Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Michael Lopez-Alegria testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Science and Space this morning at a hearing entitled, “Partnerships to Advance the Business of Space.” Wayne Hale, Director of Human Spaceflight at Special Aerospace Services, Patti Grace Smith, an aerospace consultant at Patti Grace Smith [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Written Testimony from Senate Science and Space Subcommittee Hearing
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on NASA Contract Extension with Roscosmos
“It is disheartening that we must continue to rely on increasingly expensive Russian vehicles to take our astronauts to the International Space Station,” said CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “NASA’s commercial cargo program, undertaken in partnership with Orbital Sciences and SpaceX, has been highly successful in creating reliable, cost-effective American cargo delivery to the ISS, and [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on First Powered Test Flight of SpaceShipTwo
“The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates the team at Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites for the first powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo today,” said CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “This incredible achievement is the direct result of the hard work and dedication by these two companies, as well as by RocketMotorTwo developer Sierra Nevada Corporation. Because of [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on Successful Antares Launch
“The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates Orbital Sciences Corporation and NASA for a successful launch yesterday,” said CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “By demonstrating that American companies can compete to develop cargo delivery services, the private sector continues to show that it is able to provide a safe, cost-effective and diversified American transportation capability for low Earth [...]
Commercial Spaceflight Federation Welcomes New NASA Budget
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation welcomed the strong continued support for commercial spaceflight in NASA’s proposed FY2014 budget. Commercial Spaceflight Federation President Michael Lopez-Alegria said, “In the latest NASA budget, NASA and the Administration have continued to support a prompt return of American astronauts to the International Space Station on American vehicles. [...]
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation Commends the Passage of New Mexico Spaceflight Liability Bill
Washington D.C. – New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed into law today a bill that will extend liability protections beyond spacecraft operators. Through informed consent, spaceflight participants are accepting the risks associated with spaceflight. Should they incur any injury while participating in spaceflight activities, this bill will provide the necessary liability protection from lawsuits against [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on FCC Commercial Space Announcement
“The FCC has recognized the potential of the U.S. commercial spaceflight industry by streamlining the process of obtaining authorization to use radio frequencies during commercial launches,” stated CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “In so doing, they have expressed their support for the commercial space sector. I commend the FCC for taking this step and I look [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on Successful Dragon Capture
“The Commercial Spaceflight Federation commends SpaceX and NASA for Dragon’s successful capture by the astronauts aboard the ISS this morning,” stated CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “In solving the issues facing Dragon post-insertion, the team at SpaceX exhibited the ingenious engineering tenacity that has become a NASA hallmark, and further demonstrated the industry’s readiness to perform [...]
CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria Statement on SpaceX CRS-2 Launch
“The Commercial Spaceflight Federation congratulates SpaceX and NASA for their successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket this morning,” stated CSF President Michael Lopez-Alegria. “With launches like this one, the private sector is delivering on its goal of creating a safe, cost-effective U.S. transportation capability to low Earth orbit, and we should expect to see [...]
2013 Next-Gen Suborbital Space Research and Education Conference Announces Facility Tours, New Technical Sessions and NASA Workshop
Washington D.C. – Participants in the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC-2013), to be held June 3-5 in Broomfield, outside Boulder, Colo., will have a chance to visit local aerospace facilities, attend a NASA-led workshop, and hear more detailed technical sessions than in previous NSRC meetings. “We expect the 2013 meeting to be the most informative [...]