News Shorts: New Problem for Sea Launch, Bigelow Reveals Pricing for Space Station, Satellite To Be Stored During Merger

Alpha Space Station. Bigelow has just unveiled the pricing information. (Credits: Bigelow Aerospace).

Alpha Space Station. Bigelow has just unveiled the pricing information. (Credits: Bigelow Aerospace).

No Rest For Sea Launch

After the failing of the Zenit 3SL rocket, which resulted in a Boeing-built satellite plunging into the Pacific Ocean, Boeing has filed suit against its Sea Launch partner.  Boeing has postulated that its partners had failed to pay more than $356 million owed after the joint venture went into bankruptcy in 2009.  The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on February 1, targeted the Russian RSC Energia and the Ukrainian PO Yuzhnoye Mashinostroitelny Zavod and KB Yuzhnoye.

Sea Launch was created by Boeing and its partners in 1995.  The U.S. company provided a significant funding for the joint venture, agreeing with the partners that in case of bankruptcy, they would repay Boeing their share of the capital.

Bigelow Announces Ticket Price

Bigelow Aerospace has revealed pricing for using its planned Alpha Space Station.  Space tourists could buy a seat for a minimum $26.25 million for a 60-day visit.  $25 million is the price for exclusive use and control over the 110 cubic meters of volume for a 2 month period.  Naming rights will cost $25 million per year for the entire station.  Bigelow has selected SpaceX with its Dragon spacecraft and Boeing with CST-100 crew module as transportation providers.

Bigelow is aiming the commercial use of microgravity environment both for sovereign nations with no space access as well as for commercial companies interested in R&D projects.

GeoEye And DigitalGlobe Merger

GeoEye-2, a commercial Earth-imaging satellite about to undergo its final testing for a scheduled launch in spring 2013, will be instead stored due a major merger in the industry.  GeoEye, the company owner of the spacecraft, merged with its competitor, DigitalGlobe, on January 30.  Therefore, the 2 companies will have a combined constellation of 5 Earth observation satellites that will result in a delay to GeoEye-2’s lauch by several years.  Another GeoEye satellite, Worldview 3 was selected instead to be launched in 2014 because of it capability to provide imagery in multiple short-wave infrared bands that can penetrate haze, fog, dust, smoke and other air-born particulates.

WorldView 3 will support a contract to supply images to the U.S Government and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

 

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