NASA burdened by rising launch costs and delays

Considering the burdensome cost of transporting equipment, rockets, and launch personnel to Kodiak in addition to housing launch technicians, this report does not bode well for the Kodiak Launch Complex. 

Publish Date: 24 November 2010
US: The next generation of NASA remote sensing satellites and space science probes could be burdened by rising launch costs and delays as the agency incorporates new medium-lift rockets, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

The uncertainty surrounds 12 to 14 science missions through 2020 that have not yet received launch vehicle assignments, the government watchdog report said.

NASA is ending its use of the Delta 2 rocket, a workhorse launcher that has delivered nearly 60 percent of the agency's scientific satellites to space since 1998.

NASA is shifting future medium-class missions to SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and the Taurus 2 launcher being developed by Orbital Sciences Corp. The GAO found both vehicles serve the same market as the Delta 2 and have similar costs. But the Falcon 9 and Taurus 2 are not certified to launch NASA's most expensive and important science missions.

United Launch Alliance has three more NASA missions on its Delta 2 manifest. Parts for producing five more Delta 2 rockets are also available, but there are high costs of modifying and maintaining launch pads to host any extra flights, according to the GAO.

The report addressed NASA's efforts to support the remaining Delta 2 flights and the agency's medium-class launch strategy.

Read the rest of the article here.

KLC Minotaur IV Launch = Enormous Waste of Money

Air Force spokesman Joe Davidson is in Kodiak helping coordinate the launch. He reported Thursday that the total cost of the seven satellites is $120 million. The cost of the Minotaur IV rocket including a new propulsion system is $50 million. (source: KMXT, Kodiak public radio)
This one launch would have paid for two brand new high schools in Kodiak; instead, local property owners will bear the burden of paying for the new school.

Orbital Minotaur IV launches with multiple satellites

November 19th, 2010 by William Graham Orbital Sciences Corporation used their Minotaur IV launch vehicle to loft eight satellites for the United States Government and university research programmes on Friday night. The mission, designated STP S-26, launched from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska one minute into a 90-minute window, with a lift-off time of 20:25 pm Eastern (01:25 UTC).

Alaska Aerospace Once Again Begs Alaska for Handouts

Click here for a link to the Kodiak public radio station KMXT's story on Alaska Aerospace's request for an exorbitant amount of space pork from the state of Alaska.
AAC is dragging out their tired and false claim that if "we build it, they will come".  Their record of launches up to now clearly belies this tired adage.
Click on the title of this post to read about AAC's declining revenues and why, yet again, "Alaska Aerospace will turn to the state of Alaska for sustaining funding needs."   Even the Feds don't seem to want to waste any more taxpayer funds on the rusting, obsolete white elephant Kodiak Launch Complex.

Inside next week’s launch from Narrow Cape

For another local launch news story from public radio KMXT, click here.

The STP-S26 launch includes military and NASA experiments

Article published on Wednesday, November 10th, 2010 in Kodiak Daily Mirror

By SAM FRIEDMAN

Mirror Writer

The Kodiak Launch Complex has its first launch in almost two years Nov. 19, and it’s a new type of launch.
Instead of the missile defense-related work the complex has done over the last decade, the new launch is for the military’s Space Test Program and will bring 16 experiments into low earth orbit.
The experiments range from high-priority military projects to NASA technology trials and experiments built by college undergraduates. They investigate subjects including electronics, space weather, navigation and biology. But a common thread throughout the mission is projects that are small and inexpensive by aerospace standards.
The mission’s name, STP-S26, comes from the fact that it is the 26th launch carried out by the Space Test Program and contains small satellites.
Mission manger Air Force Capt. Rachel Derbis said the Kodiak launch is the most complex mission the Space Test Program has attempted in 20 years — in part because it packs in so many small payloads.
“It is our hope that these experiments will prove out the rapid access to space for small satellites and push forward the frontiers of space,” she said. “In essence, accomplishing more with smaller satellites is the true meaning of maximizing access to space.”
Among the seven satellites carrying the experiments on the Kodiak launch, four are about 400 pounds and three weigh less than 10 pounds.
In addition to making satellites small, some of the organizations with experiments on board used standardized satellite forms like the blocky CubeSat to help keep costs down.
One especially small experiment on the mission is a CubeSat called NanoSail D that is smaller than a loaf of bread before launching and costs $250,000.


