DARPA plans to test-fly a prototype F-15-carried rapid and affordable light weight satellite launch vehicle later this year, and potentially blast a test vehicle into orbit as early as 2016, officials announced. “We’ve made good progress so far toward [Airborne Launch Assisted Space Access’] ambitious goal of propelling 100-pound satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) within 24 hours of call-up, all for less than $1 million per launch,” said Bradford Tousley, DARPA tactical technology director. DARPA worked with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to mature the technology, and awarded Boeing a contract to design and build up to 12 test articles. Pending the success of a new liquid monopropellant fuel being developed for the booster, DARPA plans to launch an ALASA prototype into space in the “first half of 2016,” according to the Feb. 5 release. Depending on the result, DARPA plans to launch 11 more test-shots in the summer of 2016.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
