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Solar Eclipse Day! Time for a ‘Ring of Fire’

msnbc.com: Space — Sun, 20 May 2012 09:27:58 +0000

During the annular eclipse, the moon will travel in front of the sun, blocking its light — except for a so-called “ring of fire” around the edge. NBC’s Lester Holt reports.

It’s time to put on your eclipse glasses, prepare your pinhole projectors or scout out a sun-watching website: The first annular solar eclipse to pass through the United States in 18 years is on its way.

The moon will start eating away at the sun’s disk around 5 p.m. ET today — although that’s early Monday morning in Asia, where the eclipse begins. A wide swath of the world between south China and the American Midwest will see a partial solar eclipse, due to the moon’s position between Earth and sun. And along a roughly 200-mile-wide track, skywatchers can witness a “Ring of Fire,” in which just a thin ring of the sun’s disk remains uncovered. There’ll be no total eclipse this time around, because the moon is too far away in orbit to match the sun’s apparent size. Nevertheless, it’s a sight not to be missed.

Here are seven things you need to know about witnessing the eclipse:

Seeing the big picture: Solar eclipses occur when the moon, sun and Earth line up closely enough for the moon to throw its shadow on earthly locations. Annular eclipses, which create that fiery ring around the moon, are actually rarer than total eclipses because the moon has to be relatively far away in its orbit. Check out this interactive for the graphic details.

Seeing it in Asia: The moon’s shadow races eastward across Earth’s surface at more than 2,000 mph, starting in China’s southern Guangxi Province. Theoretically, the “Ring of Fire” could be visible after 6 p.m. ET over Asian urban centers such as Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, Osaka and Tokyo. But for many of those cities, the weather outlook isn’t that great: Cloudy skies or even thundershowers are in the forecast.

Seeing it in America: The partial eclipse begins over the U.S. West Coast and Canada around 8 p.m. ET, and even earlier in Alaska. Skywatchers in portions of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas can witness the “Ring of Fire” effect at its peak after 9 p.m. ET. As you go farther east, sunset becomes the limiting factor. The U.S. East Coast, for example, will miss out on all phases of the eclipse. Consult NASA’s clickable map to find out what will be visible from your locale. The times are listed as UTC, so subtract five hours for Central Daylight Time, six hours for Mountain Time, and seven hours for Pacific Time. Don’t forget to check the weather, too.

Seeing it safely: Experts emphasize that you should never gaze at the sun without appropriate eye protection, even when the solar disk is almost completely blocked by the moon during an annular eclipse. You can look at the sun through specially designed eclipse-viewing glasses, or through welder’s glass. Those are in short supply now, but you might still be able to find the right equipment at national parks, science centers and other eclipse hot spots. You can also create a pinhole projector with supplies as simple as a sheet of paper, aluminum foil and a box. Or you can just look at the weird crescent-shaped and ring-shaped patterns created when sunlight streams through the trees. Check out this safety guide for more tips.

Seeing it online: If you’re outside the eclipse zone, or if cloudy skies spoil your view, you can still choose from more than a dozen webcasts that are promising to follow the phenomenon. If one webcast isn’t working, try another. Here’s a list of the webcasts we’ve come across.

Sharing what you see: If you’re a Twitter user, you’ll want to use a hashtag like #eclipse, #eclipse2012 or #annulareclipse to let the world know about your sky sighting. And if you snap a great picture of the eclipse, won’t you please share it with us, via Twitter or Instagram or Facebook? Flag your submission with the #EclipseMSNBC hashtag. We have an extra special option for DSLR users: Just upload your images using the drag-and-drop feature on this PhotoBlog page.

Seeing the next sky spectacular: The annular eclipse is a treat, but it’s not the end of this year’s big sky shows. If you have the right equipment — for example, a telescope or a pair of binoculars equipped with solar filters — you can watch the June 5 transit of Venus. (This will be the last such transit until 2117.) There’s a total solar eclipse coming up on Nov. 13 that can be seen from Australia and the Pacific, as well as via the Internet. And in five years, totality will make a huge splash across the United States, for the first time since 1979. Sunday’s event will provide good practice for all these coming attractions.

