Sierra Nevada Corp. has completed two NASA milestone tests on the Dream Chaser spacecraft’s flight hardware systems, moving the program closer to the critical design review phase and first flight, Phys.org reported Thursday. Ken Kremer reports that the Milestone 9 and Milestone 9a tests cover design risk reduction and technology readiness level assessments. “These crucial validations are vital […] More

(Editor’s note: this interview took place prior to ATK’s April announcement that the company would spinoff its sporting division into an independent company and merge its aerospace and defense businesses with Orbital Sciences. Click here to read GovCon Wire’s coverage of both transactions.) As senior vice president and chief information officer at ATK, Jeff Kubacki acts as the Arlington, […] More

QinetiQ will continue to help maintain hardware components the company developed for the International Space Station’s Columbus module under a contract extension through the end of this year. The company said Tuesday that it has also been working with Airbus to support the QinetiQ-developed scientific instruments for research inside the module. Airbus acts as a subcontractor and oversees replacement […] More

Aeroject Rocketdyne has reviewed its design of new lithium-ion batteries that are built to power the International Space Station‘s electrical system. The batteries are designed to replace the current nickel hydrogen batteries onboard the ISS and to provide electricity for ISS crew members to perform scientific experiments, Aerojet Rocketdyne said Monday. Larry Trager, director of advanced […] More

Jeff Trauberman oversees a diverse set of programs and projects at Boeing in his role as vice president of space, intelligence and missile defense for government operations. The nearly two-decade company veteran overviewed his roles and responsibilities in a July 2012 conversation with ExecutiveBiz, where he also gave insight into the company’s push for a […] More

Astrium has won a $266 million contract to help the European Space Agency run and exploit the International Space Station’s European components in an effort to enhance functions of ESA’s space laboratory. The contract covers a $60 million spare parts purchase and Astrium will work to develop services for maintaining the European Columbus space laboratory, […] More