Staffers on Capitol Hill have discussed reauthorizing NASA spending and even approving a spending bill that funds the space agency by the end of the year. But whether they succeed depends on the results of the November election.
Pentagon spending appears on the presidential campaign radar primarily as it relates to the No. 1 issue—jobs and the economy. When the candidates travel to Virginia—a military-heavy state that could make a difference in the election's outcome—they have to address defense issues. But without much emphasis by the campaigns on military matters, Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama wind up stumbling on the details.
While NASA and industry are continuing to push toward a 2015 deadline set by Congress for integrating UAVs into civilian airspace (i.e., National Air Space, or NAS), the FAA is weighing concerns about the potential to compromise safety. NASA is considering a prize challenge to accelerate the integration of unmanned aircraft into the FAA's NextGen airspace system. Two competitions of increasing complexity would be run in late 2013 and 2014, with a combined prize purse of $1.5 million.
Europe's aerospace and defense industry missed a unique opportunity to complete a wide-ranging consolidation process that began nearly 50 years ago. Combining EADS and BAE Systems would have created a world-class giant with an impressive €72.9 billion ($94.3 billion) in revenues, 216,000 employees and a comprehensive product range. Moreover, the initiative looked like a perfect fit.
Congressional staffers have held preliminary meetings on updating the legislative underpinnings for the U.S. civil space program, but it’s clear nothing will be decided until the voters choose who’ll be running the program — and the rest of the government — in the upcoming election.
The Obama administration is nearing the final and most contentious phase of its massive export control reform — telling Congress what items it ultimately plans to transfer from the U.S. Munitions List (USML) to one controlled by the Commerce Department. By the end of the year, congressional aides are anticipating the administration will detail how it will transfer two key aerospace categories of products from the USML controlled by the State Department to the Commerce list.
HOUSTON — Working ahead of schedule, astronauts aboard the International Space Station successfully grappled and berthed the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon re-supply capsule early Oct. 10, less than 60 hr. after the freighter lifted off. The three-member crew was scheduled to enter the supply ship on Oct. 11, or possibly late Oct. 10, for a 17-day, 2,675-lb. cargo swap (See charts pp. 6-8). The SpaceX mission marks the first cargo flight under the Hawthorne, Calif.-based company’s $1.6 billion, multi-mission NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract.
INTELSAT 23: Intelsat and launch provider International Launch Services are preparing for the launch of the Intelsat 23 satellite aboard a Proton M rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 14 at 2:37 p.m. local time. Separation of the satellite is scheduled for approximately 9 hr. and 30 min. after liftoff. Intelsat 23 is scheduled to start service at 307 deg. East longitude in 2012, replacing the Intelsat 707 satellite.