NASA’s ScienceCast explains the why, when, where and how of the May 20 annular solar eclipse.

More about the annular solar eclipse:

Alan Boyle is msnbc.com’s science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by “liking” the log’s Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log’s Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out “The Case for Pluto,” my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.

SpaceX launch abort traced to faulty valve

msnbc.com: Space — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:36:53 +0000

A failed rocket engine valve appears to be responsible for the unexpected abort of a private SpaceX rocket launch before dawn on Saturday, officials said.

SpaceX was slated to blast off its unmanned Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket at 4:55 a.m. ET from here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Just after igniting its main engines, the computer onboard the booster initiated an automatic abort due to a high pressure reading in one of the rocket’s nine main engines.

1. Solar Eclipse Day! It’s time to see a ‘Ring of Fire’
  
  Science editor Alan Boyle’s blog: Put on your eclipse glasses, or scout out a sun-watching website: The first annular solar eclipse to pass through the United States in 18 years is on its way.
2. SpaceX launch abort traced to faulty rocket valve
3. SpaceX no stranger to rocket glitches
4. Historic NASA facility sets sights on deep space

Dragon was due to fly to the International Space Station to become the first non-governmental vehicle to berth there. The spacecraft’s next chance to launch is Tuesday at 3:44 a.m. ET, followed by a potential opportunity Wednesday at 3:22 a.m. ET.

This afternoon SpaceX engineers examined the rocket, and traced the problem back to the check valve on the Falcon 9′s fifth Merlin engine (the booster has a total of nine).

“We have discovered root cause and repairs are underway,” SpaceX officials said in a statement Saturday evening.

Technicians are now working to replace the failed valve for a second try at launch.

“Those repairs should be complete tonight,” officials said. “We will continue to review data on Sunday. If things look good, we will be ready to attempt to launch on Tuesday, May 22nd at 3:44 AM Eastern.”

The flight is a trial run for SpaceX’s plan to deliver cargo, and eventually crew, to the space station. The mission is partially funded by NASA’s COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) program, and the firm has a NASA contract to fly 12 delivery missions to the outpost once test flights are completed.

“We’re ready to support when SpaceX is ready to go,” Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of NASA’s commercial crew and cargo program, said during the briefing.

Officials from both NASA and SpaceX have emphasized the uncertain nature of test flights, and said that the main goal was to gather more data about the vehicle.

“This is not a failure,” Shotwell said. “We aborted with purpose. It would have been a failure if we had lifted off with an engine trending in this direction.”

This report was updated by msnbc.com.

You can follow Space.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Photos: SpaceX Set for Historic Launch to Space Station

SpaceX to Space Station: Complete Coverage

SpaceX Dragon Launch Aborted At Last Second | Video

SpaceX no stranger to rocket glitches

msnbc.com: Space — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:07:14 +0000

When a privately built rocket aborted its launch attempt at the very last second on Saturday, it was likely a familiar sight to the booster’s builders: The California-based company SpaceX.

SpaceX’s unmanned Falcon 9 rocket aborted its launch attempt this morning just as the countdown reached T minus 0.5 seconds and the rocket’s nine main engines ignited, apparently due to an unexpectedly high engine pressure reading. The rocket will now have to wait until at least Tuesday to attempt to launch SpaceX’s first robotic Dragon space capsule flight to the International Space Station.

The launch abort, while a delay, isn’t a surprising turn of events for SpaceX. The company repeatedly pushed back the launch in recent months to allow extra time to review the rocket and Dragon capsule’s flight software. The goal, SpaceX and NASA officials said at the time, was to make sure the rocket was as ready to fly as possible.

