefings tomorrow or later in the week. Noted below are those most strongly related to space policy.

This is also the final week of the WRC-12 conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The last week is usually the most interesting — where major deals are cut. We’ll keep you posted of anything that might dramatically affect allocation of frequencies or orbital slots for satellites.

Monday, February 13

President Obama speaks to students at Northern Virginia Community College about the FY2013 Budget Request, Annandale, VA, 11:00 am ET, officially kicking off this year’s debate
White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Government Printing Office (GPO) release the FY2013 budget request at GPO, 11:15 am.
OMB and other White House officials hold press conference on FY2013 budget request, White House Eisenhower Executive Office Building, 12:30 pm ET
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) briefing on R&D and STEM Education in the FY2013 budget request, AAAS auditorium, 1200 New York Avenue, N.W., 1:30-2:30 pm ET
NASA FY2013 budget briefing, NASA Headquarters, 2:00 pm ET, followed by individual teleconference briefings by the mission directorates and the chief technologist, see this NASA press release for details but HEOMD is at 3:30, SMD at 4:30, OCT at 5:15, and ARMD at 6:00). NASA budget information will be posted on the NASA budget website at 1:00 pm ET.
DOD FY2013 budget briefing, the Pentagon, 2:00 pm ET, followed by individual briefings by the Army, Navy and Air Force (see this DOD press release for details but Air Force is at 4:45)
Kennedy Space Center Director Cabana available at KSC press site to discuss FY2013 budget request, Kennedy Space Center , FL, 4:15 pm ET

Tuesday, February 14

SpacePolicyOnline.com loves our readers and wishes you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!
NASA Pre-Proposal Conference for Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCAP) solicitation, Courtyard Marriott, Cocoa Beach, FL, starting at 8:30 am ET
NASA “Industry and Academia Day” for Space Launch System Advanced Development, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, beginning at 9:30 am CT (10:30 am ET)
SASC Hearing on FY2013 DOD budget request, G-50 Dirksen, 9:30 am ET
USGS budget briefing, USGS Headquarters, Reston, VA, 1:00 pm ET
AIAA Commercial Space Update, Lockheed Martin Global Vision Center, Arlington, VA, 2:30-4:30 pm ET (you must have RSVP’d to AIAA by last Friday to attend — see the Feb. 14th entry on our full calendar for details)

Wednesday, February 15

HASC hearing on FY2013 DOD budget request, 2118 Rayburn, 10:00 am ET
Space Transportation Association (STA) meeting with Johnson Space Center Director Mike Coats, 253 Russell, 5:00 pm ET (you must RSVP)

Wednesday-Thursday, February 15-16

FAA 15th annual Commercial Space Transportation conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC

Thursday, February 16

House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing on FY2013 DOD budget request, 2359 Rayburn, 10:00 am ET
NOAA budget briefing, Department of Commerce main building, 14th Street and Constitution Ave., NW, 1:00 pm ET

Friday, February 17

House SS&T Hearing on FY2013 budget request for Federal R&D, 2318 Rayburn, 9:30 am ET

Friday-Saturday, February 17-18

NASA Celebrates 50 Years of Americans in Orbit, NASA TV and Kennedy Space Center, FL

Last Updated: Feb 12, 2012 4:34 pm ET

Attempt at High-Altitude Commercial ""Spaceflight"" Jump Resumes

By Laura Delgado | Posted: February 12, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: July 27, 2017 8:20 am ET

After being halted by a multi-million dollar lawsuit last year (see our story), daredevil Felix Baumgartner’s attempt to be the first human to break the speed of sound in freefall from a high altitude balloon is slated to take place this year.

Wearing a pressurized suit, Baumgartner will jump from a balloon in the stratosphere at an altitude of 120,000 feet — from “the edge of space” as his sponsor Red Bull Stratos proclaims. In addition to the publicity value, the venture seeks to provide medical and scientific data that may be relevant for future human spaceflight missions. Baumgartner not only wants to be the first human to break the speed of sound in free-fall, but aims to break three records that Red Bull Stratos asserts have remained in place for fifty years: highest “manned” balloon flight, highest skydive and longest skydive. Baumgartner plans to skydive for 5 minutes 30 seconds. Red Bull Stratos states that the current records were set by Col. Joseph Kittinger, Jr. in August 1960, when he came close to breaking the speed of sound. He serves as an advisor and a mentor to Baumgartner on the project.

