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Launch Services Program
The NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) is responsible for procurement of launch services for NASA uncrewed missions and oversight of launch integration and launch preparation activity, providing added quality and mission assurance to meet program objectives. LSP operates under the NASA Space Operations Mission Directorate (SOMD). Since 1990, NASA has purchased expendable launch vehicle launch services directly from commercial providers, whenever possible, for its scientific and applications missions. Expendable launch vehicles can accommodate all types of orbit inclinations and altitudes and are ideal vehicles for launching Earth-orbit and interplanetary missions. The Launch Services Program was established at Kennedy Space Center for NASA's acquisition and program management of expendable launch vehicle missions. A NASA/contractor team is in place to meet the mission of the Launch Services Program, which exists to provide leadership, expertise and cost-effective services in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Launch Services Program Logo
Launch or launched may refer to: Involving vehicles * Launch (boat), one of several different sorts of boat ** Motor launch (naval), a small military vessel used by the Royal Navy * Air launch, the practice of dropping an aircraft, rocket, or missile from a launch aircraft * Rocket launch, first phase of a rocket flight * Ceremonial ship launching, when a vessel is slid into the water from a slipway Arts and media * ''Launched'' (album), a 2000 album by Beatsteaks * "The Launch" (song), 1999 song * Launch (''Dragon Ball''), a character in ''Dragon Ball'' media *'' The Launch'', Canadian musical TV show **'' The Launch EP'', the debut EP from the show *Launch Media, creators of ''LAUNCH'' magazine and LAUNCH.com *LAUNCHcast (now known as Yahoo! Music Radio), an Internet radio service Other uses * LAUNCH (Innovation Challenge), a program sponsored by NASA, Nike, USAID and US Department of State *Product launch, the introduction of a new product to market *Soft launch, a previ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American multinational Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and Arms industry, defense company. With 97,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $40 billion, it is one of the world's largest Arms industry, weapons manufacturers and military technology providers. Formed in 1994 through Northrop Corporation's purchase of Grumman Aerospace, Northrop Grumman ranked as the List of defense contractors, third-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2022. The firm ranked on the 2022 Fortune 500, ''Fortune'' 500 list of America's largest corporations. Northrop Grumman and its industry partners have won the Collier Trophy nine times, most recently for the development and production of the James Webb Space Telescope, an Space telescope, orbiting observatory launched in 2021. Northrop Grumman leads the development of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, B-21 Raider, a long-range, stealth aircraft, stealth strategic bomber that can drop conv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Relativity Space
Relativity Space Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Long Beach, California. Relativity Space is new product development, developing manufacturing technologies, launch vehicles, and rocket engines for commercial orbital launch services. As of March 2025, Relativity has announced plans to launch its in-development launch vehicle Terran R for the first time in late 2026. History Founding and funding (2015–2023) Relativity Space was founded in 2015 by CEO Tim Ellis (engineer), Tim Ellis and CTO Jordan Noone on the idea that existing private spaceflight companies were not tapping enough into the potential of additive manufacturing (3D printing). Relativity was founded with the intent of being the first company to successfully launch a fully 3D-printed launch vehicle into orbit. In November 2020, Relativity Space announced its US$500 million Series D funding at a calculated US$2.3 billion valuation. In June 2021 Relativity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phantom Space Corporation
Phantom Space Corporation is an American space transportation and rocket manufacturing startup based in Tucson, Arizona. Company history Phantom Space Corporation was founded in 2019 by Jim Cantrell and Michael D'Angelo. Chris Thompson, the second employee at SpaceX and ten-year veteran, joined Phantom Space in October of 2021 as Chief Technology Officer in charge of launch and satellite system development. In May 2021, Phantom acquired StratSpace, a satellite program designer and manager founded by Cantrell in 2000. The acquisition made Phantom Space the first 100% U.S.-based satellite supply chain in its effort to mass produce rockets on a large scale. In August 2021, the company acquired space systems developer Micro Aerospace Solutions (MAS) operating out of Melbourne, Florida. In 2023, Phantom signed an agreement with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to collaborate on missions at the Arnhem Space Centre in Arnhem Land, a remote location in the Northern Territory ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Impulse Space
Impulse Space is a startup founded in 2021 developing in-space transportation technology and services for satellites that fly to Low Earth Orbit but then need to reach other orbits. The company was founded by Tom Mueller, employee No.1 at SpaceX and principal engineer of the Merlin and Draco rocket engines that power the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft. Orbital Transfer Vehicles Impulse Space designs and manufactures orbital transfer vehicles, sometimes called space tugs, to move satellites and payloads throughout space. Mira The size of a dishwasher, a Mira orbital transfer vehicle weighs approximately when loaded with propellant. It uses Saiph bipropellant thrusters which have a specific impulse (Isp) of 290 s. It can impart a delta-v of from 500 m/s with 300 kg payload to 900 m/s with 100 kg payload. In November 2023 the first Mira flight was launched as part the SpaceX Transporter-9 mission. Orbit Fab, in a mission funded by the Defense Inno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. is an American private aerospace