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NASA’s budget during the next decade will either be flat or decline. Moreover, NASA is no longer planning on using Russian rockets to service the space station. As a result, the commercial space industry may be reaching a “tipping point” whereby the commercial space industry will need to take over the heavy lifting of supplying the space station and getting payloads into orbit. The 15th annual commercial space transportation conference, which took place on February 15-16 in Washington DC, grappled with the myriad issues associated with attracting private investment into commercial space exploration.
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The NewSpace Daily
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Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 31 Flight Engineers Don Pettit and Joe Acaba of NASA and Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency fielded questions from reporters May 26, just hours after opening the hatch to SpaceX's Dragon vehicle, the world's first commercial cargo craft launched by the private sector to assist in the resupply of the international complex. Dragon will remain berthed to Harmony until May 31, enabling the crew to unload supplies for the station's residents before it is re-grappled and released to return to Earth for a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California. The hatch between the newly arrived SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the Harmony module of the International Space Station was opened by NASA Astronaut Don Pettit at 5:53 am EDT as the station flew 253 miles above Auckland, New Zealand. The hatch opening begins four days of operations to upload more than 1,000 pounds of cargo from the first commercial spacecraft to visit the space station and reload it with experiments and cargo for a return trip to Earth. It is scheduled for splashdown several hundred miles west of California on May 31 
The ISS crew opened the hatchwith Dragon at 5:53 am EDT this morning and are now preparing Dragon to have its cargo unloaded. 
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (May 25, 2012) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the nonprofit organization managing research on the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, congratulates SpaceX on today’s successful berthing of the Dragon capsule to the ISS.
The success marks a significant milestone in bringing ISS cargo delivery and return capabilities back to the U.S. Currently, U.S. cargo is delivered to the ISS via Russian, European and Japanese launch vehicles.
Unlike other vehicles, Dragon offers not just the ability to make ISS deliveries but also to safely return significant amounts of cargo to Earth – a key to maximizing research on the ISS, which is CASIS’ ultimate goal. Once NASA has formally approved Dragon to make regular resupply flights to the ISS, CASIS will work with the company to ferry cutting edge research payloads to and from the National Lab. 
The successful docking of the first commercial spacecraft ever to reach the International Space Station Friday (May 25) is drawing high praise from private spaceflight supporters and space enthusiasts.
The unmanned Dragon capsule built by California-based SpaceX arrived at the space station early Friday, with astronauts capturing the gumdrop-shaped spacecraft with a robotic arm and parking it at an open docking port.
Dragon's arrival at the space station is a major success for SpaceX, which has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to provide 12 more Dragon flights to the station to deliver vital supplies. But the docking is also a huge step forward for commercial spaceflightin general and the accolades for space industry leaders are pouring in. The Space Station has caught the Dragon by the tail. It’s the first instance of the success of the new NASA policy. A long time ago some of us said that NASA shouldn’t be running operations, they should create markets and let the industry take care of the rest. The government doesn’t operate the railroads, or the airlines, or the trucking industry, even though a great deal of rail, airline freight and passenger, and highway freight is government stuff. Fort Hood doesn’t operate trucking lines to go out and bring food to the mess halls. It pays for delivery. Thus should it be with NASA, and this was the 1980 recommendation of such outfits as The Citizens Advisory Council on National Space Policy – sometimes known as one of Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet groups” that wrote the transition team papers on space policy for the incoming Reagan Administration of 1981. One of the papers in that report was “How to save civilization and make a little money,” by Art Dula and Larry Niven after a discussion with the full panel. It outlined how to create a commercial space policy.
Today’s berthing of the privately-built Dragon capsule with the International Space Station requires a bit of perspective to make clear the importance of this achievement.
There are or have been five other spacecraft capable of doing a rendezvous and docking with ISS: the space shuttle (now retired), Russia’s Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, Europe’s ATV (with its production line shut down), and Japan’s HTV. All five of these spacecraft were built as part of a national government program. All comprised their nation’s sole manner for reaching ISS. With the exception of the Russian craft (which were built during the Soviet era when actual cost was difficult to measure), all cost billions to build.
Now there is a sixth spacecraft, Dragon, that can do this. Soon there will be a seventh, Cygnus, built by Orbital Sciences. Unlike the government-built spacecraft above, these two spacecraft are privately built. Both cost far far less than any of the government-built spacecraft. And both were built in far less time.
But most important of all, both are American companies. Rather than have one government-built spacecraft (the shuttle), the U.S. now has two. Soon we will have more. While every other country can only manage one way to get to ISS, the U.S. is demonstrating the capability of having multiple private companies build multiple spacecraft for getting into space.
