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Space


May 2003 Space News

  • JAPAN/NORTH KOREA VOA 31 May 2003 -- A Japanese official says the country is accelerating preliminary studies of a missile defense system in response to rising tensions with North Korea. The plan appears to be part of a tougher Japanese stance toward Pyongyang.
  • SHUTTLE WING TEST VOA 30 May 2003 -- A test of a U-S space shuttle wing has shown how the orbiter Columbia might have been damaged before it disintegrated in February. Foam shot at the wing model opened a narrow gap in it, possibly duplicating what happened when foam struck Columbia during launch in January.
  • Sea Launch Sails to Equator for the Launch of Thuraya-2 Boeing 29 May 2003 -- The Odyssey Launch Platform and the Sea Launch Commander departed Sea Launch Home Port this week, for the launch of the Thuraya-2 satellite. Liftoff is scheduled for June 10, in a 44-minute launch window that opens at 6:56 am PDT (13:56:00 GMT).
  • Atlas V Team Begins Launch Preparations for AV-003 Lockheed Martin 29 May 2003 -- Lockheed Martin's Atlas team has begun preparing the next Atlas V rocket for its scheduled launch of the Rainbow satellite in July. AV-003 is distinguished visually by a 5-meter diameter payload fairing, which encloses the satellite, and two Aerojet strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs) to augment liftoff thrust and vehicle performance.
  • Northrop Grumman Chosen as JPL's Industrial Partner for Eclipse Northrop Grumman 29 May 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected to be the industry partner for the Eclipse mission by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Dr. John Trauger, the Eclipse Principal Investigator.
  • EADS The cornerstone of European reorganisation in Space EADS 28 May 2003 -- EADS, in the aftermath of the key meeting of the ministerial conference of ESA members, noted with satisfaction the decisions concerning two major programmes, namely Ariane 5 and Galileo, the cornerstones of strategic independence for European space.
  • SHUTTLE PROBE VOA 28 May 2003 -- U-S investigators begin tests Thursday to determine if a piece of hard foam that hit the space shuttle Columbia during launch could have caused the damage that doomed its return. The probe is winding down as investigators prepare to write their report for the government and Congress.
  • Space is ultimate high ground AFPN 27 May 2003-- Space is the ultimate high ground and gives American forces a tremendous advantage on the battlefield, according to the Air Force's director of space operations and integration at the Pentagon.
  • EADS completes full acquisition of Astrium EADS 26 May 2003 -- On Monday, the European Commission formally approved the acquisition by EADS (stock exchange symbol EAD) of the 25 percent stake (27.5 percent economic share) in Astrium, Europe’s leading space company, formerly held by BAE SYSTEMS plc.
  • RUSSIA/SPACE VOA 26 May 2003 -- Russian investigators say a technical malfunction, not crew error, was to blame for the recent off-course landing of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft returning to Earth from the International Space Station.
  • Bush Says Emerging Threats Require Deployment of Missile Defenses Washington File 21 May 2003 -- President Bush believes the new strategic challenges of the 21st century require the United States to think differently about national security, and that deployment of effective missile defenses must be a major part of U.S. efforts to transform current defense and deterrence policies to meet emerging threats, according to a White House fact sheet.
  • Boeing EDD Completes Delivery of Linearized C-Band Amplifiers to Orbital Boeing 20 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has completed the delivery of the third flight set of Linearized Channel-Amplified Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers to Orbital Sciences Corporation [NYSE: ORB]. The C-Band payload hardware will be integrated into three Galaxy satellites for the PanAmSat Corporation.
  • Boeing Ships Thuraya-2 Satellite to Sea Launch Home Port Boeing 19 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] has shipped the Thuraya-2 mobile communications satellite from its Boeing Satellite Systems manufacturing facility in El Segundo, Calif., to the Sea Launch Company, LLC Home Port in Long Beach, Calif., where it is being prepared for an early June launch.
  • Boeing EDD Wins Contract For Linearized C-Band Amplifiers From Orbital Boeing 19 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] has been awarded a contract from Orbital Sciences Corporation [NYSE:ORB] to provide Linearized C-Band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (LTWTAs) for the TELKOM-2 Satellite for Indonesia.
  • Byliner: NASA Committed to Flight Safety, Deputy Administrator Says Washington File 16 May 2003 -- This column by Frederick D. Gregory, deputy administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, was first published May 16 in USA Today.
  • Przemyslowy Instytut Telekomunikacji Of Poland And Boeing Work To Define Missile Defense Architecture Boeing 15 May 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] and Przemyslowy Instytut Telekomunikacji (PIT) of Poland announced today plans to jointly study a missile defense architecture.
  • Northrop Grumman Upgrades Satellite Command and Control System Northrop Grumman 15 May 2003 -- With the addition of a new command-generation capability developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Mission Systems sector, the Launch and Network Control Equipment (LANCE) system is now a full-service satellite command and control system.
  • ORBITAL SHIPS BSAT-2c GEO COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 15 May 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that the company-built BSAT-2c geostationary (GEO) communications satellite has been shipped to the space launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana, where it is scheduled to be launched aboard an Ariane 5 rocket in mid-June.
  • SHUTTLE/SENATE VOA 15 May 2003 -- The chief investigator of the U-S space shuttle Columbia disaster has criticized shuttle managers for underestimating the danger posed by possible left wing damage while it was still in flight. The investigating panel and members of Congress are urging changes in the shuttle bureaucracy.
  • SHUTTLE/SENATE VOA 14 May 2003 -- The chief investigator of the U-S space shuttle Columbia disaster has criticized shuttle managers for underestimating the danger posed by possible left wing damage while it was still in flight. As David McAlary reports, the investigating panel and members of Congress are urging changes in the shuttle bureaucracy.
