Kendra R Chamberlain, Author at The Enterprise Orbit

Brane Craft, the ‘nearly 2-dimensional’ solution to space debris, gets more NASA funding

Aerospace Corp’s senior nanotechnology scientist Dr. Siegfried Janson has designed a nearly two-dimensional spacecraft that could be used to removed dead satellites and other space debris from orbit. The Brane Craft proposal was one of 13 designs chosen by NASA last year to receive a $100,000 Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) grant. This week, Janson’s project was chosen to for another $500,000 in phase II funding to fund another two years

SpaceX’s reusable launcher achieves milestone

SpaceX’s first successful landing of its Falcon 9 model back in 2014 marked the new reality for recovered rocketry, but the launch last night proves that those recovered rockets can now be re-launched back into space -- marking the true beginning of the era of reusable rocketry. (more…)

SLS engine ‘brain’ passes hot fire test

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s RS-25 rocket engine controller and flight configuration software passed the first hot fire engine test with flying colors this week at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. (more…)

York Space Systems brings standardized satellites to the space data frontier

Editor's note: The Enterprise Orbit was formally called The Downlink. This story has not been updated to reflect the name change. The cost of launching data-gathering satellites into space is about to get a lot cheaper, if Dirk Wallinger has his way. Wallinger is CEO and co-founder of York Space Systems, a two-year old company based in Colorado that promises to radically reduce a few of the astronomically high price

India’s ISRO proclaims cryogenic upper engine test a success

India Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully ground tested its Cryogenic Upper Stage engine, designed for the GSLV Mk-III, the new launch vehicle ISRO is developing for commercial satellite launches and future manned space missions. (more…)

Here’s the ‘Heavy Lifter’ Ariane 5 rocket that’ll launch Feb 14

By Kendra Chamberlain France’s Arianespace will launch its second mission of year on February 14, at the Guiana Space Center (GSC) located in French Guiana. Arianespace will use its expendable Ariane 5 rocket to launch two commercial telecom satellites into orbit from the spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone. (more…)

Aerojet Rocketdyne is one step closer to replacing Russian rocket engines

By Kendra Chamberlain Defense and Aerospace contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne is designing a new large liquid propellant engine that it says will help the US remain competitive in space launches. Aerojet hopes its new rocket booster engine, called the AR1, will help the US move away from using Russian parts for space flight vehicles. (more…)

SpaceX’s cargo resupply mission to ISS slated for Feb 14

-Marking historic Kennedy Space Center re-open to the rocket business SpaceX will launch an International Space Station (ISS) cargo resupply mission from the historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Station in Florida, on February 14. The fallback date for the launch is Feb 15. (more…)

ULA’s Atlas V rocket is fueled up and ready to launch

By Kendra Chamberlain Live Webcast of the launch, hosted by ULA: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi2_yIFylxo] United Launch Alliance (ULA) will conduct its first rocket launch of 2017 tonight at Cape Canaveral Air Force station in Florida. The flight window opens at 7:46 pm ET (0046 GMT). UPDATE: ULA successfully launched the Atlas V, and delivered the SBIRS GEO 3 satellite into orbit on January 20. (more…)

ULA’s Atlas V launch will take Air Force missile tracking satellite into orbit

By Kendra Chamberlain The latest satellite addition to the US Air Force’s space based Infrared system (SBIRS) will launch this week from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V rocket. The $1.2 billion geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite, made by Lockheed Martin, is the third installment to the Air Force's surveillance system that’s designed to track enemy missile launches. UPDATE: The ULA Atlas V rocket successfully launched and