Sign MOUs For Spacecraft Development, Training
Things appear to be coming
full-circle for commercial spaceflight. Officials with NASA signed
a memorandum of understanding Tuesday with Virgin Galactic, LLC to
explore the potential for collaborations on the development of
space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors and
hypersonic vehicles capable of traveling five or more times the
speed of sound.
Under the terms of the memorandum, NASA Ames Research Center,
located in California's Silicon Valley, and US-based Virgin
Galactic LLC, a subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group,
will explore possible collaborations in several technical areas
employing capabilities and facilities of NASA's Ames Research
Center.
London's Daily Telegraph newspaper reports some agreements have
already been made. Most notably, NASA astronauts in earlier stages
of their training will be among the first groups of passengers
slated to ride into suborbital space aboard Virgin's SpaceShipTwo,
when flights begin in 2008.
"As we constantly seek to build upon the advances made by
explorers who have come before us, we now embark upon an exciting
time in space exploration history that realizes the unlimited
opportunities presented by a commercial space economy," said Shana
Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "By encouraging such potential
collaborations, NASA supports the development of greater commercial
collaboration and applications that will serve to strengthen and
enhance the future benefits of space exploration for all of
mankind."
Dale is a longtime supporter of commercial space development. As
the former staff director of the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, she was instrumental in the
passage of the Commercial Space Act of 1998. This legislation
encourages commercial space development in a variety of areas,
including launch vehicles, the International Space Station and the
acquisition of space and Earth science data.
"This understanding with Virgin Galactic affords NASA an
opportunity to work with an emerging company in the commercial
human space transportation industry to support the agency's
exploration, science and aeronautics mission goals," said S. Pete
Worden, director of NASA Ames Research Center. "Our location in
California's Silicon Valley provides a dynamic research and
development platform for future potential collaborations with other
such companies in support of a robust commercial space
industry."
"We are excited to be working with NASA and look forward to
future collaborations in exploration and space travel," said Alex
Tai, vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic.
The agreement with Virgin Galactic was negotiated through NASA's
Space Portal, a newly formed organization in the NASA Research Park
at Ames, which seeks to engage new opportunities for NASA to
promote the development of the commercial space economy.
"This new type of private-public partnership can benefit the
agency while helping to foster a new industry," said Dan Coughlin,
NASA's lead for the Virgin Galactic agreement.
The memorandum of understanding will be in effect for two years,
and stipulates that neither NASA nor Virgin Galactic will be
required to pay any fees or provide funds to support the areas of
possible collaboration.
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