During that flight, Kittinger jumped from a balloon at an altitude of 102,800 feet, freefell for four-and-a-half minutes and reached speeds up to 614 miles per hour according to the U.S. Centenntial of Flight Commission.

The Commission, however, credits Malcolm Ross and Victor Prather with the highest altitude flight during a 1961 mission when they reached 113,740 feet. Prather completed the flight, but died after falling from the sling of the rescue helicopter. The FAI, the French organization that keeps official records for aviation and related fields, credits Ross with the altitude record.

Baumgartner and his team are in the final preparations of their project after completing testing in a vacuum chamber in Texas and moving on to the location of the jump in Roswell, New Mexico.

The success of the venture may well depend on Baumgartner’s only protection from the extreme conditions of the stratosphere, a pressurized suit that, according to the BBC, is similar to but tougher and more mobile than a NASA astronaut space suit.

RedBull.com says “This mission is all about pioneer work. Maybe one day people will look back and say it was Felix Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team that helped to develop the suit that they’re wearing in space. We want to do something for posterity.”

Last Updated: Jul 27, 2017 8:20 am ET

LightSquared Gets Pounded Again at Another Congressional Hearing

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 8, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 8, 2012 11:48 pm ET

Potential interference between LightSquared’s satellite-terrestrial mobile broadband system and GPS was the subject of yet another congressional hearing today. Numerous hearings were held last year in a variety of House committees, each warning of calamitous consequences if LightSquared is allowed to implement its system. Today’s hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) committee was no different.

The hearing comes less than two weeks after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its most recent directive about LIghtSquared. Noting that the FY2012 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act (part of the FY2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act) prohibits the FCC from allowing LightSquared to proceed until “concerns of potential widespread harmful interference” are resolved, the FCC declined to grant a request from LightSquared to make a declaratory ruling that GPS devices are not protected against harmful interference as long as LightSquared abides by the FCC’s technical parameters.

The company launched a high powered satellite, SkyTerra, in 2010 to use in a mobile broadband system, but requested permission from the FCC to augment the satellite capacity with a network of 40,000 terrestrial cell towers — an Ancillary Technical Component (ATC) in FCC terminology. In January 2011, the FCC gave LightSquared provisional permission to proceed with the ATC, but the provision was that it had to form a technical committee to perform tests to determine the extent to which interference with GPS would occur. The radio frequency bands assigned to LightSquared are adjacent to some of the GPS bands.

The 2011 FCC decision prompted an outcry from GPS user communities. Tests conducted by the FCC-required technical committee demonstrated that interference would indeed be a problem. LightSquared modified its plans and also complained that it has complied with all of the FCC’s technical requirements. It asserts that the interference is the fault of GPS receiver manufacturers who did not properly design the receivers.

Another round of tests was ordered last fall, but the results were similar. On January 13, 2012, the government’s National Space-Based PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) Advisory Board, which is playing a leading role in opposing LightSquared’s plans, sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) stating its “unanimous conclusion … that both LightSquared’s original and modified plans … would cause harmful interference to many GPS receivers.” NTIA, part of the Department of Commerce, oversees government use of radio frequencies, while the FCC governs their use by the private sector.

LightSquared complained that the tests were “rigged.” It called on NTIA and the FCC to conduct another round of tests and for “fair and transparent oversight of the testing process….”

Aviation interests have been particularly vocal in opposing LightSquared because GPS is widely used in the aviation industry. At today’s hearing before the aviation subcommittee of the House T&I committee, Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari said no further testing was warranted at this time. He added that the most recent tests were independently reviewed by Idaho National Lab and MIT Lincoln Lab. Expanding broadband access to more Americans is a major goal of the Obama Administration, he said, but LightSquared is incompatible with “FAA requirements for low-altitude operations” near LightSquared transmitters. Noting that the FAA had already spent over $2 million in testing and analyzing LightSquared’s proposal, he argued that further government investment “cannot be justified at this time.”

