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Space


August 2003 Space News

  • RUSSIA/SPACE VOA 31 Aug 2003 -- A Russian space capsule carrying more than two tons of supplies has docked with the International Space Station. In addition to its regular shipment of cargo, the capsule delivered mail and music to the two men on the station.
  • NASA SHUTTLE REPORT VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- An investigation board has concluded that both a technical failure and flawed management led to the fiery disintegration of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the death of the seven astronauts on board last February. Some of the long-term recommendations in the 248-page report and how investigators hope the report will foster public debate over the mission of the space agency.
  • Boeing Delta IV Deploys Final DSCS Satellite for U.S. Air Force Boeing 29 Aug 2003 -- The third flight of the Boeing Delta IV today successfully deployed the U.S. Air Force's Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) spacecraft, DSCS III B6.
  • RUSSIA/ SPACE VOA 29 Aug 2003 -- A Russian cargo ship has blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying fresh supplies for the two-man crew at the International Space Station.
  • Northrop Grumman Team to Compete for MDA Targets and Countermeasures Program Northrop Grumman 28 Aug 2003 -- A Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) team has submitted its proposal to compete for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Targets and Countermeasures prime integration program, valued at more than $1 billion during the initial four-year period of performance.
  • REFORMING NASA VOA 27 Aug 2003 -- The head of the U-S space agency NASA vows to fix management problems that contributed to the loss of the shuttle Columbia in February. A board of inquiry said Tuesday that NASA does not have a strong culture of safety and is not organized to operate the orbiter safely. But skeptics wonder if NASA can reform
  • Report Says NASA Culture Played Major Role in Columbia Accident Washington File 27 Aug 2003 -- The Columbia Accident Investigation Board has determined that physical and organizational causes played equal roles in the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and seven astronauts on February 1.
  • MARS VISIT VOA 26 Aug 2003 -- People the world over are excitedly scanning the skies for the closest visit by the planet Mars in 600 centuries. This major celestial event has rekindled interest in "stargazing" in the United States and elsewhere.
  • MARS VISIT VOA 26 Aug 2003 -- People the world over are excitedly scanning the skies for the closest visit by the planet Mars in 60 centuries. This major celestial event has rekindled interest in "stargazing" in the United States and elsewhere.
  • SHUTTLE REPORT (L-UPDATE) VOA 26 Aug 2003 -- Investigators have issued a scathing report on the causes of the U-S space shuttle Columbia disaster, which killed seven astronauts in February. They find that the management of the space agency, NASA, is as much to blame for the accident as the immediate technical cause.
  • SHUTTLE REPORT VOA 26 Aug 2003 -- Investigators have issued a scathing report on the causes of the U-S space shuttle Columbia disaster, which killed seven astronauts in February. They find that the management of the space agency, NASA, is as much to blame for the accident as the immediate technical cause.
  • ATK Boosts NASA Infrared Telescope Mission Launched From Boeing Delta II Heavy Vehicle ATK 26 Aug 2003 -- ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE:ATK) provided the additional liftoff thrust necessary for a Boeing Delta II Heavy (7920) core vehicle to boost NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) into an Earth-trailing, solar orbit. Nine of ATK's GEM-46 strap on boosters were attached to the Delta II rocket to help power it into space.
  • Columbia Accident Investigation Board Releases Final Report Columbia Accident Investigation Board 26 Aug 2003 -- The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today presented its final report on the causes of the Feb. 1, 2003 Space Shuttle accident to the White House, Congress and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
  • ASTRONAUTS LOOK TO THE FUTURE VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Astronauts continue to train and fly into space while the U-S Space Agency NASA prepares to implement recommendations by investigators probing the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.
  • SPACE TELESCOPE LAUNCH VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The U-S space agency, NASA, has launched another space telescope to view parts of the universe previously out of view.
  • ATK Awarded $92 Million Missile Defense Propulsion Systems Contract For STANDARD Missile-3 Deployment ATK 25 Aug 2003 -- ATK (Alliant Techsystems) (NYSE:ATK) has received a $92 million propulsion systems contract from Raytheon Missile Systems in support of initial deployment of the STANDARD Missile-3 (SM-3) for the U.S. Navy sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.
