Why Do DoD National Security Space Launch Programs Costs Keep Rising?

On March 5, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee held a hearing about National Security Space Launch Programs. The hearing was a session with SpaceX’s Elon Musk, and the United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Michael Gass concerning the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program and contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the program’s rising […]

Can Satellites Help Find Lost Aircraft? Can You? Maybe!

“The mystery surrounding the unfortunate Malaysian Flight MH370 has caused some of the more astute reporters to ask questions about satellites. Specifically, were there any satellites over the area the airplane disappeared in? And if there were, would they, or could they have picked up anything to help find the missing airplane? Ultimately, can satellites help […]

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Gets Its Legs

“All four landing legs now mounted on Falcon 9…” Wait! What??! That was SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s tweet on 25 February, 2013. And there was a linked picture of it all, too. SpaceX is doing something NASA and the United States Air Force can’t do: adding legs to its Falcon 9 rocket. That’s right, the […]

What the USAF Watch-dog Satellites May Mean to the Space Community

We’re from the Government. We’re here to help… The announcement of two geosynchronous space situational awareness satellites from the United States Air Force last Friday was very interesting. It also raises some issues, which are addressed in my latest Clearancejobs.com article. I’ll probably talk a bit more about the other issues later, too.

Chinese Space: What has changed?

To hear people tell it, China seems to be gaining the upper-hand in the space warfare department. This Freebeacon post (http://freebeacon.com/experts-china-boosts-space-warfare-capabilities/) tells a tale of the devious Chinese space activities threatening the United States. Articles like this are designed to get people fired up, and that’s disturbing. There are reasons to worry about the future […]