It is part of a larger NASA satellite with an $8 million to $12 million budget, not including experiments.
Although NASA has access to the International Space Station for space experiments, missions like STP-S26 are still useful for the space agency, said Mark Boudreau, project manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the manager of one of the satellites on the STP-S26 mission.
“Launch vehicles and services (rockets or shuttles), as we all know, are expensive,” he said. “Sometimes it can take years to get even the smallest scientific or technology experiment manifested for flight. That means delaying the return of scientific knowledge.”
In addition to NASA and the military, the University of Texas at Austin and the National Science Foundation have satellites on the STP-S26. Here’s a look at all of the satellites.
• Primary Satellite: The mission’s primary satellite carries a pair of experiments off the military’s Space Experiment Review Board (SERB) list.
One experiment, the top-ranked priority from 2006, will test how well military electronics function in space. The other experiment is an ocean telemetry link, a project to relay information from ocean buoys.
• FastSat: The larger of two NASA satellites, FastSat carries a set of three instruments to measure space weather, including the temperature at the top of earth’s atmosphere and astrophysical plasma.
Also on board the FastSat is the tiny $250,000 satellite, the NanoSail D. The satellite’s mission is to unfurl into a thin sheet that uses sunlight to leave the earth’s orbit. If successful, the technology could one day be used to keep abandoned satellites out of earth’s orbit where they might damage other satellites.
• OREOS: The second NASA satellites launch is a separate set of three CubeSats that will study how micro-organisms survive in space.
• FastTrac: The FastTrac satellite is the winner of a biannual contest between American universities sponsored by the Air Force. This winning satellite on this mission will breaks into two satellites, which then communicate with each other. It was built by the University of Texas at Austin.
• FalconSat-5: Another student project, the FalconSat-5 was built by cadets at the U.S. Air Force academy in Colorado Springs. The satellite handles a pair of SERB priorities related to space communication and navigation.
• Radio Aurora eXplorer: This National Science Foundation satellite is also a CubeSat, and also like the FastSat will study astrophysical plasma to understand patterns that can disrupt communications.
• Ballasts: The mission is also a test for the Minotaur IV rocket that will take the payloads into space.
Kodiak’s launch will be the third Minotaur IV launch ever conducted. It will also be the first to test whether the rocket can drop payloads at multiple elevations. After deploying its other experiments to a 650-kilometer elevation orbit at 72 degrees inclination, the rocket will continue to 1,150 kilometers to release ballast.
The first Minotaur IV launch took place in April. The missile is made out of decommissioned Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Kodiak launch is scheduled for 4:24 p.m. Nov. 19.
Mirror writer Sam Friedman can be reached via e-mail at sfriedman@kodiakdailymirror.com.

NASA to Hold Media Telecon to Discuss Upcoming Satellite Missions

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- NASA will hold a media teleconference at 10:30 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010 to discuss the Organism/Organic Exposure to Orbital Stresses, O/OREOS and Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT -- scheduled to launch Nov. 19, 2010 on a Minotaur IV launch vehicle from the Alaska Aerospace Corporations Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska.

The goal of the O/OREOS mission is to demonstrate the capability to conduct low-cost astrobiology science experiments on autonomous nanosatellites in space. Scientists will apply the knowledge they gain from O/OREOS to plan future experiments in the space environment to study how exposure to space changes organic molecules and biology. These experiments will help answer astrobiologys fundamental questions about the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe.

The Small Spacecraft Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., manages the O/OREOS payload and mission operations supported by staff and students from Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif.

FASTSAT is NASA's first microsatellite that supports the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle Secondary Payload Adaptor, or ESPA -- an adapter ring developed by the U.S. Department of Defense specifically to accommodate secondary spacecraft launch opportunities. FASTSAT will demonstrate the capability to build, design and test a spacecraft platform to enable governmental, academic and industry researchers to conduct low-cost scientific and technology experiments on an autonomous satellite in space.

