This Week In Space, February 27, 2008

This week we look at some events that will affect the space industry in Florida. A partnership between the state and Google Lunar x-Prize, Orbital Sciences Corp. wining the NASA COTS contract and a proposal from Kennedy Space Center to bulid two new launch pads at KSC for private launch providers.


Space Florida has partnered with Google and the X Prize Foundation to add $2 million to the $200 million Google Lunar X Prize. The incentive is for companies to launch their prize entries from Florida. If the winner launches from Florida, they will get the additional $2 million. Orbital Science Corporation won the second of NASa's 2 Phase 1 COTS demonstration contracts. They plan to launch from Virginia, which is not good new s for Florida, although their operational flights might take off from the Space Coast of Florida. Kennedy Space Center has started the process for possibly building two new launch pads on KSC property which would be leased out to a private operator who would then market them to private companies in the launch business and who could launch their vehicles from the new complexes. The local community isn't thrilled about it, believe it or not. Fish seem to be more important to the local residents of the SPACE COAST.


Listen: http://www.thisweekinspace.com/programs/thisweekinspace_022708.mp3

Proposed Commercial Vertical Launch Complex (CVLC) at J. F. Kennedy Space Center

NASA is proposing a project which would allow for the development and operation of a Commercial Vertical Launch Complex (CVLC) on approximately 200 acres of Kennedy Space Center. The land use agreement would be with a non- NASA entity. This web page provides a brief description of the proposed project and the associated Environmental Assessment, links to more in-depth information, and correspondence contact information.

http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/projects/ksc-cvlc.htm