  • ILS Launches Hellas-Sat on Atlas V Lockheed Martin 13 May 2003 -- An Atlas V rocket placed the Hellas-Sat satellite into orbit this evening, marking the 65th consecutive successful flight for Atlas, its builder Lockheed Martin and mission provider International Launch Services (ILS). This was the second launch in the Atlas V series, Lockheed Martin's powerful current-generation vehicle. It lifted off at 6:10 p.m. EDT (22:10 GMT), placing the Hellas-Sat spacecraft in a supersynchronous transfer orbit 31 minutes later. Satellite controllers have confirmed that the Hellas-Sat spacecraft is functioning properly.
  • Text: U.S. Announces Grant for Armenian Space Science Project Washington File 13 May 2003 -- The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has granted $275,980 to fund a feasibility study of the technical, economic, and financial aspects of a proposed space science project to be based in Garni, Armenia, TDA announced in a May 13 press release.
  • NOAA Official Cites Need for Integrated Earth Observing System Washington File 09 May 2003 -- Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says a comprehensive, integrated and sustained earth observing system is now needed to provide a deeper understanding of the complex systems of Planet Earth.
  • Shuttle Investigation VOA 09 May 2003-- Investigators say they now believe they know what caused the American space shuttle Columbia to break apart as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere. The chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Admiral Harold Gehman, announced the committee's "working" theory during a news conference Tuesday in Houston, Texas.
  • Inside Intel AFSPC 07 May 2003 -- Locked away in a basement vault in HQ Air Force Space Command, the constant chatter of television news can be heard amidst the ringing phones and conversations on topics ranging from Afghanistan and Iraq to SARS. And while the offices are a bit dim, they are filled with bright people. Air Force Space Command intelligence professionals.
  • Lockheed Martin and Spectrum Astro Form Partnership to Build the Next Generation Global Positioning Satellite System, GPS III Lockheed Martin 07 May 2003 -- Lockheed Martin and Spectrum Astro today announced a partnership agreement to pursue the development of GPS III, the next generation global positioning satellite system. This team is intensely focused on meeting the government's challenging requirement of this critical asset, and is committed to providing a solution that includes hyper-accurate positioning, velocity and timing data with confidence and security.
  • Historic renovation program comes to close AFSPC 07 May 2003 -- It took eight years, but Alert Image, the massive renovation program for Air Force Space Command's missile alert facilities (MAFs), came to a close recently.
  • Space Digest VOA 06 May 2003 -- We have news about two exploration devices that will land on Mars. We tell about a new aircraft that can take passengers into space. We tell about a new device now in orbit that can see thousands of millions of years back in time. And we tell about the safe return to Earth of the crew of the International Space Station.
  • SHUTTLE INVESTIGATION VOA 06 May 2003 -- Investigators looking into what caused the U-S space shuttle Columbia to disintegrate as it returned to earth last February say evidence uncovered so far supports the theory that the spacecraft was damaged during lift off. They believe a piece of insulation foam broke loose from an external fuel tank. But more tests still need to be done before all other possible causes can be ruled out.
  • Northrop Grumman Wins Initial Development Contract For DOD's Solid-State Strategic Illuminator Laser Northrop Grumman 06 May 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Space Technology sector has received a U.S. Air Force contract for the first phase of a three-year program to develop the Strategic Illuminator Laser, or SILL -- a four-kilowatt-class, solid-state, pulsed laser with excellent beam quality. The Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency is providing the funding under a contract managed by the Air Force.
  • SPACE / CREW VOA 06 May 2003 -- The two American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut who returned from space during the weekend say they are glad to be back on earth after spending nearly six months on the International Space Station. They also say it still is not clear why their Russian Soyuz spacecraft landed nearly 500 kilometers off target in Kazakhstan. The three men spoke at a news conference at the Star City astronaut training center outside Moscow
  • Northrop Grumman Awarded NASA Contract for Next Generation Launch Technology Northrop Grumman 05 May 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) was awarded a contract from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., to continue development of an engine that will increase the safety, reliability and affordability of next-generation reusable space launch and transportation vehicles.
  • Space Day 2003 VOA 05 May 2003 -- It was "Space Day" this past Thursday (May 1,2003) at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. The "day" actually kicked off what will be a month of activities across the United States, Canada and other countries all designed to pay tribute to space exploration. Space Day is also meant to inspire the next generation of inventors, engineers and aviators to pursue humanity's destiny in space.
  • SPACE/SOYUZ VOA 04 May 2003 -- A Russian Soyuz space capsule has landed in Kazakhstan, bringing its crew of two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut safely back from the international space station. The return was the first landing of a manned space vehicle since the disaster that destroyed the American shuttle Columbia in February. This landing also had its anxious moments.
  • Army's first space brigade stands up Army News 02 May 2003 -- Army Space Command activated the service's first and only space brigade April 11 with formation of the 1st Space Brigade (Provisional) in a ceremony held at the command headquarters, Peterson Air Force Base.
  • SPACE STATION DEPARTURE VOA 01 May 2003 -- A U-S/Russian space team is leaving the international space station Saturday after five months, now that their relief crew has arrived. What makes their departure different from that of the five previous teams is that they are heading home on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. U-S space shuttles, the usual mode of transportation to and from the outpost, have been grounded because of the Columbia accident in February. The Soyuz is a proven craft, although not as comfortable.



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