  • Last of NASA's Great Observatories Launched by 300th Boeing Delta Rocket Boeing 25 Aug 2003 -- Boeing today successfully launched NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility, or SIRTF, aboard a Delta II Heavy launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
  • Lockheed Martin/Boeing Team Selects Courtland, Alabama, Facility for Kinetic Energy Interceptor Production Lockheed Martin 22 Aug 2003 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced that it will conduct final assembly of its Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) in Courtland, AL, if selected by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to proceed as prime contractor on the program.
  • Pratt & Whitney Delivers First Overhauled Space Shuttle Oxidizer Turbopump Pratt & Whitney 22 Aug 2003 -- The first overhauled Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) high-pressure liquid oxidizer (LOX) turbopump, which flew on six space shuttle flights during seven years of service, was delivered to NASA's primary SSME contractor, Boeing, by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) Space Propulsion, following a meticulous overhaul and repair process. The turbopumps are arguably one of the most critical components of the SSME.
  • BRAZIL ROCKET VOA 22 Aug 2003 -- A Brazilian rocket has exploded days before its scheduled launch into space, killing at least 16 people and injuring 20 others.
  • Northrop Grumman Receives First Ground Test Terminal for Advanced EHF Military Satellite Communications System Northrop Grumman 21 Aug 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received the first test terminal for the Department of Defense's next-generation Advanced Extremely High Frequencies (EHF) satellite system from Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory.
  • U.S. Army Selects Northrop Grumman Design Concept for Mobile High-Energy Laser Weapon for Tactical Missile Defense Northrop Grumman 21 Aug 2003 -- The U.S. Army and the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMoD) have selected a Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) design concept for the Mobile Tactical High-Energy Laser (MTHEL) prototype, a laser weapon capable of shooting down short-range rockets and artillery projectiles in flight.
  • TRACKING FIRE FROM SPACE VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- U-S Earth observation satellites are tracking fires around the world, changing the practice of wildfire management. A group of orbiters offers an unparalleled view available only from space.
  • Reusable orbital glider PHOENIX undergoes wind tunnel testing EADS 20 Aug 2003 -- DLR and EADS work on new space transport systems Europe wishes to remain competitive when access to space is concerned
  • Lockheed Martin Space Systems Readies Nasa's Space Infrared Telescope Facility for August 25 Launch Lockheed Martin 20 Aug 2003 -- NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) has completed integration, testing and pre-launch checkout at Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) facilities in Sunnyvale, California, and is being prepared for a launch at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than August 25, 2003.
  • PROJECT APOLLO PT.2 VOA 20 Aug 2003 -- A rocket launch countdown. A common sound in the nineteen-sixties. But this was not just another launch. It was the beginning of an historic event. It was the countdown for Apollo Eleven -- the space flight that would carry men to the first landing on the moon.
  • EADS and the Russian aerospace company KBKhA sign contract for the development of technologies for reusable space propulsion systems. EADS 19 Aug 2003 -- The successful European-Russian cooperation in space technology is entering a new phase. With the signing of the development contract for the Tehora 3 technology programme, the aerospace company EADS and the Russian KBKhA (Chemical Automatics Design Bureau) are continuing their successful alliance in the sphere of reusable space propulsion systems.
  • NEW SPACE TELESCOPE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The U-S space agency NASA is about to launch (has launched) another space telescope that it says will open a new window to the universe. Unlike the observatories currently in orbit, this one will scour the heavens for infrared radiation to examine parts of the cosmos previously out of view.
  • NEW SPACE TELESCOPE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The U-S space agency NASA is about to launch (has launched) another space telescope that it says will open a new window to the universe. Unlike the observatories currently in orbit, this one will scour the heavens for infrared radiation to examine parts of the cosmos previously out of view.
  • Boeing EDD Awarded Electric Propulsion Contract for NASA Mission Boeing 18 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] has been awarded a contract by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to provide the electric propulsion system to be used on the Dawn spacecraft.
  • Boeing-Orbital Team Successfully Launches Booster Vehicle Boeing 18 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] announced today the successful launch of a missile defense interceptor boost vehicle as part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program's missile defense interceptor boost vehicle.
  • Northrop Grumman's AstroMesh Reflector Successfully Deployed Aboard Thuraya-2 Spacecraft Northrop Grumman 18 Aug 2003 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) second, 12-meter AstroMesh reflector was successfully deployed aboard the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company's second spacecraft last month.
