NASA Selects Two Firms for Experimental Space Vehicle Test Flights

[jacqmans]

RELEASE: 10-203

NASA SELECTS TWO FIRMS FOR EXPERIMENTAL SPACE VEHICLE TEST FLIGHTS

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program
(CRuSR) has awarded a total of approximately $475,000 to Armadillo
Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas and Masten Space Systems of Mojave,
Calif. The awards will allow the two companies to perform test
flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space.

The flights will demonstrate the capabilities of new vehicles to
provide recoverable launch and testing of small payloads going to
"near-space," the region of Earth's atmosphere between 65,000 and
350,000 feet. The CRuSR program fosters the development of commercial
reusable transportation to near space. The overall goal of the
program is regular, frequent and predictable access to near-space at
a reasonable cost with easy recovery of intact payloads.

"These two awards are just the beginning of an innovative teaming
relationship with industry to provide affordable access to the edge
of space while evaluating the microgravity environment for future
science and technology experiments," said NASA Chief Technologist
Bobby Braun at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "CRuSR represents the
sort of government-commercial partnership that will facilitate
near-space access at affordable costs."

The CRuSR awards will fund two flights this fall and one this winter
of Armadillo's Super-Mod vehicle from Spaceport America in New
Mexico. The first two flights will be to an altitude of approximately
nine miles and the third to approximately 25 miles.

The Masten Space Systems' Xaero vehicle will make four flights this
winter from the Mojave Spaceport in California. Two flights will
reach an altitude of approximately three miles and two others will be
to approximately 18 miles, with an engine shutdown during flight.

Both launch vehicles will be modified to mount three antennas for the
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payload.
ADS-B-equipped vehicles can determine their position using global
navigation satellite systems. The vehicles can periodically broadcast
position data and other relevant information to ground stations and
other similarly equipped aircraft.

In NASA's fiscal 2011 Space Technology Program, CRuSR will become an
integral part of the Flight Opportunities Program within the Office
of the Chief Technologist.

For more information on NASA's Flight Opportunities Program, vist:

http://go.usa.gov/csj


For more information about NASA's CRuSR program, visit:

http://suborbitalex.arc.nasa.gov


For more information about NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/oct


-end-

[Danderman]

Wow. 25 miles for Armadillo and 18 miles for Masten Space.

[beancounter]

Wow. 25 miles for Armadillo and 18 miles for Masten Space.

Yeah, going up in the world

[neilh]

Both launch vehicles will be modified to mount three antennas for the
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) payload.
ADS-B-equipped vehicles can determine their position using global
navigation satellite systems. The vehicles can periodically broadcast
position data and other relevant information to ground stations and
other similarly equipped aircraft.

So is it an ADS-B research payload, or is ADS-B just a tool being used by the payload?

[mmealling]

"So is it an ADS-B research payload, or is ADS-B just a tool being used by the payload?"

The ADS-B is one of the research payloads. There may be others....

-MM

[joncz]

Congratulations Mike!

[mmealling]

Thanks! Expect some updates on our website soon....

[robertross]

Fantastic news. Congrats!

[Hootz]

Congrats indeed!! Let's fly some hardware!!

[Space Pete]

Masten Space Systems Wins NASA Suborbital Contract.

Masten Space Systems, a leader in vertical take off, vertical landing (VTVL) rocket vehicles, announced a contract today with NASA's new Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) program. The initial contract is for four flights of test payloads on Xaero, Masten's next-generation vehicle currently in assembly.

"We're very excited and proud to be one of the first awardees under the CRuSR program," said David Masten, CEO. "CRuSR promises to be very helpful in the development of our industry. NASA's partnership with our emerging industry will provide low-cost and reliable space access to NASA's scientists, engineers and educators."

Masten Space Systems won the NASA funded Lunar Lander Challenge in October 2009 and demonstrated the first ever VTVL in-air relight in May 2010. The initial four flights for the CRuSR program will be conducted this winter from the company’s 200,000 square foot test area at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, CA.

"We look forward to working with the CRuSR’s payload developers," said Michael Mealling, Vice President of Business Development. "Everyone has a lot of work to do over the coming months. In two weeks we deliver the 'operating manual' to the CRuSR team. That manual provides all of the details for integration timelines, payload interfaces, and flight day operations."

Masten Space Systems expects to begin extensive commercial flight operations in 2011. Potential applications include microgravity science experiments, testing engineering components for future space flight, and educational flights for K-12 and university students. "Our flights services aren't limited to NASA. Over the next year we will begin offering this same service to any research scientist, engineer or educator", said Colin Ake, Director of Sales.

Masten Space Systems is a Mojave, CA based aerospace company developing fully reusable vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) launch vehicles, rocket-related products, and engineering services. The company's 6000 square foot production facility and 200,000 square foot testing facility is located on the Mojave Air and Space Port. The company designs and builds aerospace solutions that focus on durability, long operational lifetimes, and minimal per-flight maintenance. For more information on the company see http://masten-space.com

Source.

[Space Pete]

CSF Congratulates Initial Winning Launch Providers in NASA's Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program.

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to congratulate two of its member companies, Armadillo Aerospace and Masten Space Systems, for winning an initial NASA test flight contract as part of the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) Program. The first round of the program, an open competition for small businesses, was formally kicked off by NASA earlier this year with a Request for Quotations for commercial reusable suborbital flight services.

As part of the CRuSR awards, Armadillo Aerospace will perform three flights of their Super-Mod vehicle and Masten Space Systems will perform four flights of their Xaero vehicle, during fall and winter 2010.  These flights "will allow the two companies to perform test flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space," according to NASA.

"As strong advocates for the CRuSR program, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation could not be more pleased to see the program move from concept to first test flights in such a short time period," said Bretton Alexander, President of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.  "It was only six months ago that the Commercial Spaceflight Federation co-organized a science conference at which nearly 300 researchers and educators learned about the potential of the new commercial suborbital vehicles being built by Armadillo Aerospace, Blue Origin, Masten Space Systems, Virgin Galactic, and XCOR Aerospace, and we are pleased to see that NASA has responded to this interest."

"We congratulate Masten and Armadillo on being selected for initial test flights and look forward to future rounds of CRuSR selections.  It will be truly exciting to see all the opportunities for low-cost science, education, and research that these commercial suborbital vehicles will enable," added Alexander.

NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun, whose Space Technology Program will host the CRuSR Office starting in Fiscal Year 2011, stated in a NASA press release that, "These two awards are just the beginning of an innovative teaming relationship with industry to provide affordable access to the edge of space while evaluating the microgravity environment for future science and technology experiments," and added, "CRuSR represents the sort of government-commercial partnership that will facilitate near-space access at affordable costs."

Source.

[mmeijeri]

I'm very impressed with Masten. I'd guess that XCOR has the most mature engines and may be closest to manned flight of all New Space companies except perhaps Virgin Galactic, but Masten wisely chose to go for unmanned flights first. If they succeed with this as I expect they will, who knows who will fly people first.