1. Solar Eclipse Day! It’s time to see a ‘Ring of Fire’
  
  Science editor Alan Boyle’s blog: Put on your eclipse glasses, or scout out a sun-watching website: The first annular solar eclipse to pass through the United States in 18 years is on its way.
2. SpaceX launch abort traced to faulty rocket valve
3. SpaceX no stranger to rocket glitches
4. Historic NASA facility sets sights on deep space

As recently as April 30, SpaceX pushed the launch back when the Falcon 9 rocket experienced a hiccup during an engine test atop the launch pad. A second engine test later proved everything was ready for launch.

[ Photos: SpaceX Poised for Historic Launch ]

No guarantees

SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract to provide 12 Dragon capsule cargo flights to the space station for NASA, with this mission aimed at proving the space capsule’s capabilities. With NASA’s space shuttle fleet retired, the agency is depending on SpaceX and other commercial spaceship builders to provide much needed robotic cargo and manned vehicles to fill the void left by the shuttle program’s end.

But SpaceX has repeatedly stated that the Falcon 9 and Dragon launch to the space station is an unprecedented test flight, one in which success is never guaranteed.

“This mission is important, although I wouldn’t want to place too much emphasis on the success of this mission, because it is a first time effort,” SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk told SPACE.com in a recent interview. “If there’s any danger or concern with respect to the space station, then we will have to abort and try again on a different flight.”

Musk is a billionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of the Internet payment service Paypal. He founded the Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., in 2002 with the intention of developing a manned spacecraft capable of orbital and deep space flight.

The Falcon 9 rocket stands 157 feet tall (48 meters) and is a two-stage booster fueled by liquid oxygen and kerosene.

The challenge of private spaceflight

On Friday, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell acknowledged the company’s challenges in hitting liftoff at launch time on the first try.

“We have not hit a T-Zero yet,” Shotwell said, adding that she felt SpaceX had a better than 50-50 chance of launching today.

The current Falcon 9 mission is SpaceX’s third mission for the rocket design, which made its debut in June 2010. A second flight successfully launched a Dragon capsule prototype into orbit in December 2010. The earlier Falcon 9 launches also saw delays or aborts, Shotwell said.

The Falcon 9 rocket’s successful track record marked a major step forward for SpaceX, which launched three of its smaller Falcon 1 rockets before achieving a successful flight on the fourth try.

SpaceX’s next chance to launch the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule toward the space station comes before dawn on Tuesday, with Wednesday available as a backup day if it is needed, NASA officials said.

After standing down from today’s launch attempt, Shotwell stressed that there’s a big difference between a launch abort and an outright launch failure.

“This is not a failure,” Shotwelll said. “We aborted with purpose. It would have been a failure if we had lifted off with an engine trending in this direction.”

You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter@tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter@Spacedotcomand onFacebook.

SpaceX Dragon Launch Aborted At Last Second | Video

SpaceX to Space Station: Complete Coverage

Gallery: SpaceX’s 1st Mission to Space Station – How It Works

Glitch aborts SpaceX launch to space station

msnbc.com: Space — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:44:45 +0000

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The private rocket company SpaceX will have to wait at least three more days to send its Dragon space capsule on a debut flight to the International Space Station after unexpected engine pressure readings forced a last-second abort of Saturday’s launch attempt.

The launch countdown reached zero and the engines of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying Dragon ignited, only to be cut off seconds later because of an excessive pressure reading in one of the engines.

“3, 2, 1, 0, and liftoff … we’ve had a cutoff,” NASA launch commentator George Diller announced. “Liftoff did not occur. We have a launch abort.”

A news conference after the attempted launch was told the flight aborted at T minus 0.5 seconds.

1. How to see the solar eclipse anywhere
  
  Science editor Alan Boyle’s blog: Millions of people could witness Sunday’s “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse — but what if you’re one of the billions who can’t? You can still watch the event online.
2. How to safely photograph the annular eclipse
3. US-Russian crew arrives at space station
4. Moon rocks reveal evidence of asteroid barrage

The unmanned Dragon capsule was due to lift off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 4:55 a.m. EDT, but the engine sensor reading forced the vehicle’s computer to perform an automatic abort, NASA officials said.

“Launch aborted: slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine 5. Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days,” SpaceX founder and chief designer Elon Musk wrote on Twitter just after the abort.

