Senate passes Space Act of 2015!

The Senate passed the Space Act of 2015 in order to allow asteroid mining. Lately, we’ve reported stories such as companies improving space travel and customizing space travel for companies to launch small satellites for a variety of purposes. Now the Senate has passed a bill that is defining rules so that companies would be allowed to extract resources from asteroids. This bill is expected to be approved by the House of Representatives before being moved on the president to sign. This is an exciting new measure that will lead to discussion, resource mining, and rules of engagement in space for the future.

Professor Frans von der Dunk is a teacher of space law at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law’s LLM program in space, cyber and telecommunications law. Von der Dunk said the act was an “intriguing and exciting first careful step towards allowing private enterprise, taking into due account the international and public interests in space to start preparing for a new category of space activities: harvesting extraterrestrial resources.”

This newest legislation could further discussion regarding rules of engagement for how companies mining rare minerals from space can avoid interfering with other space resources. The mining could be harmful to other space activities. While not perfect, this act will cheapen space costs and allow rare materials to be harvested and brought back to Earth.

This is a wonderful new development that will allow for more ventures into space. These ventures could lead to more resources and contribute to more growth in space development for harvesting these resources. It’s an excellent opportunity to expand the space industry for private sector forces and create new demand for further education and innovation for this field.

Astronomers spot most distant object in the Solar system!

Move over Pluto! According to Science Magazine, Astronomers have spotted the most distant object in our solar system. This discovery could lead to the discovery of even more rogue planets that we haven’t detected yet. This dwarf planet has been designated V774104 and is between 500 and 1000 kilometers across. The next task for scientists will be to pin down the orbit of the planet.

Once the orbit of the planet is discovered, scientists will be able to classify the planet as belonging to a specific group in space. The group is classified by how close it orbits to the sun. It could join the icy planets that are near Neptune or it could join a rare group that currently has two worlds known as Sedna and 2012 VP113. However, the most interesting discovery will be figuring out what happened and what caused the object in the first place. This leaves more mystery to the discovery of this possible new planet.

NASA is hiring!

NASA is currently seeking new astronauts to go to Mars and the International Space Station. The announcement came this past Wednesday when NASA made the announcement. The agency is accepting applications between Dec. 14 and mid-February. Candidates will be selected in mid-2017. Applications can be sent via this webpage.

 According to Fortune:

“In anticipation of returning human spaceflight launches to American soil, and in preparation for the agency’s journey to Mars, NASA announced it will soon begin accepting applications for the next class of astronaut candidates,” NASA wrote in its recent post. “With more human spacecraft in development in the United States today than at any other time in history, future astronauts will launch once again from the Space Coast of Florida on American-made commercial spacecraft, and carry out deep-space exploration missions that will advance a future human mission to Mars.”

As a Florida resident, I’m excited because space travel is excellent for the state’s economy and it’s an honor to see such development in the industry here. I remember traveling to the Space Coast for launches into space. The job requirements are pretty intensive and generally are geared towards those with advanced degrees or bachelor’s degrees in fields such as mathematics and engineering and biological sciences. Candidates must also have at least 1,000 hours of pilot in command jet experience or three years of professionally related experience.

For the candidates that meet these requirements, this is the opportunity of a lifetime as NASA looks to save millions by traveling to the International Space Station. It’s also an amazing opportunity to be part of the growing space industry during one of its most successful periods.

BAE invests in Space Engine Firm

BBC reports that BAE Systems has purchased a 20% stake in a company developing a radical engine that could propel aircraft into space. BAE has paid 26 million dollars for the 20% stake in Reaction Engines, a company that is known for its rocket jet engine called Sabre. Rocket Engines hopes to develop a device that increases the efficiency of the launching of rockets. This efficiency is cutting the cost that it takes to launch them in the first place.

This latest innovation is again focused on the cost cutting aspect that small satellites are providing companies as well as public nonprofits and government sectors. This innovation allows for companies to launch satellites into space at a fraction of the normal cost. Rather than focusing on customization of experience such as Rocketlabs and their rocket seat reservation program, Reaction Engines is aiming to design a more efficient vehicle for launching small satellites.

With more companies pouring money into these new ventures for engines, and customer satisfaction for the space industry, it will be interesting to see which trend starts to take over. However, one can’t deny that the benefits of small satellites are influencing many of these investments and innovations.