Space News reports, “Voyager Technologies says it is ready should NASA change plans for supporting development of commercial space stations. In March, NASA outlined a proposed new direction for its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations, or CLD, program. The agency, outlining its concerns that a commercial market for space stations had not emerged, said it was considering instead procuring a new “core module” for the International Space Station that commercial modules could attach to as a precursor to standalone stations.”
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Tag: Potential
Space Force Adjusts Mission Schedule Amid Vulcan Uncertainty
Space News reports, “U.S. Space Force officials are working to reshuffle launch plans for a slate of national security missions after United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket was sidelined by a booster anomaly that could take months to resolve. At a March 25 hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee, lawmakers pressed Pentagon officials on the fallout from the Feb. 12 launch issue, with Chairman Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R., Tenn.) pointing to what “will probably be at least a six month delay to any Vulcan launch.”
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Canada Certifies Airbus H175, Opening Door to Public Service Missions
Vertical Magazine reports, “Airbus is fielding interest from ‘a range of customers’ in Canada following domestic certification of the H175 super-medium helicopter, but won’t say if the type has landed its first operator or when deliveries might begin. Still, the company sees significant potential for search-and-rescue (SAR), law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) in Canada’s harsh and unforgiving cold-weather climate.”
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NASA Issues RFI on Potential VIPER Partnerships
Space News reports, “NASA is requesting concepts from companies and organizations willing to take over a robotic lunar rover that the agency announced last month it would cancel even through it is nearly complete. NASA issued a request for information (RFI) Aug. 9 for the operation of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) spacecraft. NASA announced July 17 it planned to cancel the rover, citing development delays and cost overruns amid broader budget pressures in the agency’s science programs.”
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Joby Completes Landmark 523-Mile Hydrogen-Electric Flight
Aviation International reports, “Joby Aviation, a next generation aviation company, today announced it has successfully flown a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric air taxi demonstrator 523 miles, with water as the only by-product. The aircraft, which takes off and lands vertically, builds on Joby’s successful battery-electric air taxi development program, and demonstrates the potential for hydrogen to unlock emissions-free, regional journeys that don’t require a runway.”
Full Story (Aviation International)