The commercial space capsule is due to make its inaugural flight to the orbiting space laboratory, becoming the first non-government craft to do so.

Now Dragon’s next launch opportunity is Tuesday at 3:44 a.m. EDT.

Weather forecasters predict a 60 percent chance of good conditions for liftoff then. Saturday’s launch abort followed several earlier launch delays due to extra time needed to review the Dragon capsule’s flight software. [Photos: SpaceX Poised for Historic Launch]

Graphic: The plan for SpaceX’s Dragon capsule

This SpaceX mission is flying under the auspices of NASA’s COTS program, which stands for Commercial Orbital Transportation Services.

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corp.) has received $1.6 billion from the initiative to develop Dragon and to eventually fly 12 cargo delivery runs to the space station.

If the upcoming final test flight goes well, the first of those delivery flights could launch in early fall, with two more to fly next year.

SpaceX is one of two companies NASA has funded to develop robotic spacecraft capable of delivering supplies to low-Earth orbit in the wake of the space shuttle retirement (the other is Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va.).

The deals are part of the space agency’s scheme to outsource space station transportation to the private space sector, allowing NASA to work on a new spacecraft and heavy-lift rocket for deep space.

Ultimately, SpaceX plans to outfit Dragon to carry crew as well as cargo.

This report was updated by msnbc.com. You can follow Space.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz on Twitter @ClaraMoskowitz.Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

SpaceX to Space Station: Complete Coverage

Gallery: SpaceX’s 1st Mission to Space Station – How It Works

SpaceX’s Quest For Rocketry’s Holy Grail – SPACE.com Exclusive Video

N. Korea denies jamming GPS of civilian aircraft

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:58:30 +0000

North Korea on Friday denied it had jammed the GPS systems of hundreds of civilian aircraft and ships in South Korea, accusing the South of using problems with navigation equipment to smear the North.

Pyongyang’s telecommunications ministry spokesman said the South’s allegations that the North jammed GPS signals from April 28 to May 13 were “sheer fabrication” aimed at slandering the communist state.

“The traitors’ group was at first stupefied in the face of this chaos and then tried to slander us with fabricated allegations,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.

The South was again displaying its “habitual bad behaviour of seeking to blame others for their own fault”, he said.

“Repeating their bad habit of blaming others for their own problems, the traitors’ group again revealed its true nature as a swarm of rats wearing human-shaped masks,” he said.

South Korean officials said the signals, originating from the North’s border city of Kaesong, forced sea and air traffic to use other navigational equipment to avoid compromising safety.

The GPS jamming incident came at a time of high cross-border tensions.

The North has threatened “sacred war” against the South in retaliation for perceived insults during Pyongyang’s commemoration in April of the centenary of the birth of founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

The North has twice before been accused by Seoul of jamming GPS systems although there was no previous widespread effect on civilian flights.

South Korea complained about the jamming to Pyongyang, the International Telecommunication Union and International Civil Aviation Organisation.

SpaceX aborts launch to ISS

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:58:30 +0000

The California-based company SpaceX on Saturday scrubbed the launch of its Dragon capsule toward the International Space Station at the last second due to a rocket engine problem.

The abort came a half-second before liftoff due to high pressure in the center engine of the Falcon 9 rocket, forcing a shutdown of the launch attempt. The next try is expected May 22 at 3:44 am (0744 GMT).

“This is not failure. We aborted with purpose. It would be a failure if we were to have lifted off with an engine trending in this direction,” SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told reporters after the launch was scrubbed.

The postponement came when an engine controller noted high chamber pressure in engine five of the rocket, which requires all nine engines for a successful liftoff.

Inspectors would be searching for a root cause to the problem later Saturday, she said.

A similar issue with engine five forced a temporary delay of the Falcon 9′s first-ever flight, but that liftoff was not scrubbed because there was a longer launch window and SpaceX was able to recycle the attempt, Shotwell said.

However, this time there was a very narrow window of opportunity to launch toward the ISS so the attempt was put off.

