Merger and acquisition (M&A) deal activity in the aerospace and defense (A&D) sector in 2010 bounced back from the 2009 low in deal value, according to the PwC Global report, Mission control 2010 annual and fourth-quarter review: Merger and acquisition activity in the global aerospace and defense industry. Total deal value in the sector rose from $10.9 billion in 2009 to $20.2 billion in 2010, nearly doubling year-over-year.  Deal volume remained steady, rising 4 percent from 2009 to 308 announced deals in 2010, the highest annual total in more than 10 years.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) today announced it was awarded a contract extension by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Unified NASA Information Technology Services (UNITeS) contract to continue providing a broad range of information technology (IT) services in support of the NASA Information Technology Service Network. The extension has an eight-month base period of performance, valued at more than $36 million, and options that would total 14 months of performance for the continuation of services through March of 2012. The total value of the extension is more than $62 million if all options are exercised.

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) and SpaceCom International, LLC (SpaceCom) announced that they have signed a long term, multi-transponder agreement for Ku-band capacity on ABS-7 to support SpaceCom's rapid growth throughout the Middle East and Asia region.

With more than 90 books published and worldwide recognition for his expertise as technical advisor and leading expert of Risk and Safety Assessment and Management at several NASA centers and Brookhaven National Lab, Dr. Feng Hsu recently shared his assessment of the risks in getting the new civilian space travel industry off to a safe, successful liftoff.

Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley®-based Nucsafe is doing its part to assure the safety of the final Space Shuttle Discovery mission scheduled for later this month.

NASA will launch a University of Colorado experiment to image the sun on a NASA suborbital sounding rocket February 23, from the White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

Today, the X PRIZE Foundation announced the official roster of 29 registered teams competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, an unprecedented competition to send a robot to the Moon that travels at least 500 meters and transmits video, images, and data back to the Earth. This group of teams signifies this new era of exploration's diverse and participatory nature as it includes a huge variety of groups ranging from non-profits to university consortia to billion dollar businesses representing 17 nations on four continents. The global competition, the largest in history, was announced in September 2007, with a winner projected by 2015.

TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS), a world leader in highly reliable and secure mobile communication technology, today announced that it has entered an exclusive arrangement to be the operator of the Cisco Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) solution using the Cisco® 18400 Space Router on Intelsat IS-14, the most advanced commercial satellite platform available today. This industry-first solution enables the convergence of satellite communications and existing information technology infrastructure. By utilizing the benefits of secure Layer 3 Internet Protocol (IP) routing on board the spacecraft, end-to-end IP Virtual Private Network services can be offered directly from space with new levels of flexibility and network control.

For the first time, NASA is offering teachers from across the country an opportunity usually reserved for researchers -- the chance to design a science experiment and then test it aboard a microgravity research plane. Proposals should be submitted to NASA's Teaching From Space office by March 14.

NASA selected Jacobs Technology Inc. of Tullahoma, Tenn., to provide test evaluation and support services at the agency's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M.

Internationally renowned brain surgeon Hrayr Shahinian, M.D., a pioneer in minimally invasive brain surgery, has announced that he is teaming with scientists and technologists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., to design the next generation of high-tech surgical instruments -- technology that also will be useful for planetary exploration.

The Automated Transfer Vehicle Johannes Kepler was launched on a specially modified launcher, the Ariane 5ES, at 22:50 CET on 16 February 2011 from Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. The second space cargo carrier in the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) programme, it is now en route to the International Space Station (ISS). The German contribution to the ATV programme is managed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) through its Space Agency. This first launch of the year was also the Ariane's 200th. In addition to food, dry cargo, propellants and gases, the unmanned ATV-2 is carrying the German GeoFlow II experiment, which scientists will use to study processes in the Earth's mantle.

