NASA’s role in developing new technologies and proving them in space is vital to industrial advances for the public sector, industry executives say. A House Science subcommittee on July 12 heard from four industry executives and NASA’s chief technologist about spin-off success stories from NASA, and what can be done to keep successes in the pipeline.

Virgin Galactic has officially unveiled a low-cost, small satellite launch system that builds on elements of its space tourism development. The LauncherOne system will deliver payloads up to 500 lb. to low Earth orbit, and with a target price of under $10 million per launch, is aimed at dramatically cutting the cost of launching small satellites. Backed by Virgin Galactic’s partner Aabar Investments, the development of the “new vehicle will create a long-awaited shake-up of the satellite launch industry,” Virgin founder Richard Branson says.

LEAVING NASA: Arthur E. (Gene) Goldman, acting director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, will leave the space agency to become head of Aerojet’s Southeast Space Operations, where he will oversee Aerojet’s partnerships with Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville, Ala., and Florida Turbines Technology of Jupiter Beach, Fla., that could lead to a kerosene-powered strap-on booster for the planned NASA heavy-lift Space Launch System. Goldman, who has spent 22 years at the Alabama field center, will retire from NASA Aug. 3.

LONDON — Aerojet is forming a European subsidiary that will use indigenous manufacturing and engineering talent to produce in-space thrusters and propulsion systems, the Sacramento, Calif.-based company announced July 9. The new entity, European Space Propulsion, will be based in Northern Ireland. Work is to be conducted jointly with Thales Air Defense Ltd. of Belfast, a division of Thales UK, which will provide manufacturing assembly and test capabilities. Aerojet will furnish engineering-support services through its Redmond, Wash., operations.

ON ORBIT: Controllers in Luxembourg are checking out the SES-5 communications satellite after its successful deployment in a geostationary transfer orbit following a 9-hr., 12-min. Proton mission that started with liftoff at Baikonur Cosmodrome at 2:38 p.m. EDT July 9. Built by Space Systems/Loral, the 6-metric-ton spacecraft carries an L-band hosted payload for the European Commission that will aid in the verification, improvement and monitoring of European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (Egnos) positioning signals.

FARNBOROUGH — Armenia is planning to order a commercial communications satellite from Russia under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed July 9 during the Farnborough air show. Vladimir Popovkin, director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said the satellite — Armenia’s first — is expected to carry 15 transponders, though details of the satellite’s development and launch are still being negotiated. Popovkin expects a contract to be signed by year-end.

Click here to view the pdf

FARNBOROUGH — With politicians in the U.S. clamoring for a “hedge” against future missile threats, and budget cuts anticipated on both sides of the Atlantic, Raytheon is pitching a “smart defense” approach.