  • Booster launches from Vandenberg AFPN 18 Aug 2003-- A ground-based interceptor prototype booster successfully launched from here Aug. 16, supporting the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program of the Missile Defense Agency.
  • ORBITAL SUCCESSFULLY CARRIES OUT SECOND LAUNCH OF MISSILE DEFENSE BOOST VEHICLE Orbital Sciences Corp. 16 Aug 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that the second launch of the missile defense interceptor boost vehicle the company is developing and manufacturing for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system was fully successful.
  • Missile Defense Radar Site Chosen 15 Aug 2003 -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced today that it has selected Adak, Alaska, as the Primary Support Base (PSB) for the Sea-Based X-Band (SBX) radar. The PSB includes a mooring site and minimum logistics support for the SBX. The SBX is a part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, a missile defense system designed to intercept and destroy long-range ballistic missiles aimed at the U.S. homeland.
  • JAPAN / G-P-S VOA 15 Aug 2003 -- Around the world, governments, soldiers and civilians have come to rely on the Global Positioning System for all sorts of navigational uses. But the users rely on nearly 30 satellites operated by the U-S Defense Department. As G-P-S becomes a part of everyday life, there is growing concern about this dependence on a U-S government system. Some changes are on the horizon.
  • Rocket-propellant leak cleaned AFPN 14 Aug 2003-- Officials completed cleanup efforts Aug. 14 after rocket propellant leaked Aug. 12 as it was being loaded onto a Titan IV rocket.
  • ORBITAL'S PEGASUS ROCKET SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES NASA/CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE Orbital Sciences Corp. 13 Aug 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that its Pegasus® space launch vehicle successfully launched the Scientific Satellite (SCISAT-1) Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) spacecraft for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency.
  • PROJECT APOLLO PT.1 VOA 13 Aug 2003 -- The nineteen-sixties were exciting times in space exploration.
  • Armitage, in Australia, Discusses Security, Trade Issues Washington File 12 Aug 2003 -- The American people greatly appreciate Australia's "splendid support" in the war on terrorism, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said during an August 12 press availability at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra. (...) The Deputy Secretary added that he supports Australia's decision to have military-to-military ties with special Indonesian units, commenting that "you live in what is obviously a very dangerous neighborhood." (...) Armitage also encouraged Australia to participate in a missile defense program with the United States. (...) On North Korea, Armitage said there would be six-way talks in Beijing between North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China, Japan, and the United States later this month in Beijing.
  • NASA Funds Study of World's Glaciers Washington File 12 Aug 2003 -- Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder will combine historical records with measurements from satellites to complete an online database of the world's glaciers -- which are viewed as key indicators of climate change.
  • ORBITAL SET TO LAUNCH NASA/CANADIAN SPACE AGENCY SATELLITE ABOARD PEGASUS SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE Orbital Sciences Corp. 11 Aug 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that it is in final preparations to launch the Scientific Satellite (SCISAT-1) Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment (ACE) spacecraft for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) aboard the company's Pegasus® rocket.
  • East Is Red satellite legend 2003-8-11 CCTV international - The East Is Red satellite launches successful after second days, Guangzhou is participating in "three countries four directions" conference Zhou Enlai, just walked into the conference site excitedly to announce to the representatives the Chinese satellite launched the successful news.
  • RUSSIA/SPACE WEDDING VOA 10 Aug 2003 -- Cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko is set to become the first person to be married in space. Sunday's ceremony will still be very much earthbound, however. The bride, Yekaterina Dmitriyeva, is ready to speak her vows from Houston, Texas. But as Bill Gasperini reports from Moscow, the event has not been without controversy.
  • Water and Soil Conditions Observed from Space EADS 08 Aug 2003 -- A European consortium with 28 members, lead by the German Infoterra GmbH, has now started work on one out of ten ESA GSE Service Elements, worth EUR 1.5 Mio each. First project milestones have been completed and results have been positively received by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the contracting authority and various national environmental authorities.
  • Sea Launch signs with XM Satellite Radio for Additional Launch Services Boeing 07 Aug 2003 -- Boeing Launch Services, Inc. (BLS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA], today announced a contract with XM Satellite Radio for the launch of the XM-4 satellite on a Sea Launch rocket in 2006-07 time frame.