Teleconference panelists are:

-- Mark Boudreaux, FASTSAT project manager at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
-- Joseph "Joe" Casas, FASTSAT science operations director at Marshall
-- Dean Alhorn, NanoSail-D principal investigator at Marshall
-- John Sigwarth, Thermospheric Temperature Imager principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
-- Pascale Ehrenfreund, O/OREOS project scientist, Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington

Supporting experts will be online to answer questions about the experiments on FASTSAT and O/OREOS.

For dial-in information, journalists should e-mail their name, media affiliation and telephone number to Kim Newton at kimberly.d.newton@nasa.gov.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live on NASA's website at: http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio

For more information about FASTSAT and O/OREOS visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats

UPDATE: Kodiak Launch Complex Pork Requests

KRLIG received the following clarification related to our KLC for Sale? post  from a Kodiak resident who spoke with Tom Walters who sits on the Alaska Aerospace Board of Directors.
AAC is indeed requesting ten million dollars per year for the foreseeable future from the State of Alaska.
The 80 million dollar request is to construct an air strip at Narrow Cape, a second rocket storage facility, and a second launch pad.
Mr. Walters was noncommittal on the question of whether the KLC would be offered up for sale if AAC did not receive the requested corporate welfare.
AAC has publicly admitted that launch revenues have NEVER covered the costs of operating and maintaining the KLC.
The audacity of this plea for government handouts is astounding!  No launches since December 2008 and, according to the AAC Timeline, of the fourteen launches that have occurred thus far, almost all were Missile Defense Agency (MDA) launches. The MDA has terminated its contract with the KLC for launches and providing funds to keep the facility open.
So, more rocket storage capacity and another launch pad although few, if any, launches will occur at the KLC?   Why should the state and federal government continue to pour dollars into a bottomless black hole of waste?
Narrow Cape is an important recreation, subsistence, hunting, and fishing area - further development of KLC infrastructure will contribute to substantial degradation of these uses.
The Nov 2 elections results seem to indicate that people want less government spending - zero bailouts for the KLC is an excellent step in the "right" direction. It's time to put this rusting white elephant to rest, once and for all.

Kodiak Launch Complex For Sale??

[We are currently trying to obtain independent verification of the following information]
KRLIG learned recently from a very reputable source that the Alaska Aerospace Corp. is requesting 10 million (more) dollars a year from the state for the next 4 years.  This handout is on top of the millions of dollars in corporate welfare they have already received from the state in recent years to keep them going between the few launches that have occurred since the facility was first built.  AAC has admitted publicly that launch revenues have NEVER covered the cost of operating the complex.

In addition to this plea, they are also requesting from the state an additional 80 million dollars to build another complex at Narrow Cape!  Apparently, the current infrastructure is corroding in the severe marine environment of Narrow Cape and is fast becoming obsolete. And remember the launch tower (aka Faulty Tower) is built on a major earthquake fault.

Reportedly, if they can't get the money they are requesting from the state, they might try to sell the KLC.  Our question is, "Who could they legally sell it to?" A foreign country? If sold to someone from out of state, Kodiak and Alaska would have even less control of it than we do now.

All of this is obviously disturbing on many levels. While Kodiak is working so very hard to improve the local quality of life by becoming more energy independent and adopting more sustainable living practices, AND struggling to finance the new high school, this proposal is ludicrous and if financed, would be like pouring more of our state revenue into a black hole that hasn't produced a dime of profit for the state. Don't forget that the federal government has also poured tens of millions of dollars into the KLC for construction and maintenance.

The AAC website doesn't even list the names of their board members to facilitate public contact.

UPDATE: Minotaur IV launch delayed again

Processing for another slightly delayed Minotaur IV launch is under way at Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska, for STPSat 2/STP-26 (Space Test Program S-26), aimed at enabling responsive access to space for small experimental satellites and payloads. The launch vehicle is configured in a Multi-Payload Adaptor configuration with several small satellites and nanosats, including FalconSat 5, Fastrac A/B, FASTSat-HSV 01, NanoSail D, O/OREOS and RAX (Radio Aurora Explorer), a National Science Foundation ground-to-space bistatic radar experiment. Launch is on track for November. (from Aviation Week)
The last launch at the KLC was in December 2008 - further delays might mean two consecutive calendar years with no launches at the KLC which requires millions of dollars of government funding just to maintain the facility even when not launching.