“We will be out there looking for whatever we can find and we will put out a statement as soon as we find a root cause,” Shotwell said, adding that early indications have ruled out a sensor failure or a faulty fuel valve.

The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the unmanned Dragon and over half a ton of cargo toward the orbiting lab, would mark the first attempt to send a privately built spacecraft to the research outpost, where it plans to do a fly-under followed by a berthing.

SpaceX is the first of several US competitors to try sending its own cargo-bearing spacecraft to the ISS with the goal of restoring US access to space for human travelers by 2015.

The company made history with its Dragon launch in December 2010, becoming the first commercial outfit to send a spacecraft into orbit and back.

Until now, only the space agencies of Russia, Japan and Europe have been able to send supply ships to the ISS.

The United States had that capacity too, with its iconic space shuttle that long served as part astronaut bus, part delivery truck for the lab.

But the 30-year shuttle program ended for good in 2011, leaving Russia as the sole taxi for astronauts to the ISS until private industry could come up with a replacement.

SpaceX has benefited from NASA dollars in its quest but has also poured its own money into the endeavor.

SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corporation both have billion-dollar contracts with NASA to supply cargo to the ISS in the coming years, and they get NASA funds in exchange for meeting key milestones in their projects.

NASA has given SpaceX about $390 million so far of the total $680 million SpaceX has spent on cargo development, Shotwell said.

SpaceX also gets funding from NASA on a separate effort to develop a commercial crew vehicle for carrying astronauts to space, along with competitors Blue Origin, Boeing and Sierra Nevada.

In a few years’ time, Shotwell said she hopes SpaceX will be able to undercut the hefty price NASA pays Russia for US astronauts to get a seat aboard the Soyuz space capsule — around $63 million a ticket.

With seven seats aboard the Dragon capsule, she said SpaceX could someday offer that to NASA for $140 million per mission — about $20 million per seat.

NASA chooses rocket for Orion launches

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:58:30 +0000

NASA says it will modify an existing and proven Delta IV rocket second stage to launch an Orion spacecraft on an unmanned test flight in 2017.

A manned flight to lunar orbit is planned for four years after that, the agency said.

The Boeing upper stage is “the only means available to support the immediate in-space propulsion needs” for the excursions, NASA said in a statement.

An internal study of in-space propulsion systems available in the United States, Europe and Japan determined the Delta IV upper stage “is the only known in-space stage requiring relatively minor modifications” to meet mission requirements as well as the launch schedule, NASA said.

The Delta IV second stage is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney RL-10B2 engine fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Both Orion missions will be launched from complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on early versions of NASA’s new heavy-lift Space Launch System, Florida Today reported.

World’s largest solar eclipse party? Game on!

msnbc.com: Space — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:25:33 +0000

A solar eclipse will blot out part of the sun this weekend, and astronomers in Colorado are organizing what they hope will be the world’s largest viewing party in one place. Their venue: an entire football stadium.

The eclipse will occur in the afternoon and early evening on Sunday, during which time the moon will pass between Earth and the sun, casting a shadow on the planet. This weekend’s event is called an annular solar eclipse (from the Latin word “annulus,” meaning “little ring”), because the moon will not completely cover the sun, but will leave a fiery ring around its circumference.

At its peak, the moon will block roughly 94 percent of the sun’s light. This potentially spectacular solar eclipse will be visible from much of Asia, the Pacific region and North America, provided the weather cooperates.

The University of Colorado, at Boulder, will be hosting a free eclipse-watching event at the campus’ Folsom Stadium, beginning at 5:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. EDT). Special protective glasses will be sold at the football stadium, but organizers suggest planning ahead in case supplies run out. [ Solar Eclipse of May 20 (Photo Observing Guide) ]

Attendees will be treated to hot dogs, and have the opportunity to participate in trivia contests and giveaways. But the main attraction will, of course, be the show in the sky, which promises to be the best solar eclipse the U.S. has seen in more than a decade, said event organizer Doug Duncan, an astronomer at the University of Colorado, and director of the school’s Fiske Planetarium.