The Herschel Space Observatory has revealed how much dark matter it takes to form a new galaxy bursting with stars. Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission supported with important NASA contributions.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) would like to announce that Astronaut Koichi Wakata has been selected as a crewmember for the 38th/39th Expedition Mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Space Operations, Inc. announced plans today to build a two-seat manned orbital spacecraft for commercial and government use. The company plans a test launch on February 20, 2012, with a regular flight schedule beginning in late 2012 or early 2013.

As Spacecraft Beams New Comet Photos, NYU-Poly Researcher Reports that Volunteer Astronomers Respond Differently than Contributors to Wikipedia, Flickr and Software.

The nebula Messier 78 takes centre stage in this image taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, while the stars powering the bright display take a backseat. The brilliant starlight ricochets off dust particles in the nebula, illuminating it with scattered blue light. Igor Chekalin was the overall winner of ESO’s Hidden Treasures 2010 astrophotography competition with his image of this stunning object.

NASA's Stardust spacecraft returned new images of a comet showing a scar resulting from the 2005 Deep Impact mission. The images also showed the comet has a fragile and weak nucleus.

NASA's Stardust-NExT spacecraft made a Valentine's Day deep-space rendezvous with an object it had been seeking for the past four-and-a-half years. The Lockheed Martin built spacecraft flawlessly executed its mission and performed a flyby of comet Tempel 1 at 9:39 p.m. MT yesterday.

The annual International Forum - Security and Safety Technologies (SST Moscow) is  running on February 15-18, 2011 in “Crocus Expo” exhibition center.

International Public Committee on IGMASS (international global natural and industrial emergency aerospace monitoring system) (IGMASS IPC) made a presentation of the project in the United Nations’ level,  IPC executive secretary Sergey Cherkas informed. 

Human space mission to Mars shall be conducted on international level, Roscosmos Stats Secretary, Deputy Head Vitaly Davydov told news media.

Russian cosmonauts Dmitry Kondratiev and Oleg Skripochka won’t launch small spacecraft Kedr during their spacewalk scheduled for Feb.16, Roscosmos Stats Secretary, Deputy Head Vitaly Davydov told news media.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) announced today that its Engineering and Science Contract Group which supports Johnson Space Center in Houston was selected to receive the 2010 NASA George M. Low Award.

NASA announced Monday an $18.7 billion budget request for fiscal year 2012 that supports a reinvigorated path of innovation, technological development and scientific discovery. The budget supports all elements of NASA's 2010 Authorization Act, which was passed by a strong bipartisan majority of Congress and signed into law by President Obama.

More than 600 teams from 48 states and the District of Columbia are preparing their hand-designed model rockets to qualify for the ninth annual Team America Rocketry Challenge May 14. This year's roster includes teams from many schools that are venerable veterans as well as 161 teams that are joining the competition for the first time.

The NASA National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) climate/weather satellite is undergoing flight environmental testing at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp's production and test facility in Boulder, Colo.

Two Russian cosmonauts on board the International Space Station are preparing to conduct a spacewalk on February 16.

NASA scientists recently discovered six Earth-sized planets in a new planetary system rotating around a sun-like star called Kepler-11. NASA's Kepler Discovery has reignited excitement among scientists exploring the farthest reaches of the universe for life beyond the Milky Way.

Alliant Techsystems Aerospace Systems was honored to be selected as recipient of NASA's George M. Low 2010 award for its quality and performance on multiple NASA contracts. This selection makes the fourth time the company has been chosen for this prestigious award.

NASA presented its premier honor for quality and performance, the George M. Low Award, to four companies that share a commitment to teamwork, technical and managerial excellence, safety and customer service.

NASA has presented the agency's Quality and Safety Achievement Recognition, or QASAR, award for 2010 to Wayne Frazier of Stafford, Va. Frazier, a senior manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington, received the award for career achievement in the safety disciplines.

NASA's Glory mission is scheduled to launch Wednesday, Feb. 23, from Space Launch Complex 576-E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Liftoff is targeted for 5:09 a.m. EST (2:09 a.m. PST) in the middle of a 48-second launch window.