firm based in Cedar Park, Texas, that develops small- and medium-lift launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The current company was formed when the assets of the former company Firefly Space Systems were acquired by EOS Launcher in March 2017, which was then renamed ''Firefly Aerospace''. Firefly's stated purpose is to increase access to space, similar to other private spaceflight companies. History Firefly Space Systems Early growth Firefly Space Systems began as a startup in January 2014 by Tom Markusic, P.J. King, Michael Blum, and a small group of entrepreneurs who self-funded the company. In November 2014, Firefly moved its headquarters from Hawthorne, California to Austin-suburb Cedar Park, Texas. It grew to 43 employees by November 2014, and purchased of land for an engine test and manufacturing facility in Briggs, Texas, north of Austin. In 2014, Firefly purchased fiber-winding equipment fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astra (American Spaceflight Company)
Astra Space, Inc., formerly known as Ventions, LLC from 2005 - 2016, is an American space company based in Alameda, California, with facilities in Sunnyvale, California and Atwater, California. The company was initially an aerospace technology research firm that focused on SBIR contracts, developing small rocket engines for use on launch vehicles and satellite propulsion. In 2012, the company shifted to developing launch vehicles and was selected for the DARPA ALASA program, eventually leading to the development and launch of the Astra Rocket series of launch vehicle utilizing both government and private funding after reincorporating itself to Astra Space, Inc. in 2016. The company would have their first successful launch in 2021, nine years after the start of development, after 6 previous failed attempts. Astra became publicly traded in 2021 through a SPAC merger, reaching a valuation of over $3 billion. The company diversified to become a satellite propulsion manufactu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ABL Space Systems
Long Wall (formerly ABL Space Systems) is an American aerospace company, based in Long Beach, California (originally from El Segundo, California), that manufactures deployable launch vehicles and infrastructure for missile defense, formerly for sending commercial small satellites into orbit. The company manufactures its components in the United States. Long Wall manufactures RSX, a launch vehicle used for flight testing and threat replication, and Ironwood, a rapidly deployable ground support equipment system. History Long Wall was founded as ABL Space Systems in 2017 by Harry O'Hanley and Dan Piemont, former SpaceX and Morgan Stanley employees. In 2018, Long Wall signed a lease with Camden County, Georgia, for future operations in Spaceport Camden. In 2019, the company signed with Spaceport America in New Mexico to locate testing operations and facilities there. As of October 2022, the company makes no mention of this location on their facility list. In 2021 Long Wall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vulcan Centaur
Vulcan Centaur is a heavy-lift launch vehicle developed and operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA). It is a two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle consisting of the Vulcan first stage and the Centaur second stage. Replacing ULA's Atlas V and Delta IV rockets, the Vulcan Centaur is principally designed to meet the needs of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, which supports U.S. intelligence agencies and the Defense Department, but ULA believes it will also be able to price missions low enough to attract commercial launches. ULA began development of the new launch vehicle in 2014, primarily to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and to comply with a Congressional mandate to phase out the use of the Russian-made RD-180 engine that powered the Atlas V. The first launch of the Vulcan Centaur was initially scheduled for 2019 but faced multiple delays due to developmental challenges with its new BE-4 first-stage engine and the Centaur second-stage. The Vulcan Centaur had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance, LLC (ULA) is an American launch service provider formed in December 2006 as a joint venture between Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The company designs, assembles, sells and launches rockets, but the company subcontracts out the production of rocket engines and solid rocket boosters. When founded, the company inherited the Atlas rocket family from Lockheed Martin and the Delta rocket family from Boeing. As of 2024, the Delta family has been retired and the Atlas V is in the process of being retired. ULA began development of the Vulcan Centaur in 2014 as replacement for both the Atlas and Delta rocket families. The Vulcan Centaur completed its maiden flight in January 2024. The primary customers of ULA are the Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA, but it also serves commercial clients. Company history Formation Boeing and Lockheed Martin announced on 2 May 2005 that they would establish a 50/50 joint venture, United L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falcon Heavy
Falcon Heavy is a super heavy-lift launch vehicle with partial reusability that can carry cargo into Earth orbit and beyond. It is designed, manufactured and launched by American aerospace company SpaceX. The rocket consists of a center core on which two Falcon 9 boosters are attached, and a second stage on top of the center core. Falcon Heavy has the second highest payload capacity of any currently operational launch vehicle behind NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), and the fourth-highest capacity of any rocket to reach orbit, trailing behind the Space Launch System, SLS, Energia (rocket), Energia and the Saturn V. SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy test flight, Falcon Heavy's maiden launch on 6 February 2018, at 20:45 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC. As a Boilerplate (spaceflight), dummy payload, the rocket carried Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, a Tesla Roadster belonging to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, with a mannequin dubbed "Starman" in the driver's seat. The second Falcon Heavy laun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