“After leading eclipse expeditions since 1970 I got tired of people not being prepared to watch, so as leader of the country’s top university planetarium I went into action,” Duncan said in a statement.

The campus’ Fiske Planetarium and Sommers Bausch Observatory will also celebrate “Astronomy Day” on Sunday, featuring hands-on displays and telescope activities.

The event has already received a strong response, and Duncan is expecting between 10,000 and 20,000 people to attend the viewing party (the stadium seats more than 40,000 spectators, but the eclipse will not be visible from all sections).

“As of right now, we have sold 39,000 pairs of eclipse glasses,” Duncan told Space.com. “We’ve been selling them at the planetarium and a local hardware store, and they’ve sold out.”

He reminds observers that it is extremely important to protect your eyes before viewing the eclipse. Skywatchers should never look directly at the sun, either with the naked eye or through telescopes or binoculars without the proper filters.

“The sun is very powerful, so you need to protect your eyes,” Duncan said.

The eclipse will occur in the late afternoon or early evening May 20 throughout North America, and May 21 for observers in Asia. This solar eclipse skywatching guide has more specific information about viewing locations and times.

1. How to see the solar eclipse anywhere
  
  Science editor Alan Boyle’s blog: Millions of people could witness Sunday’s “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse — but what if you’re one of the billions who can’t? You can still watch the event online.
2. How to safely photograph the annular eclipse
3. US-Russian crew arrives at space station
4. Moon rocks reveal evidence of asteroid barrage

To safely view the annular solar eclipse, you can buy special solar filters or No. 14 welder’s glass to wear over your eyes. Warning: Standard sunglasses will NOT provide sufficient protection. Astronomers use special filters and glasses to observe the sun safely.

Another safe and simple technique is to watch the eclipse indirectly with the solar projection method. This involves using your telescope, or one side of your binoculars, to project a magnified image of the sun’s disk onto a shaded white piece of cardboard.

Several U.S. national parks are also planning their own observing events for the solar eclipse, and NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., are sending a group of researchers to the Grand Canyon.

Editor’s note: If you snap any amazing eclipse photos that you’d like to be considered for use in a story or gallery, please send them to Space.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

UPDATE: For the latest tips and advice on seeing the May 20 solar eclipse, see: Annular Solar Eclipse of May 20: Complete Coverage

You can follow Space.com staff writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow. Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Solar Eclipses: An Observer’s Guide (Infographic)

How to Safely Observe the Sun (Infographic)

May 2012 Solar Eclipse – Where, When and How To View it | Video

SpaceX readies ambitious ISS launch

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:17:36 +0000

Shaking off jitters, SpaceX counted down Friday to liftoff of its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station in what may be a historic mission for private spaceflight.

The blastoff of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the unmanned Dragon and over half a ton of cargo toward the orbiting lab, is scheduled for 4:55 am (0855 GMT) Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in south Florida.

Air Force weather officials said the forecast was 70 percent favorable for the first-of-its kind attempt to send a privately built spacecraft to the research outpost, where it plans to do a fly-under followed by a berthing in the coming days.

Until now, only the space agencies of Russia, Japan and Europe have been able to send supply ships to the ISS.

The United States had that capacity too, with its iconic space shuttle that long served as part astronaut bus, part delivery truck for the lab.

But the 30-year shuttle program ended for good in 2011, leaving Russia as the sole astro-taxi to the ISS until private industry could come up with a replacement.

SpaceX is the first of several US competitors to try sending its own cargo-bearing spacecraft to the ISS with the goal of restoring US access to space for human travelers by 2015.

The company made history with its Dragon launch in December 2010, becoming the first commercial outfit to send a spacecraft into orbit and back.

“If successful, there is no doubt this is a historic flight,” said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. “We really stand in awe of the opportunity to attempt this.”

However, she acknowledged that even if liftoff goes as planned, many complicated and risky maneuvers lie ahead as the Dragon attempts to berth with the space outpost, which has six astronauts on board.

