The steadily increasing cost of micro satellite launch services has reached the point that the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is seriously considering the development of an indigenous launch system. In late November they issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a strategic analysis of the market.
Read More »Suborbital Commercialization Takes a Step Forward with Virgin Galactic Unveiling of SpaceShipTwo
Leave it to Sir Richard Branson to put on a show. A lavish unveiling was scheduled for SpaceShipTwo now known as Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve carrying Virgin Space Ship (VSS) Enterprise. Unfortunately mother nature was not being co-operative with strong winds and a frigid night with even the possibility of snow. Leaving the theatrics behind after a roll-out of the VMS Eve carrying VSS Enterprise …
Read More »Soyuz Leaves International Space Station and Lands Safely in Kazakhstan
Canadian Space Agency Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank De Winne undocked their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 10:56 p.m. EST Monday and landed in Kazakhstan at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. local Kazakhstan time. The Soyuz spacecraft landed upright which helped the search and recovery teams extract the astronauts.
Read More »Return to Earth – Op-Ed by Canadian Astronaut Robert Thirsk
Six months aboard the International Space Station has flown by at orbital speed. If asked to do so, I could remain aboard the Station and continue to perform well. But I feel a fatigue setting in that even weekends and a good night’s sleep cannot relieve. It is now time to return home.
Read More »After Six Months in Space Canadian Astronaut Robert Thirsk Returns to Earth Next Week
Next Tuesday Robert Thirsk will return to Earth on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft ending his six month stay on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 21. In his last week in space he will be very busy with ongoing experiments but will no doubt have time to reflect on the past six months and among those thoughts will be the realization that …
Read More »Space Shuttle Atlantis Launches with Canadian APEX Experiment on Board
NASA’s space shuttle Atlantis lifted-off today at 2:28 p.m. ET on an 11-day mission to service the the International Space Station (ISS). On-board the shuttle is the Canadian APEX-Cambium (Advanced Plant EXperiments on Orbit) experiment. The experiment will help determine the role gravity plays in trees forming different kinds of wood.
Read More »For Guy Lalibert and the One Drop Foundation Space Trip was a Media Winfall
It would seem Guy Lalibert really got good value for the $35 million he spent on his flight in October to the International Space Station. According to Influence Communication of Montreal who were authorized by Lalibert to assess the value of the media coverage, the total advertising value of Lalibert’s media coverage between June 4 and October 14, 2009 was CAN$592 million.
Read More »There's Water on the Moon – More Than Previously Expected
NASA today announced that they have confirmed the presence of water on the moon by its Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). The LCROSS spacecraft and its companion rocket stage made twin impacts in the Cabeus crater Oct. 9 that created a plume of material from the bottom of a crater that has not seen sunlight in billions of years. This is good news …
Read More »Details of Canadian Space Agency Research and Development Contracts Released
Earlier today Federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement today announced that the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has awarded 26 research and development contracts to 15 companies worth a total of $8 million for the CSA Space Technologies Development Program. Details of those contracts have now been released. Two companies received the majority of the funding with MPB Communications Inc. of Pointe-Claire, Quebec receiving five contracts …
Read More »Canadian Space Agency Awards 26 Research and Development Contracts
Federal Minister of Industry Tony Clement today announced that the Canadian Space Agency has awarded 26 research and development contracts to 15 companies worth a total of $8 million.
Read More »