Tag Archives: Orion

NASA Administrator and 2019 Wash100 Award winner Jim Bridenstine testified during a Senate hearing that the agency plans to use a commercial rocket to launch the Orion crew capsule for a three-week mission to the Moon, The Verge reported Wednesday. Exploration Mission 1 was intended to be the debut launch of NASA’s Space Launch System, but has been continually delayed and was recently scheduled for a June 2020 launch.

NASA will receive $21.5B in fiscal year 2019 funds under an appropriations package that President Trump signed into law Friday, SpaceNews reported Sunday. The proposed appropriations for the agency reflect an increase of $1.6B over the administration’s original budget request.

NASA is set to conduct the last in a series of tests to qualify the use of the Orion spacecraft’s parachute system for missions to the moon and other outer space locations. The eighth and final test of Orion's parachute system will take place on Sept. 12 at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., the space agency said Friday.

Julie Kramer White, deputy director of engineering at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, has discussed how her team helped develop the Orion space capsule based on the Apollo program and cited the physical similarities between the two spacecraft, Federal News Radio reported Friday.
 

A Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday passed its fiscal 2019 spending bill that would authorize $21.3 billion in funds for NASA, representing a $1.4 billion increase from the president’s budget request for the agency, SpacePolicyOnline.com reported Tuesday. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) led the markup of the Senate Appropriations commerce, justice …

House lawmakers have called on the Senate to speed up the confirmation of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) for the NASA administrator role in light of Robert Lightfoot’s decision to retire as the agency’s acting chief by the end of April. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), chairman of the House space subcommittee, …

The Royal Australian Air Force’s P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, built by Boeing, has reached initial operating capability status five months ahead of schedule. Australia has received six of 12 P-8As on order to date, RAAF said Tuesday. The Number 11 Squadron operates the delivered units at a military airbase in Edinburgh, South Australia. Marise Payne, …

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget proposal would allocate approximately $20 billion for NASA and cancel the space agency’s funding of the International Space Station in 2025, Nextgov reported Monday. The proposal also includes funding for partnerships with private firms to send robots to the moon and advances a plan …

NASA and the U.S. Navy have conducted another recovery test of an Orion test vehicle aboard the USS Anchorage amphibious transport dock. The Navy said Thursday the Underway Recovery Test-6 is meant to ensure the safe retrieval of the Orion spacecraft crew module, which is designed to transport humans to deep space. …

NASA has announced that the Orion spacecraft’s fifth parachute test will take place Dec. 13 at the U.S. Army‘s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The space agency said Tuesday a C-17 aircraft will drop a model Orion vehicle from an altitude of 35,000 feet as engineers will assess a simulated scenario wherein …