UPDATE: Rocketeer Follies

Secret Sandia settlement taps taxpayers

Larry Barker Investigates

• Reporter: Larry Barker
• Web Producer: Bill Diven

KODIAK, Alaska (KRQE) - Just before dawn more than three years ago the military launched a rocket with a secret payload off the coast of Alaska, a success touted by the Pentagon that left a trail of injury and secret payouts for Sandia National Laboratories.
It was February 2006, a dark and bitter night in the rugged Alaskan back country. What followed the launch was an incident so foolhardy and so reckless that it literally ruined lives.
It is also something the government kept quiet for three years.
"We had a very tragic and unfortunate incident that happened in Alaska," Dr. Al Romig, Sandia chief operating officer, told KRQE News 13.
Kodiak Island is a remote sportsman's paradise, and it was there that Sandia engineers from New Mexico tested a secret missile radar system. But it wasn't rocket science that got Sandians in trouble.
The successful liftoff wrapped up weeks of research. Sandia's engineers worked hard, and then they played hard.
They celebrated with a big party back at the Narrow Cape Lodge that went on much of the day. There were speeches, champagne toasts, chips and salsa and booze, lots of it.
One top Sandia engineer was described as being tipsy, swaying and slurring his speech.
Post-launch bashes are a Sandia tradition. On Kodiak they partied with beer, champagne, whiskey, vodka, rum and wine.
What happened next is documented by an internal investigation obtained by News 13 investigative reporter Larry Barker. The report so sensitive, the lab won't make it public.
Late in the afternoon, the Sandians moved their celebration to the beach. Josh Lucas, 29, and two others hopped into a government Jeep for a little joy ride
Lucas later said he drove onto the sand looking for firewood and to go four wheeling. But their fun was cut short when the Jeep got stuck in the seaside muck.
"Diana Helgeson and myself are avid four wheelers and thought we had the situation under control," Lucas told Alaska State Troopers in a recorded statement. "I ended up getting stuck in the sand. I was screwing around. So we walked back to the lodge."
Lucas, Helgeson and Dave Stokebrand returned to retrieve the abandoned vehicle with Lucas again driving. He was tired, had been drinking, and he was driving too fast in the dark.
Lucas hit a ravine, launched through the air and slammed into the pit.
In the pitch black Helgeson and Stokebrand were unconscious. Lucas, his broken arm, ran the half mile back to the lodge for help.
Witnesses described Lucas as hysterical and the scene at the lodge chaotic.
"Along comes Josh. and he's yelling and screaming from hundreds of yards away," Eric Schindwolf said in statement to Alaska troopers. "He's yelling, 'We need help out here; we need emergency medical.'
"He was just trying to get somebody to pay attention."
Helgeson and Stokebrand suffered critical injuries and were airlifted to a hospital by Coast Guard helicopter. Alaskan police launched an investigation.
"When the troopers arrived we pretty much had chaos trying to figure who were the injured, who were involved, who were people that were there to help," Sgt. Maurice "Mo" Hughes of the Alaska State Troopers post on Kodiak Island said in an interview with News 13. "Alcohol had a component in this incident. People that were unfamiliar with the location, the time of day--it was dark--factor of alcohol and potentially being tired.
"All those can build up very quickly to disaster. In this case it did."
Lucas was charged with two counts first-degree assault and driving while intoxicated. The criminal case was turned over to the Kodiak district attorney.
Either the crime was reckless or negligent, but either way conviction could result in a prison sentence, according to District Attorney Mike Gray.
Helgeson suffered multiple injuries including severe head trauma that left her permanently disabled. Her 20-year career at Sandia is over.
The crash cut short Stokebrand's 17 years as a Sandia engineer. He has significant brain damage and today requires around-the-clock care.
Sandia attorneys concluded if there were a lawsuit a jury could find labs liable for substantial damages, as much as $2 million to Helgeson and as much as $10 million to Stokebrand.
Last year Sandia quietly reached a settlement with the injured employees and then stuck the taxpayers with the bill. The Department of Energy confirmed government funds were used to pay for what happened in Alaska.
Taxpayers are on the hook for what is likely to be millions of dollars although exactly how much is not known. The lab said it's a secret and won't discuss either the decision to settle or the terms of the settlement.
"We don't discuss legal matters involving the laboratory," Romig said. "Those (terms) are protected by confidentiality agreements."
So what went wrong in Alaska? Sandia said its chief operating officer would answer News 13's questions.
Romig, however, declined to characterize Lucas's actions that night.
"I wasn't there to observe what Josh Lucas did or didn't do," he said. "I wasn't at the party. I didn't see Josh Lucas. I wasn't on scene to observe it."
But Romig does know what happened and conceded he read Sandia's detailed report on the incident. Still he ducked a question on whether he believed the investigation showed Lucas acted recklessly when he got behind the wheel of a government Jeep after drinking to go four wheeling on the beach.
"Sandia doesn't discuss the contents of its internal investigations," he said.
Nor would Romig comment on whether Sandia employees acted in a responsible manner.
"It's difficult to say that based on reading the report; I wasn't there," Romig continued. "There was an accident that was unfortunate.
"Sandia has taken corrective actions to try and prevent those things from happening again in the future."
Lucas still works at Sandia labs and wasn't prosecuted in Alaska where the Kodiak District Attorney changed his mind after consulting with victims.
News 13 approached Lucas at his home about getting his side of the story but was rebuffed.
"You can stop right there," he said. "Get off my property."
Trooper Hughes offered one summation for the combination of four-wheeling on an unknown beach in the dark while fatigued and after drinking. "Made for a very bad night," he said.