Other witnesses at the hearing represented the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a U.N. specialized agency that sets global standards and regulations for aviation safety; the Air Transport Association; the Air Line Pilots Association; the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Garmin AT, Inc.; and George Washington University.

Last Updated: Feb 08, 2012 11:48 pm ET

AIA: U.S. Lost Thousands of Jobs, Billions of Dollars Because of Export Law

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 7, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 7, 2012 11:00 pm ET

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) released a new report and several fact sheets today about the negative impact of U.S. export controls on that industry. AIA concludes that changes made in 1999 that put all satellites and their components on the U.S. Munitions List cost the satellite manufacturing industry $20.8 billion between 1999 and 2009, which translates into 27,893 jobs lost annually during that time period.

AIA released its most recent report on the impact of export controls on the aerospace industry and the satellite industry-specific fact sheets in conjunction with a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on export reform. AIA’s President, Marion Blakey, testified along with Patricia Cooper, President of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA).

As they have for many years, the two associations recounted the loss of global market share for U.S. companies since the late 1990s when Congress dictated that all satellites and their components be treated as munitions under U.S. export laws. Congress acted in the wake of an investigation that concluded U.S. satellite manfacturing companies aided the development of China’s launch vehicles, close cousins of missiles with their obvious national security implications. At the time, U.S.-made satellites could be exported to China for launch. After several Chinese launch vehicle failures where U.S.-built satellites were lost, satellite manufacturers Loral and Hughes (now Boeing) aided China in its accident investigations, but did not adhere to the export control restrictions in place at the time.

The so-called Cox Committee, chaired by then-Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA) investigated the Loral-Hughes incident. Its findings led to language in the FY1999 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 105-261) placing satellites and their components on the U.S. Munitions List of items whose exports are controlled by the State Department.

For most of the 1990s, commercial communications satellites were under the jurisdiction of the dual-use Commerce Control List administered by the Department of Commerce. The Cox committee and the new law changed that. No U.S. satellites, or satellites containing U.S. components, can be exported to China now under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). European satellite manufacturers have used the opportunity to build “ITAR-free” satellites that can be exported to China for launch, an advantage for satellite owners who thus can take advantage of China’s relatively low launch prices.

Ordinarily the Executive Branch determines what items are on each list, and SIA’s Patricia Cooper testified today that her organization wants that responsibility returned to the Executive Branch. “Satellites are the only category of products mandated by Congress for blanket treatment as munitions….SIA asks that Congress remove this blanket requirement and restore Executive Branch authority over regulation of satellite export controls,” she said.

At the same time, she insisted that the satellite industry is not seeking any changes in how exports to China are handled: “Further, SIA and its members do not seek any legislative erosion of safeguards already in place that have effectively prohibited satellite technology exports to China.”

Last Updated: Feb 07, 2012 11:00 pm ET

Events of Interest: Week of February 6-11, 2012-UPDATE

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 5, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 6, 2012 10:47 am ET

UPDATE: NASA’s Commercial Crew Forum on Tuesday has been added.

The following events may be of interest in the coming week. The House and Senate both will be in session this week.

During the Week

These events may be of special interest. The Senate is expected to pass the conference report on the FAA reauthorization bill (H.R. 658) on Monday. The impact on the aerospace industry, especially the satellite industry, of current export laws will be highlighted at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday. Issues about GPS will get another airing on Wednesday before the aviation subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The WRC-12 conference in Geneva continues.

