Moscow (RIA Novosti) Dec 10, 2007 - Russia has successfully conducted preliminary tests of an engine for the first stage of the new-generation Angara carrier rocket, the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center said on Friday. The RD-191 oxygen-kerosene engine has been developed by Energomash research and production center for a new family of Russian launch vehicles based on a common core booster.
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Dec 10, 2007 - Space shuttle Atlantis' STS-122 mission to the International Space Station is targeted to launch no earlier than Jan. 2 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The liftoff date depends on the resolution of a problem in a fuel sensor system. Early Sunday, one of the four engine cutoff, or ECO, sensors inside the liquid hydrogen section of Atlantis' external fuel tank gave a false reading while the tank was being filled. NASA's current Launch Commit Criteria require that all four sensors function properly.
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Dec 10, 2007 - A technical problem that has pushed back the launch of the Atlantis until January broke NASA's good track record this year of three successful shuttle launches.
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Dec 10, 2007 - A Russian Proton-M carrier rocket, launched from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, has put a military satellite into orbit, Russia's space agency (Roskosmos) said on Sunday. A Proton-M carrier rocket, which was launched from the Baikonur space center at 03: 16 a.m. Moscow time (00:16 a.m. GMT) today [on Sunday], successfully put a Kosmos satellite into orbit at 12:17 p.m. Moscow time (09:17 a.m. GMT), Roskosmos said.
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Dec 9, 2007 - NASA Sunday postponed its launch of the shuttle Atlantis until early 2008 after technical problems scuppered the planned delivery of a European laboratory to the International Space Station.
Sacramento CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2007 - Aerojet recently completed developmental testing of an innovative cryogenic oxygen/methane Reaction Control Engine (RCE) critical to ongoing lunar lander architectural decision making. Aerojet completed over 135 tests of the reaction control engine for NASA's Propulsion Cryogenic Advanced Development (PCAD) project of the Exploration Technology Development Program.
Beijing (XNA) Dec 07, 2007 - A leading engineer for China's indigenous satellite navigation system said the new system would be used in guiding traffic and monitoring sports venues during the Beijing Olympics in summer 2008. Ran Chengqi, deputy director of China Satellite Navigation Engineering Center, said the Compass Navigation Satellite System, which consists of five positioning satellites orbiting the Earth, will help alleviate traffic problems during the Olympics by providing detailed positioning information to individual drivers.
Minneapolis MN (SPX) Dec 07, 2007 - Alliant Techsystems has received a $35 million contract from Orbital Sciences to continue providing Orion motors, and also celebrated the delivery of its 100th flight set of Orion rocket motors.
Paris (AFP) Dec 7, 2007 - Quails cooked by star French chef Alain Ducasse are on the menu for the seven crew due to take off on the US space shuttle Atlantis this weekend.
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Dec 06, 2007 - A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of ESA's new small launcher - Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Ignition occurred at 12:35 local time (15:35 UTC/GMT).
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Dec 6, 2007 - NASA postponed the planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from Friday to Saturday, due to a complex technical glitch just hours before it was due to blast off.
Southampton PA (SPX) Dec 06, 2007 - Environmental Tectonics reports that Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, has successfully completed a space flight training course at the NASTAR Center, which is the National Aerospace Training and Research Center. He undertook this training in preparation for a flight aboard SpaceShipTwo, the suborbital vehicle his company Virgin Galactic is developing along with Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites.
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Dec 05, 2007 - From astronauts practicing shuttle landings to engineers and technicians running tests on space shuttle Atlantis, NASA's Kennedy Space Center is excitedly preparing for its fourth shuttle launch in 2007. The shuttle is scheduled to lift off at 4:31 p.m. EST on Thursday to begin mission STS-122. Things are going extremely well, Launch Director Doug Lyons said. The launch team is executing the count in fine fashion. It's been a very, very smooth, clean count, which is how we like it.
Washington (AFP) Dec 5, 2007 - NASA on Wednesday said that conditions were right for the Thursday launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, on a mission to deliver a European-built space laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station.
Shanghai (AFP) Dec 4, 2007 - Budding space power China on Tuesday sought to counter fears of an Asian space race and accusations it is ignoring the needs of its poor in pursuit of glory.
Columbia MO (SPX) Dec 04, 2007 - Sending an unmanned spacecraft to the outer fringes of the solar system requires extensive planning. At the University of Missouri, engineers have developed an efficient and highly sophisticated mathematical algorithm (implemented as software) that determines the most efficient path for a spacecraft's journey from point A to point B - no matter how many worlds or years away.