Why is this? How is it possible for the United States to literally double and maybe triple the capability of all other countries in the world?
The secret is simple. It is called freedom. Rather than having the government dictate a single way of doing things, the U.S. is finally, after forty-plus years, following its cultural tradition and allowing its citizens to dictate what should be built. The result is a robust, competing aerospace industry. 
SpaceX has docked the first commercial spacecraft, the Dragon capsule, at the ISS. Just before launch, SpaceX founder Elon Musk discussed how he hopes to make a difference in orbit...and beyond. 
The International Space Station's robotic arm on Friday reached out and snared a cargo carrier built by SpaceX, making history after the privately-built Dragon spacecraft made a cautious laser-guided approach to the complex, becoming the first commercial spaceship to reach the massive scientific research facility.
Astronaut Don Pettit at the controls of the station's Canadian robotic arm grappled the free-floating Dragon spacecraft at 9:56 a.m. EDT (1356 GMT) as it hovered about 30 feet below.
"Looks like we've got a Dragon by the tail," Pettit radioed mission control moments after he locked onto the craft with the space station's 58-foot Canadian robot arm.
Applause broke out in mission control centers in Houston and Hawthorne, Calif., at SpaceX headquarters. 
Tomorrow astronauts onboard the International Space Station will open the hatch of SpaceX's Dragon capsule. This event isn't just a simple door opening between two spacecraft - it opens the door to a future in which U.S. industry can and will deliver huge benefits for U.S. space exploration.
Launched into space on the third flight of the Falcon 9 rocket Tuesday, the Dragon capsule unfurled its solar panels and on Thursday flew around the International Space Station to complete the COTS 2 flight milestones. Dragon continued to make history today by carefully approaching and then being grappled by the Station crew, fulfilling the requirements for COTS 3 and demonstrating a cargo delivery capability. This means that upon returning to Earth, Dragon will have met all its goals safely and is ready for regular cargo operations.
The Stratolaunch system has entered system design review (SDR), says team partner Dynetics, a key milestone in designing the unique and complex launch vehicle.
After completing SDR, design will continue until the preliminary design review (PDR) in the fall, and the critical design review (CDR) in mid-2013. After CDR, the aircraft's design will be finalized and hardware construction will begin. 
Today's first post-shuttle visit to the International Space Station by a U.S.-made spaceship won high-level praise from the White House, NASA Headquarters, Congress and other circles. Here's a sampling of the reaction: 
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates SpaceX and NASA for the successful berthing of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station today. NASA gave the green light for final approach after Dragon successfully demonstrated approach, pause and abort maneuvers, and other systems performance checks. SpaceX is the first private company in history to berth with the ISS.
SpaceX's Dragon capsule launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on May 22 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. In the days preceding its berthing with the station, Dragon has performed systems checks, maintained communications, and demonstrated various hold and retreat maneuvers away from the Station and on approach. Once cleared by NASA, Dragon autonomously approached the Space Station, where it was grappled by the Station's robotic arm and brought in to berth. |
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA, Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency and Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA grappled and berthed the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the station's Harmony module May 25, 2012, marking a milestone in spaceflight history. Dragon became the first commercially developed space vehicle to be launched to the station to join Russian, European and Japanese resupply craft that service the complex while restoring a U.S. capability to deliver cargo to the orbital laboratory. 
The irony is that NASA, after years of ineptitude and broken promises regarding commercial space, finally seems to “get it.” That did not come naturally. Over decades, NASA has made the mistake of thinking it could both enjoy the benefits of a free market and manage the market. It tried to project demand for services that did not exist at price points no one could know. It coerced public-private partnerships that badly meshed its own unique requirements and taste for exotic new technologies together with the private sector's desire for the cheap, the proven and the reliable.
But NASA has learned how to help and stay out of the way. Witness COTS, the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program for cargo, and the follow-on Commercial Crew program. This new thrust began during the administration of President George W. Bush, and Barack Obama's has sought to accelerate it. 
A new first was achieved today (May 26) when astronauts on the International Space Station opened the door to their newest spacecraft visitor, the private capsule Dragon.
Dragon, built by commercial company SpaceX, arrived at the space station on Friday (May 25) and was attached to the outpost's Harmony node at 12:02 p.m. EDT (1602 GMT). It is the first private vehicle ever to visit the $100 billion space station, which is a partnership between five international space agencies.