“I think we are going to be biting off our fingers between now and hour 75,” she said, referring to the time span between Saturday’s launch and berthing, scheduled for Tuesday.

“I don’t think there is going to be a lot of sleep in the next 70 or 75 hours for folks at SpaceX.”

Another key hurdle is the near-instantaneous launch window, which, if not met within seconds, would force the mission to be postponed until May 22, 25 or 29, Shotwell said. Slightly less favorable windows also open on May 23 and 26.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk, an Internet entrepreneur, billionaire and cofounder of PayPal, also admitted to having sleepless nights in an interview with AFP earlier this month.

Musk has also publicly fretted over the the complicated matter of latching on to the space station, which he described as moving faster than a speeding bullet.

“The space station is zooming around the Earth every 90 minutes, and it is going 17,000 miles (27,000 kilometers) an hour,” he said.

“So you have got to launch up there and you’ve got to rendezvous and be backing into the space station within inches really, and this is something that is going 12 times faster than the bullet from an assault rifle. So it’s hard.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, NASA’s acting director of Commercial Spaceflight Development Phil McAlister played down expectations for the flight.

“This is a test flight. NASA views test flights primarily as learning opportunities,” said McAlister.

“If it gets us in a better posture to fly next time, that is a good thing.”

SpaceX, a California-based company, has benefited from NASA dollars in its quest but has also poured its own money into the endeavor.

Shotwell said SpaceX is firmly in the black and has been for years, even after spending about $1.2 billion on its space projects so far.

NASA has given SpaceX about $390 million so far of the total $680 million SpaceX has spent on cargo development, she said.

SpaceX also gets funding from NASA on a separate effort to develop a commercial crew vehicle for carrying astronauts to space, along with competitors Blue Origin, Boeing and Sierra Nevada.

With seven seats aboard the Dragon capsule, she said SpaceX could someday offer that to NASA for $140 million per mission — about $20 million per seat.

Japan in first commercial satellite launch

Space News From SpaceDaily.Com — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:17:36 +0000

Japan joined the commercial space race Friday after its workhorse rocket put a paid-for South Korean satellite into orbit, pitting the country against Russia and Europe in the competition for customers.

But despite a degree of self-congratulation, space officials admitted they had to work hard to lower their prices if they were going to become truly competitive.

The H-IIA rocket took off from the southern island of Tanegashima on schedule at 1:39 am (1639 GMT Thursday), according to live images relayed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The separation of South Korea’s KOMPSAT-3 satellite from the rocket was confirmed around 16 minutes after take-off, followed shortly afterwards by the separation of three Japanese satellites that were also being carried.

“We were able to build a record of success for the first time. This gives us a springboard to win future contracts,” said Hideaki Okuma, president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which built the rocket.

The company, which has been operating the rocket since its 2007 privatisation, hopes to carry out more contract launches and secure a foothold in a potentially lucrative market currently dominated by Europe and Russia.

Science Minister Hirofumi Hirano said: “The success of the first commercial launch… is a reflection of steady technological advancement and improving reliability.”

The launch Friday of the JAXA-developed rocket was its 20th success, set against one failure in 2003 when a rocket booster failed to separate after the launch and was destroyed.

The first foreign customer for H-IIA, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), whose multi-purpose earth observation satellite was aboard, praised the Japanese technology.

“We are very happy with the launch by the H-IIA,” KARI President Kim Seung-Jo told Japanese media in Tanegashima. “The credit for the success goes to the sophisticated capability of the H-IIA rocket.”

The institute paid several billion yen (tens of millions of dollars), “the cheapest price in an international auction”, the Sankei Shimbun reported, citing the institute. MHI declined to confirm the report.

But MHI President Omiya admitted that his firm needs to lower the launch cost to compete against foreign rivals.

“We are deepening our confidence in H-IIA. But the launch cost is higher than the international standard,” he said. “We would like to make utmost effort to drive down the cost.”

The rocket also put into space JAXA’s Shizuku satellite, which will be used to monitor the circulation of water on Earth, officials said. The other two satellites were small experimental Japanese models.