AAC application for marine mammal take

[Federal Register: July 7, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 129)]
[Notices]               
[Page 38991-38992]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07jy10-39]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-AY99

 
Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals 
Incidental to Space Vehicle and Missile Launch Operations at Kodiak 
Launch Complex, Alaska

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice; receipt of application for regulations and subsequent 
letters of authorization; request for comments and information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY:  NMFS has received an application from the Alaska Aerospace 
Corporation (AAC) for authorization to take marine mammals incidental 
to launching space launch vehicles, long range ballistic target 
missiles, and other smaller missile systems at Kodiak Launch Complex 
(KLC) for the period of February 2011 through February 2016. Pursuant 
to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is announcing receipt 
of the AAC's request for the development and implementation of 
regulations governing the incidental taking of marine mammals and 
inviting information, suggestions, and comments on the AAC's 
application and request.

DATES:  Comments and information must be received no later than August 
6, 2010

ADDRESSES: Comments on the application should be addressed to P. 
Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, 
Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3225. The mailbox address 
for providing email comments is PR1.0648-AY99 @noaa.gov. Comments sent 
via e-mail, including all attachments, must not exceed a 10-megabyte 
file size.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jaclyn Daly or Michelle Magliocca, 
Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713-2289.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability

    A copy of the AAC's application may be obtained by writing to the 
address specified above (see ADDRESSES), telephoning the contact listed 
above (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or visiting the internet 
at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/incidental.htm.

Background

    Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) 
direct the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) to allow, upon request, 
the incidental, but not intentional taking of marine mammals by U.S. 
citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial 
fishing) if certain findings are made and regulations are issued or, if 
the taking is limited to harassment, notice of a proposed authorization 
is provided to the public for review.
    Authorization for incidental takings may be granted if NMFS finds 
that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or 
stock(s), will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the 
availability of the species or stock(s) for certain subsistence uses, 
and that the permissible methods of taking and requirements pertaining 
to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of such taking are set 
forth. NMFS has defined ``negligible impact'' in 50 CFR 216.103 as 
''...an impact resulting from the specified activity that cannot be 
reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely 
affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of 
recruitment or survival.''
    The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA; Pub. L. 108 136) 
removed the ``small numbers'' and ``specified geographical region'' 
limitations and amended the definition of ``harassment'' as it applies 
to a ``military readiness activity'' to read as follows (Section 
3(18)(B) of the MMPA):
    (i) Any act that injures or has the significant potential to 
injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild [Level A 
Harassment]; or (ii) Any act that disturbs or is likely to disturb a 
marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing 
disruption of natural behavioral patterns, including, but not 
limited to, migration, surfacing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or 
sheltering, to a point where such behavioral patterns are abandoned 
or significantly altered [Level B Harassment].