Tuesday, February 7

House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Export Controls (AIA and SIA testify), 2172 Rayburn, 10:00 am ET
NASA Commercial Crew Program Forum, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET

Tuesday-Thursday, February 7-9

National Research Council (NRC) study on Air Force Astrodynamics Standards, Keck Building, Washington, DC (some sessions are closed)

Wednesday, February 8

House Transportation & Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee Hearing on GPS, 2167 Rayburn, 11:00 am ET

Thursday, February 9

NASA International Space Station Advisory Committee, NASA HQ room 1Q39, Washington, DC, 12:00-1:00 pm ET

Friday-Saturday, February 10-11

Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee, NSF HQ, Arlington, VA, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm ET
- Friday, room 555 Stafford II Building, 2121 Wilson Blvd.
- Saturday, room 1060 Stafford I Building, 4201 Wilson Blvd

Last Updated: Feb 06, 2012 10:47 am ET

FAA Reauthorization Nears Passage–UPDATE

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 4, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 6, 2012 11:47 pm ET

UPDATE: The Senate passed the bill on Monday as expected.

ORIGINAL STORY: The House passed a compromise version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill (H.R. 658) on Friday and the Senate plans to vote on it Monday. A four-year extension of current regulations concerning private human spaceflight is included.

Disputes primarily over labor issues have derailed the bill many times since September 2007 when the last authorization expired. Congress passed 23 temporary extensions in the meantime and finally appears to have decided that enough is enough and will pass a compromise that will reauthorize the agency through September 2015.

Among FAA’s many responsibilities is facilitating and regulating commercial space launches through the Office of Commercial Space Transportation. The office was created by the 1984 Commercial Space Transportation Act, which has been amended several times, most recently in 2004 when Congress put in place temporary rules regarding commercial human space transportation. At the time, commercial suborbital flights with companies like Virgin Galactic were expected to begin soon. Congress chose a light regulatory touch to stimulate the commercial potential of this sector, setting requirements for crews, but essentially letting passengers — “space flight participants” — decide for themselves if they want to climb aboard after being informed of the risks. The law said that after eight years of experience with commercial human spaceflight, the FAA could consider stronger regulations if needed.

Eight years have passed, however, and the first commercial human spaceflight has yet to occur. Some in the industry sought to change the law so that the current approach would be extended until eight years after the first commercial human spaceflight, but Sec. 827 of this bill extends it only until October 1, 2015.

Last Updated: Feb 06, 2012 11:47 pm ET

NASA Media Teleconference Today on Changes to ISS Launch Schedule

By Marcia Smith | Posted: February 2, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: February 2, 2012 2:34 pm ET

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 2:00 pm Central Time (3:00 pm ET) this afternoon to discuss changes to the International Space Station (ISS) schedule.

NASA says the teleconference at Johnson Space Center will discuss “progress toward an updated schedule.” The next crew launch to the ISS has been delayed because the Russian Soyuz spacecraft that was to take the crew into space was damaged during testing and is unusable. Russia will provide a replacement spacecraft, but the launch will be delayed from March 30 until the end of April or middle of May.

Meanwhile, the next test launch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 launch vehicle already had been delayed because more work was needed. That test is intended to demostrate Dragon’s ability to berth with the ISS as part of SpaceX’s effort to provide earth-to-ISS cargo services for NASA.

The teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

Last Updated: Feb 02, 2012 2:34 pm ET

Events of Interest: Week of Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2012

By Marcia Smith | Posted: January 29, 2012 12:00 am ET | Last Updated: January 29, 2012 7:02 pm ET

The following events may be of interest in the coming week.

During the Week: The House and Senate are in session this week. The World Radiocommunications Conference continues in Geneva, Switzerland. The conclusions of the Russian commission that investigated the Phobos-Grunt failure are supposed to be made public this week.

Tuesday, January 31

NASA media briefing on new discoveries about interstellar matter, NASA HQ, Washington, DC, 1:00 pm EST

Wednesday, February 1

Screening of film Article of Hope, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 10:00 am EST

Wednesday-Friday, February 1-3

National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Implementation of a Sustained Land Imaging Program, NRC Keck Center, 500 5th St., NW, Washington, DC (some sessions of this meeting may be closed)

Friday, February 3

Secure World Foundation “Trash in the Skies” meeting, 253 Russell Senate Office Building, 12:00 – 1:30 pm EST

Category: Commercial