SPACEX FALCON 1 RAZAKSAT LAUNCH SCHEDULED FOR 13 JULY

SpaceX and ATSB of Malaysia have announced that the next flight of the Falcon 1 commercial launch vehicle carrying the RazakSAT satellite is scheduled for July 13th. The Falcon 1 will be launched from the SpaceX site on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) on Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean.

The launch was delayed last month after SpaceX identified a potential vibration coupling between the launch vehicle and the satellite. After further analysis, SpaceX determined the implementation of a simple vibration isolation system would address this concern. SpaceX selected the SoftRide isolation system from CSA Engineering for this purpose, citing the system’s strong flight heritage and established success in addressing vibration concerns.

Falcon 1, a two-stage, liquid oxygen/rocket-grade kerosene vehicle designed from the ground up by SpaceX, will place the RazakSAT satellite, equipped with a high resolution Medium-Sized Aperture Camera (MAC), into a near equatorial orbit.

RazakSAT was designed and built by ATSB, a pioneer and leader in the design and manufacture of satellites in Malaysia. The satellite is expected to provide high resolution images of Malaysia that can be applied to land management, resource development and conservation, forestry and fish migration.

COMMERCIAL SPACE ADVOCATES GREASON, CHIAO APPOINTED TO NASA REVIEW PANEL

The Obama administration, under the aegis of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, has launched an independent review of US human spaceflight plans. The panel, under the leadership of Norman R. Augustine, former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, will conduct an "independent review of ongoing U.S. human space flight plans and programs, as well as alternatives, to ensure the nation is pursuing the best trajectory for the future of human space flight - one that is safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable." NewSpace advocates are hoping that the Augustine review will make recommendations for much greater use of commercial systems in future US human spaceflight.

It is worth noting that the Augustine panel includes at least two members who are active in NewSpace efforts: Dr Leroy Chiao, former astronaut and director of Excalibur Almaz, a company working on the development of commercial manned space stations; and Jeff Greason, co-founder and CEO of XCOR Aerospace, maker of highly-reusable liquid-fuelled rocket engines, and developer of the Lynx suborbital spaceplane.

The panel will be visiting US aerospace sites, including SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and the Bigelow Aerospace factory in Las Vegas, for fact-finding investigations. It will report progress on a regular basis to NASA leadershop and the office of the President.

The panel has a website at http://hsf.nasa.gov/ where members of the public can submit their own comments.