Summary of Request

    On June 4, 2010, NMFS received a complete application from the AAC 
requesting authorization for the take of Steller sea lions (Eumetopias 
jubatus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), incidental to space vehicle 
and missile launch activities from KLC for a period of 5 years. These 
launches are designed to support the U.S. Department of Defense 
training and operations and hence are considered military readiness 
activities. Marine mammals, specifically pinnipeds on nearby haulouts, 
may be exposed to launch noise. AAC is requesting the take, by 
harassment, of juvenile and adult Steller sea lions and all age class 
of harbor seals.

Specified Activities

    AAC is proposing to launch small to medium space launch vehicles 
ranging in size from the small Castor 120 and the related Peacekeeper 
derived Minotaur IV and V vehicles to the medium lift Taurus II 
(currently under development) from the KLC. KLC can also support launch 
of the Minuteman II and III derived Minotaur I (a space launch vehicle) 
through III (which are primarily used as ballistic targets). Additional 
target missiles include the C-4 Trident, Quick Reaction Launch

[[Page 38992]]

Vehicles, and tactical missiles such as the Patriot and Theater High 
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). A number of smaller target and 
interceptor missile systems may also be flown from KLC. The AAC 
anticipates ability to accommodate nine launches per year.
    Marine mammals, specifically pinnipeds hauled out on Ugak Rock, 
which lies immediately south of Narrow Cape, would be subjected to 
rocket launch noise. Sound monitoring previously conducted on Ugak Rock 
demonstrates that noise levels could reach up to 101.4 dBA for the 
loudest vehicle, the Castor 120. AAC is requesting the take of 10 
Steller sea lions per launch and the take of 125 harbor seals per 
launch.

Information Solicited

    Interested persons may submit information, suggestions, and 
comments concerning the AAC's request (see ADDRESSES). All information, 
suggestions, and comments related to the AAC's request and NMFS' 
potential development and implementation of regulations governing the 
incidental taking of marine mammals by the AAC near the KLC will be 
considered by NMFS in developing, if appropriate, regulations governing 
the issuance of letters of authorization.

    Dated: June 29, 2010.
Helen M. Golde,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-16493 Filed 7-6-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S

Kodiak Launch Complex to Close?

Well, Alaska Aerospace's desperation continues to get even more pathetic; now they've got the Alaska congressional delegation begging the Missile Defense Agency to please please please please oh please launch rockets from the Kodiak Launch Complex.  


This letter (reproduced below) is a hoot - note that the KLC is referred to as a "national treasure" - oh, really?  Mount Rushmore is a national treasure - the KLC is an already obsolete facility that can't even support itself financially.  Hence the need for MDA bailout money.
      They fail to mention that at least one rocket had to be destroyed about one minute after launch for undetermined reasons.
      Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski and Representative Don Young claim that the KLC may have to close if MDA won't come and launch rockets.  The only reason they ever launched any rockets in the past was due to pressure from once powerful, former Alaska senator "Uncle" Ted Stevens.  In fact, it was Stevens who pressured the Air Force to fund the construction of the KLC when the State of Alaska determined that AAC would not be able to repay a construction loan.
  The launch tower is rusting, it sits on an earthquake fault, the facility can't pay for itself, the conclusion is obvious: shut it down before it sucks any more money out of state and federal coffers. The lack of MDA launches has produced the best idea yet for this travesty of corporate welfare!

We Told You So, Part Deux: Kodiak Launch Complex Loses Missile Defense

Note that nowhere in the story below does it mention AAC attempting to find commercial launch customers. When AAC first came to town, they rarely mentioned military launches - they were going to launch telecommunications satellites for private firms - we're still waiting for the first non-military customer. And they want to build even more infrastructure - they are not using the launch pads they have, but they want to build another one!  Now, that's wise use of government funding!

