What's Happening in Space Policy November 2-8, 2014
Here is our list of space policy-related events for the week of November 2 – 8, 2014 and any insight we can offer about them. Congress returns on November 12. …
NTSB Investigation of SS2 Accident Begins, Branson on Site at Mojave
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, arrived in Mojave, CA today following the crash of his SpaceShipTwo (SS2) spaceplane yesterday. The crash killed one pilot and seriously injured a second. National …
NTSB Says SS2 Debris Field Indicates In-Flight Breakup, Scaled Identifies Pilots
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said tonight that the wreckage from the SpaceShipTwo (SS2) crash yesterday is spread over 5 miles and that indicates an in-flight breakup. Earlier today, Scaled …
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Destroyed, Status of Pilots Unknown
Virgin Galactic confirmed moments ago that a SpaceShipTwo vehicle was destroyed this afternoon during an in-flight test. The status of the pilots is not known. The company issued a statement …
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo Crashes in Mojave Desert; One Killed, One Injured
SpaceShipTwo, an air-launched spaceplane designed to take passengers into space on suborbital journeys, crashed in the Mojave Desert during a test flight today (October 31, 2014). Two pilots were aboard. …
China's Lunar Sample Return Test Spacecraft Due to Return Friday EDT – UPDATE
UPDATE: China’s Xinhua news service reported on October 31, 2014 EDT that the return capsule successfully landed. China’s lunar sample return test spacecraft, launched a week ago, is due to return …
Data Show Antares Rocket Fine for First 15 Seconds, Then First Stage Failure
Orbital Sciences Corporation said today that telemetry from the Antares rocket that failed on Tuesday night indicates that there were no issues before launch or for the first 15 seconds …
GAO Worries DOD Disaggregation Decisions May Be Poorly Informed
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) talked to many experts and reviewed a host of reports on DOD’s plans for disaggregation of some of its satellite systems. In the end, GAO concluded that …
Antares Failure: Damage Not Too Bad, Identifying Likely Cause Days Not Weeks Away
Orbital Sciences Corporation said today that an initial survey of the Antares launch pad and surrounding areas at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, VA shows that the damage is not as …
Russian Cargo Ship Docks with ISS
Cargo launches to the International Space Station (ISS) usually are so routine that they barely get mentioned in the news, but the docking of a Russian Progress spacecraft this morning …