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The Canadian Press quotes Canadian Space Agency (CSA) president Steve MacLean as stating that Canadian astronauts could end up riding to the International Space Station (ISS) on board commercial vehicles but forgets to ask why or how. Former Optech International Director and current Google Lunar X-Prize competitor Robert Richards dodges the fictional Kobayashi Maru test of character by moving to the US, plus potential Telesat …

After several delays Canada’s robotic handyman named Dextre aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has passed its final exam and is now ready for full duties. Dextre, short for Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, was designed and built by MacDonald Dettwiler (MDA) for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Dextre along with Canadarm-2 on the ISS are known as the Mobile Servicing System (MSS).

For NASA, 2010 was another year of new exploration, exciting discoveries, and important milestones. From spaceflight, to science and technology; from understanding life here on Earth, to where we might find it elsewhere. From protecting our home planet, to inspiring the next generation of explorers.

NASA follows ESA to put out a call for “commercial suborbital flight services” for microgravity testing, Macdonald Dettwiler (MDA) continues its exceptional run of good luck with government contracts relating to space and military surveillance technologies up 71% from fiscal year 2009 and DEXTRE finally rolls out for duty on board the ISS. All that and my personal best wishes to everyone during the holiday …

A Russian Soyuz rocket lifted off at 2:09 p.m. EST with the Expedition 26 crew onboard headed to the International Space Station. The crew includes Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, American astronaut Catherine Coleman and from the European Space Agency Italian Paolo Nespoli.

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) renewed their cooperative agreement today for another 10 years building upon a unique relationship that has benefited Canada and the European Union. The agreement signed in Paris earlier today by Steve MacLean, President of the Canadian Space Agency and Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General of ESA means the two agencies can continue foster cooperation in …

Rocketplane Global‘s CEO George French recalls his failed attempt to build a Space-X competitor with funds from “a Canadian teachers’ pension fund” and academics at the University of Lethbridge attempt a “reawakening of aerospace research in Canada.” Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports a “long awaited revival of nuclear civilian ships” which bodes well for advanced space propulsion technologies. All that and more, this week in …

This is a 2:46 video of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on-orbit starting at the T00:53:50 minute mark.

Other than watching the video of the launch there’s nothing like seeing great still images of an event. These images provided by SpaceX and Chris Thompson show the spectacular liftoff, on-orbit images and splashdown images.

After a nearly flawless launch of Falcon 9 and recovery of the Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was almost speechless during the first part of the press conference saying “he was in semi shock” at how well the launch went. Musk said he was extremely thankful to NASA for helping get SpaceX to this point and that SpaceX had built upon decades of NASA …