A veteran Russian cosmonaut and two International Space Station crewmates, one from the United States and one from Germany, returned safely to Earth on Sunday with a parachute landing of their Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan, ending 5-1/2 months in orbit. Maxim Suraev, who was commander of the station during the mission, climbed into the Soyuz craft with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and German flight engineer Alexander Gerst descended through cold, windy and overcast skies to touch down on the frozen steppes northeast of Arkalyk. (11/10)
SpaceX Proves Challenging To China's Long March Launcher (Source: Aviation Week))
For more than 40 years, China has relied on a rocket technology the rest of the world has largely dropped for main space-launch propulsion. But now, moving from hydrazine propellant and its easily developed engines to the harder technology of kerosene, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, the Chinese industry is introducing a family of launchers that should be more efficient and therefore more cost effective.
Consistent with that, SpaceX sees its most intense competition for low-Earth orbit (LEO) space launch services coming from China. But it looks like CASC, the Chinese government’s main space industrial group, cannot match SpaceX when it comes to cost. This is especially important for what will probably be the key member of the new Chinese family, the Long March 7, a medium-heavy launcher in the class of the SpaceX Falcon 9 that, according to the 2013 schedule, was due to fly this year.
The Falcon 9 can deliver 13.15 metric tons to LEO; the equivalent Long March 7 version, with two engines of 260,000-lb. thrust in the core first stage and one in each of four boosters, is intended to throw 13.5 tons to LEO. SpaceX quotes a standard price of $61.2 million for a launch in 2016. CASC has not published a price for the Long March 7, but Tauri says that the most powerful of the current Chinese launchers, the Long March 3B—capable of launching 12 tons to low Earth orbit—is $70 million a shot. (11/10)
Russia Likely to Continue Supplying RD-180 to U.S. (Source: Sputnik)
Russia is likely to continue supplying RD-180 engines for US Atlas carrier rockets despite cooling relations between Moscow and Washington, Russian and US physicist Roald Sagdeev told Sputnik. "The Russian series RD-180 engine was being used for the American Atlas carrier rockets. And for some time here [in the U.S.] there was a state of confusion, with people wondering whether the use of RD engines in US carrier rockets would be affected by the prevailing atmosphere of bilateral relations."
According to Sagdeev, "recent events confirm that Russia still won't interrupt the supply of these engines, and this work will continue. This is a very good sign that even in such a sensitive area relating to defense use, the obligations of cooperation will still be fulfilled," the scientist said. (11/10)
Florida Student Loses Experiment in Antares Explosion (Source: Florida Today)
A southwest Florida student is working to restart a science experience lost when an unmanned commercial supply rocket bound for the International Space Station exploded after liftoff last month. Braden River High School sophomore Harley Wade developed the experiment with his former classmates at Fayette Academy in Somerville, Tennessee. They were testing microgravity's effect on reishi mushrooms' ability to weaken, damage or destroy cancer cells.
The experiment was lost along with more than a dozen other student projects when Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket blew up Oct. 28 over the Virginia coast. Wade tells The Herald that "the excitement of the launch turned to shock." Wade and his former classmates now are working to restart the experiment in time for the launch of another rocket Dec. 9 at Cape Canaveral. (11/10)
Swiss Space Systems Concludes Drop-Test Flight Campaign (Source: SpaceRef)
During the week-long flight test campaign, various helicopter flight profiles were successfully performed in order to evaluate the flight systems, which will ultimately be integrated into a reduced scale mock-up of the SOAR suborbital shuttle. The fully-equipped mock-up and flight-tested jig system will be used in the spring of 2015 for captive flights from a helicopter.
These first test flights were done with the purpose of testing and validating avionics systems, drone systems, Guidance-Navigation-Control instruments and various sensors. All system components were inserted into an avionics system container suspended by a local custom-manufactured flight support and release jig structure.
The flight support and release jig structure was custom-manufactured by North Bay Machining Center and assembled at the Canadore College Aviation Campus by Canadore College faculty in collaboration with the S3 design team. The first phase of a drop-test flight campaign in North Bay included contributions from seven local companies, with all work completed and delivered on-time and on-budget. (11/10)
Angara-5 Rolls Out to Russian Launch Pad (Source: Russian Space Web)
The first Angara-A5 rocket, which will become the most powerful space booster in the Russian fleet, was rolled out from the assembly building to the launch pad at Site 35 in Plesetsk on Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced. The testing on the pad, including electric checks of the rocket and tests of launch equipment, was scheduled to continue for seven days in preparation for the maiden launch of the new rocket in December, the Russian military said. (11/10)
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