Courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin, by Todd G. Dickson
It’s been a big week in the new private space industry on the eve of the main space-industry gathering in Las Cruces.
On Wednesday, Oct. 10, a commercially launched capsule docked into the International Space Station, marking the reopening of a U.S. supply line to the orbital outpost following the space shuttles’ retirement last year.
The successful launch and docking of SpaceX’s system was the biggest news. But at Spaceport America, Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 6, launched its STIG-B rocket – the first licensed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launch to take place from Spaceport America’s vertical launch complex at the spaceport and the second research and development test flight this year at Spaceport America conducted by Armadillo Aerospace.
The successful launch was a non-public, unpublished event at the request of Armadillo Aerospace, as the company is testing proprietary advanced launch technologies. Armadillo Aerospace is a leading developer of reusable rocket-powered vehicles and plans to provide a platform for civilian access to suborbital space.
Saturday’s flight was the sixth Armadillo Aerospace vehicle and the 16th vertical launch from Spaceport America since 2006.
All of this activity is just part of the emerging private space industry and the leaders of that industry will be gathering in Las Cruces for the two-day International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS).
As a preview to the symposium, ISPCS is hosting its second annual Community Partnership Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16, at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road.
Pat Hynes, director of NASA’s Space Grant Consortium at New Mexico State University that puts on ISPCS, said the luncheon aims to educate local leaders about the importance of supporting this emerging industry, especially the critical need to pass the spaceport liability expansion legislation that has been stalled in the past two Legislatures.
Lawmakers had previously passed liability protection for human spaceflight from Spaceport America, but that was only for the flight operators, not the companies that supply, manufacture and equip the operators. The legislation would expand the protection to those in that supply chain, keeping New Mexico competitive with states such as Virginia, Florida, Texas and Colorado that have passed similar legislation.
To give a real-world insight into the commercial space industry, the luncheon’s featured speaker is former Space Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, who is currently a consultant for many of the new private space companies, specializing in the area of flight safety. Hale’s talk is called “Human Voyagers in the Ocean of Space … The Strict Rules.”
The cost of the luncheon is $50 and includes access to the ISPCS space expo hall, where attendees can get up close to a full scale model of XCOR’s Lynx, its commercial reusable launch vehicle that may be a competitor to Virgin Galactic. Virgin Galactic’s system would take six passengers into suborbital space for $200,000 each. Lynx is a smaller craft, taking one passenger for half the cost of a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin is currently test flying its system and hopes to begin taking passengers into suborbital space by 2013.
Hynes said the spaceport provides a great opportunity for the area’s expertise in space at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility and the military’s White Sands Missile Range to play significant support roles to offset reduced government spending on space. “We have world-class experts in this field right here,” Hynes said. “What a mistake it would be to not take advantage of that world-class expertise we have right here in New Mexico.”
Hynes said lawmakers and other leaders need to see there are “wins” in this new industry for everyone. “But we have to talk to each other,” Hynes said. “That’s why we’re holding the symposium and community luncheon.”
Registration also is being taken for ISPCS, with a $100 discount for those registering by Friday, Oct. 12. From Friday to the first day of the of the symposium Wednesday, Oct. 17, the cost goes up to $899, with a $600 one-day pass option.
Keynote presenters at the 2012 ISPCS include:
• Lori Garver, deputy administrator, NASA
• Brig. Gen. Gwen Bingham, U.S. Army, Commanding General, White Sands Missile Range
•Robert Dickman, executive director, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
•Roger Krone, president of Network and Space Systems, The Boeing Company
•Susana Martinez, Governor of the State of New Mexico
The chairs and more than 30 speakers on the eight panels hail from key national and international commercial space industry organizations.
Panel discussions include:
• “Knowledge is Power” highlights the development of both suborbital and orbital spaceflight products and services.
• Cyber Defense and Security” focuses on why commercial space companies might be more vulnerable than other companies to theft of personal data, financial data and intellectual property.
• “Training Astronauts for Personal and Commercial Flight: Human Factors and Readiness” examines the experiences of suborbital and orbital spaceflight.
• “Beyond CCDev” analyzes the future of commercial space transportation, the importance of public/private partnerships.
• “Export Control Reform: What Does It Mean for the Commercial Space Industry?” addresses the Export Control Reform (ECR) Initiative and its current status.
• “Determination Meets Innovation” highlights new market demands for launch vehicles to carry small satellites to orbit.
• “International Space Transportation: Expanding Commercial Human Spaceflight Internationally” explores the value of expanding human spaceflight programs internationally.
•”Roundtable: The Future Belongs to All of Us.”
To register for the luncheon or ISPCS, visit www.ispcs.com or call (575) 646-6414.
