Commercial Space Transportation

Commercial Crew Progress:  Suni Williams details Commercial Crew Program progress during visit to NASA’s Plum Brook Station 

Suni Williams, a veteran NASA astronaut and one of four “test astronauts” assigned to NASA’s commercial crew program visits the agency’s Plum Brook Station near the Glenn Research Center. Commercial Crew is focused on nurturing two private sector sources of astronaut transportation to and from the International Space Station, freeing NASA to pursue its human deep space exploration goals. “We want to get out the business of transportation to low-Earth orbit because we’ve done that before,” Williams told Spaceflight Insider. “The belief is that commercial companies can provide this hardware, maybe smarter, maybe faster than we can, given the technologies that we’ve already laid the groundwork for in the past with the Shuttle and other programs.”

Cygnus and NASA Fire Experiment: Cygnus leaves Space Station and conducts NASA fire experiment in microgravity 

Orbital ATK’s NASA contracted Cygnus resupply spacecraft departed the six person International Space Station early Tuesday after an 80 day stay. Late in the day, the capsule became a test bed for a spacecraft fire experiment. The research is intended to improve the safety of deep space habitats for astronauts on future missions to Mars.

Antares Return: Antares return to flight likely to slip to August 

Orbital ATK believes its next NASA contracted commercial re-supply mission to the International Space Station will move from a July to an August lift off. The mission will feature Orbital’s first launch of an Antares rocket from the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Va. since a launch mishap in late 2014. Orbital temporarily moved the launching of its NASA contracted International Space Station re-supply missions to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., until the Antares launch vehicle could be modified. The upgraded Antares underwent a test firing at MARS on May 31.

Citizens for Space Exploration – a pro-space, taxpayer, grassroots advocacy group (http://www.bayareahouston.com/content/c_s_e/c_s_e) – has traveled to Washington, D.C. the past 24 years to meet face-to-face with Members/staff of Congress to discuss the value of America’s investment in space exploration. In order to sustain that dialogue on a regular basis, Citizens distributes “Space Exploration Update” to Congressional offices on a weekly basis. The intent is to provide an easy, quick way to stay abreast of key human space exploration program and policy developments.