usa technology

           By  Brian Orlotti Propulsion engineer Adam Trumpour has unveiled the Launch Canada Rocket Innovation Challenge , Canada’s first major rocket competition. The contest will offer Canadians the opportunity to build a home grown space launch capability, in turn fostering a vibrant private launch industry. The announcement was made on October 18th, 2018 at the Montreal Space Symposium . Launch Canada seeks to enable Canada's growing student rocketry community to take their activities to the next level by embracing the idea of ‘ grassroots rocketry. ’ Referring to the success of firms like Hawthorne CA based SpaceX , Kent Washington based Blue Origin and Huntington Beach CA based Rocket Lab , Trumpour made the point that groups initially made up of amateurs have achieved success and are now building sophisticated spacecraft and pushing the envelope of a host of technologies. It is this success that he wishes to replicate in Canada. Trumpour’...

           By  Brian Orlotti The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a total $2.3Bln US ($3.0Bln CDN) in contracts to three firms to develop launch systems for national security payloads. The announcement is a watershed moment, highlighting the entry of a new player as well as new technology into the US national security launch apparatus. The military contracts were awarded to: Kent WA based Blue Origin , which received $500Mln US ($650Mln CDN) to build its reusable  New Glenn rocket . Centennial, CO based United Launch Services (ULS), a part of the larger United Launch Alliance (ULA), which received $967Mln USD ($1.25Bln CDN) to develop its " partially " reusable  Vulcan rocket . ULA is the incumbent in this market and currently provides launch services to the US military using two expendable launch systems , the Delta IV and Atlas V .  Dulles VA based " non-reusable "  Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems , which received $791.6...