This morning, after checking the seal between the station and spacecraft for leaks, NASA astronaut Don Pettit opened the hatch leading into the Dragon at5:53 a.m. EDT (0953 GMT) as the two spacecraft orbited 253 miles (407 kilometers) above the Earth, just west of Auckland, New Zealand. The National Space Society (NSS) congratulates Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) on a successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket and first docking of their Dragon space capsule with the International Space Station (ISS). “SpaceX has achieved a milestone in commercial space development by being the first private company to make it to the International Space Station,” said Paul E. Damphousse, Executive Director of the National Space Society. “NASA and the commercial space team is joining together both symbolically and physically for this historic event. This marks the very first use of a privately operated rocket system to deliver cargo to the ISS, ushering in a new era of commercial space enterprise. Their successful flight is a testament to SpaceX’s commitment to making space travel missions much less expensive and much more routine.” 
WASHINGTON — Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is poised to begin full-fledged commercial operations following the successful launch and berthing of its cargo-carrying Dragon capsule to the international space station May 25.
The mission lends a strong dose of credibility to U.S. President Barack Obama’s controversial plan to commercialize astronaut crew transportation to and from low Earth orbit, as congressional critics of the strategy joined supporters in praising the company’s historic achievement. SpaceX is among several companies vying for NASA funding assistance to develop astronaut taxi services.
“After today, there are many more believers in commercial spaceflight than just an hour ago,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said while giving a speech at the International Space Development Conference here while the Dragon capture operation was under way. In 1974, the influential and widely circulated Business Week ran a story on Seymour Cray and his supercomputer, which it called “the machine that will change the world.” That same month, Popular Electronics, a small hobbyist publication which almost no one read, ran a cover story on the Altair 8800. Not “the machine that will change the world,” but “the computer you can build.” The Altair was not a powerful computer, and almost nobody took it seriously, except the people who wanted one – and there were a lot of them. Of course, we know which machine ultimately changed the world...
What does success sound like?
Think 1,800 SpaceX employees chanting your name after your personal rocket docks with the International Space Station.
Enter Elon Musk, billionaire entrepreneur.
“We love you, Elon!” a woman yelled over the din at SpaceX HQ. It had been an hour since Musk’s Dragon became the first private vehicle to dock successfully with the space station.
“I love you guys, too,” Musk replied, chuckling. He wore a sporty black jacket over a black t-shirt looking fresh-faced and giddy; SpaceX employees stood at their Hawthorne, Calif., headquarters just off camera from the NASA TV feed carrying the event. The chanting and cheering continued for another half minute—the release of three days, six hours and 11 minutes worth of rocket-related tension since launch, plus two years worth of development. 
WASHINGTON -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden offered his congratulations to the International Space Station Expedition 31 crew and mission flight control teams at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., following Friday's successful first-time berthing of a commercial company spacecraft, SpaceX's Dragon, to the space station.
Bolden talked with NASA astronauts Don Pettit and Joe Acaba, and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers during a call to the space station Friday afternoon live on NASA Television. Bolden told the crew, "You made history today and have firmly locked into place the future direction of America's space program." 
Hawthorne, CA – Today, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) made history when its Dragon spacecraft became the first commercial vehicle in history to successfully attach to the International Space Station. Previously only four governments – the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency – had achieved this challenging technical feat.
The vehicle was grappled by station’s robotic arm at 9:56 a.m. Eastern. It was pulled in Dragon’s passive common berthing mechanism successfully attached to the orbiting laboratory at 12:02 PM Eastern.
Broadcast quality videos, including video inside of the SpaceX factory, may be downloaded at vimeo.com/spacexlaunch and high-resolution photos are posted at spacexlaunch.zenfolio.com. 
On a Hong Kong bus this week, as I checked my Twitter stream on my mobile phone, a tweet from Nasa, America's space agency, arrived. It reminded me that Space Exploration Technologies' Falcon 9 spaceship was about to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Nasa was running a live stream. I tuned in.
As the bus neared my downtown destination, I watched as the rocket lifted off and flew safely into orbit. The experience was mind-bending. It was also one of those times when I've been most powerfully aware of the digital revolution's impacts on our world. 
Today, history was made in space. For the first time, an American private spacecraft is now docked with the International Space Station. Some leaders in the space community issued the following statements: 
The historic arrival of a private capsule at the International Space Station today marks the dawn of a new era in spaceflight and exploration, NASA and industry officials say.
SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule docked at the huge orbiting station at 12:02 p.m. EDT (1602 GMT) today (May 25), becoming the first commercial spacecraft in history to do so. Dragon's success shows that commercial spaceships have the right stuff, and it should pavetheway for many more of them to get off the ground in the future, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said.
"I think it's a great day for the country and for the world," Musk said in a post-docking press conference Friday. "This really is, I think, going to be recognized as a significantly historical step forward in space travel, and hopefully the first of many to come." |
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