ISS RS flight directors met in the MCC yesterday to analyze the results of the personnel training on operations with European cargo spaceship ATV-2. The directors decided on readiness of the MCC ops people to control the mission.

In accordance with the International Space Station mission ballistics support program, ISS reboost occured on Feb. 10.

Ashland Astronomy Studio's new stargazing poster brings the night sky closer to us all. The large, glossy poster, Stars of the Northern Hemisphere is useful to anyone interested in learning the names and locations of stars and constellations that can be seen from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

The Lockheed Martin Orion team shipped out the first Orion crew module spacecraft structure today from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La. The spacecraft is headed to Lockheed Martin's Denver, Colo. facilities where it will undergo a series of rigorous tests to confirm Orion's ability to safely fly astronauts through all the harsh environments of deep space exploration missions.

Following a weeklong intensive learning program during which they participated in a daily series of lectures, hands on design and technology development and rocket or balloon launch simulations at Andøya Rocket Range in Norway, 11 Canadian students joined their peers from Norway to successfully launch the third sounding rocket of the CaNoRock project - a partnership between the Universities of Alberta, Calgary and Saskatchewan, the University of Oslo and the Andoya Rocket Range in Norway.

'Half-time' for Mars 500; on 12 February 2011, after a 250-day simulated flight to Mars, three crewmembers will land on the Red Planet. They will climb out of their isolation pod two days later at the Moscow Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP) and begin a simulated exploration of Mars. Their eight-month return journey will commence in early March. "The 11 German experiments carried out so far have been completed with extreme professionalism and high accuracy," says Peter Graef from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), who is responsible for managing the German part of the project.

Organizations of Russian rocket and space industry successfully implement youth programs, providing young specialists with additional privileges and guarantees, involvement in advanced space programs, enhancement of professional level, social advantages, etc.

In accordance with the International Space Station mission ballistics support program, ISS reboost is scheduled for Feb. 10.

Soyuz TMA-21 crew vehicle arrived at Baikonur. RSC-Energia experts test Kurs system of the vehicle today.

Only two weeks remain to submit graduate student applications for NASA's new Space Technology Research Fellowships. Applications are due by Feb. 23 for the new NASA grants.

Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc. is proud to announce that it has shipped the first orders of the Digitarium Universal Console™ planetarium control interface. The Universal Console interface is a cross-platform, web-based application that enables users to easily control their Digitarium planetarium systems over a wired or wireless network.

NASA Television plans live coverage of the launch and automated docking of the second unpiloted European cargo ship that will deliver approximately seven tons of fuel, food and supplies to the International Space Station.

NASA has selected 20 small satellites to fly as auxiliary cargo aboard rockets planned to launch in 2011 and 2012. The proposed CubeSats come from a high school in Virginia, universities across the country, NASA field centers and Department of Defense organizations.

Astrobotic Technology Inc. announced it has signed a contract with SpaceX to launch Astrobotic’s robotic payload to the Moon on a Falcon 9. The expedition will search for water and deliver payloads, with the robot narrating its adventure while sending 3D video. The mission could launch as soon as December 2013.

ATK and Astrium (an EADS Company) are working together in response to NASA's Commercial Crew Development-2 (CCDev-2) procurement.  The team is offering NASA launch services with the Liberty™ rocket.  This new launch vehicle combines two of the world's most reliable propulsion systems, with a collective heritage of nearly 150 successful flights.

NASA participated today in a seminar to create awareness among United Nations member states on potential uses of the International Space Station. At the request of the U.N.'s Office for Outer Space Affairs, NASA and its international partner agencies attended the outreach seminar in Vienna.

A new cost estimating tool that can be used for a wide range of acquisition systems is being demonstrated by Wyle experts this week at the eighth annual NASA Project Management Challenge at the Long Beach Convention Center in California.