  • Boeing EDD Awarded Amplifier Contract For JCSAT-9 Boeing 07 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems to provide amplifiers and power conditioners for the JCSAT-9 satellite being built for JSAT Corporation of Japan.
  • Sea Launch Successfully Launches EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 Satellite into Orbit Boeing 07 Aug 2003 -- Sea Launch, the world's most reliable launch service provider for heavy commercial communication satellites, today successfully launched the EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 satellite to orbit for EchoStar Communications Corporation and Loral Skynet.
  • Boeing to Build Fourth High-Power Spacecraft for XM Satellite Radio Boeing 07 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] will build and deliver a fourth Boeing 702 satellite for XM Satellite Radio, Inc. [Nasdaq: XMSR], the Washington, D.C.-based provider of the nation's leading satellite radio service.
  • International Organizations to Play Key Role in Earth Observation System Washington File 07 Aug 2003 -- International organizations such as the World Bank and the World Meteorological Organization will play a key role in the creation of a comprehensive global observing system to address environmental and economic concerns, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
  • SUCCESSFUL SYSTEM INTERFACE DEMONSTRATION SHOWS MEADS READY FOR DEVELOPMENT PHASE Lockheed Martin 06 Aug 2003 -- The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) demonstrated its ability to acquire, classify, track and destroy simulated aircraft and missile targets in a successful System Level Interface Demonstration at Lockheed Martin facilities in Syracuse, New York.
  • ORBITAL SELECTED FOR $25 MILLION SCIENTIFIC SATELLITE CONTRACT Orbital Sciences Corp. 06 Aug 2003 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it has been awarded the initial phase of a $25 million satellite manufacturing contract from a university team led by Hampton University (HU) in Hampton, Virginia, with the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado managing the satellite development for HU.
  • U-S-Colombia Flights VOA 05 Aug 2003 -- The Bush administration is preparing to resume U-S-backed drug-interdiction flights over Colombia after a two-year suspension because of a mistaken shoot-down of a missionary plane. An announcement of the decision is expected later this week.
  • Sea Launch Starts Countdown for August 7 Launch Boeing 05 Aug 2003 -- The Sea Launch team has initiated the countdown at the equatorial launch site at L-72 hours. All systems are proceeding on schedule for the launch of the EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 communications satellite on Thursday, August 7, at 8:31 pm PDT (3:31:00 GMT).
  • Boeing Ships Eutelsat's e-BIRD Satellite To French Guiana For Late August Launch Boeing 05 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] has shipped the e-BIRD broadband satellite from its Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS) manufacturing facility in El Segundo, Calif., to the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, where it is being prepared for a late August launch.
  • SHUTTLE RETURN TO FLIGHT VOA 05 Aug 2003 -- A special U-S space agency task force Thursday begins overseeing NASA's efforts to get the grounded space shuttle fleet flying again after the Columbia disaster. Tthe panel's job is to advise NASA on how to carry out recommendations soon to be made by accident investigators.
  • JAPAN MISSILE DEFENSE VOA 05 Aug 2003 -- Japan's Defense Agency says the country needs a missile defense system to counter possible threats from North Korea.
  • Delta IV Launch of DSCS III B6 Postponed Boeing 03 Aug 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force officials postponed the launch of the Defense Satellite Communications System spacecraft, DSCS III B6, aboard a Boeing Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Fla.
  • BAE SYSTEMS To Lead Industry Group For UK Missile Defence Centre BAE Systems 01 Aug 2003 -- BAE Systems has been appointed to lead the industry group within the United Kingdoms Missile Defence Centre (MDC), formally launched on Friday, 18th July 2003, by Lord Bach, Minister for Defence Procurement. The MDC is a joint UK Government and Industry initiative that will provide an interface between the UK Government and the US Missile Defense Agency. It will also as act as a forum to facilitate collaboration between UK/US industrial parties on Missile Defence.
  • Sea Launch Sails to Equator to Launch EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 Satellite Boeing 01 Aug 2003 -- The Odyssey Launch Platform and the Sea Launch Commander have departed Sea Launch Home Port for the launch of the EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 satellite for EchoStar Communications Corporation and Loral Skynet. Liftoff is scheduled for August 7, in a two-hour launch window that will open at 8:31 pm PDT (3:31:00 GMT).



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