Launch complex loses missile defense

Article published on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

By SAM FRIEDMAN

Mirror Writer

The Alaska Aerospace Corporation is looking for new customers to launch rockets from its Kodiak Launch Complex as it prepares to lose business from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, its most valuable customer.
Since 2004, the MDA has been the only customer to launch missiles from the Narrow Cape facility. In total, it has launched eight rockets from Kodiak, the majority of the facility’s 14 launches.
The MDA’s contract with Alaska Aerospace ends Aug. 31.
In the past, rockets launched in Kodiak have played the role of test target missiles to intercept rockets launched from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base. New plans call for sending the test missiles from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands said MDA spokesman Richard Lehner.
“To make it more challenging we’re launching the test missiles from Kwajalein,” he said. “To make it more operationally realistic.”
To pay some of its costs while it searches for new customers, Alaska Aerospace Corporation requested $4 million from the State of Alaska’s capital budget to help pay costs in its 2011 budget. The $4 million sum is approximately the same as the company’s net loss before capital contributions in the 2009 fiscal year.
The funding request is now winding its way through the state Legislature, which concludes its session Sunday.
“We need to be prepared,” said Alaska Aerospace Corp. CEO Dale Nash. “We don’t yet know what will happen with the MDA launches. We have asked for the state Legislature to tide us over.”
Alaska Aerospace Corp. also hopes to cover its costs with two non-MDA launches this fall. Both are for the U.S. Force, which has used the Kodiak Launch Complex before.
In mid-September the Kodiak Launch Complex is expected to launch STP-S26, a rocket that holds several scientific experiments Nash said.
Its payload includes a space phenomenology experiment and an ocean data telemetry satellite according to the Alaska Aerospace Corp’s annual report. The rocket also contains FalconSat-5, a satellite designed by engineering students at the Air Force Academy.
Between 60 and 90 days later the complex is supposed to launch the TACat4, a satellite that will provide Ultra High Frequency communication channels.
The launches were previously scheduled for 2009, but have been delayed.
Back in January, Alaska Lt. Gov. Campbell wrote in a guest opinion in the Kodiak Daily Mirror that the Kodiak Launch Complex needs to move beyond its MDA work.
In early January, he traveled with Nash to Colorado to lobby the Air Force to use the Kodiak Launch complex for its future launches. He expressed optimism about a meeting with Gen. Robert Kehler, Air Force Space Commander
”While it is too early to declare victory, our meetings netted some very positive direction,” Campbell said.
This summer, work is expected to finish on the Kodiak Launch Complex’s new rocket motor storage facility. Another proposed project would add a third launch pad to the complex, allowing two customers to use the launch complex simultaneously.
Nash said engineering work has been done for the third launch pad, but there are no further plans unless federal stimulus money becomes available or the complex sees an upswing in commercial spaceport demand.
Mirror writer Sam Friedman can be reached via e-mail at sfriedman@kodiakdailymirror.com.

We Told You So: Kodiak Launch Complex Bailed Out Again

Since 1995, KRLIG's research has shown that the Kodiak Launch Complex would never be a successful business; for 15 years we've said that the KLC and AAC could not survive on their own without continual and substantial handouts from the federal and state governments. This aging facility has yet to cover its operating costs with launch revenues.  It has been a constant drain on state and federal resources.  Here is the latest example of Alaska pouring money down the toilet:
The Alaska Legislature has budgeted " $4 million to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation to temporarily cover operating expenses." (Kodiak Daily Mirror 4/0/10) 
Note the number of days since the last launch in the counter to the right.
The KLC just sits out at Narrow Cape on an earthquake fault slowly rusting away in the harsh marine environment.
Meanwhile, property owners in Kodiak have to help pay for a badly needed new high school - that four million would be far better spent on education infrastructure (or operating costs for that matter)

A Pathetic Plea for Business for Space Pork Kodiak

Since 1995, those of us that have done our homework have known that the KLC would never be a self-supporting business.  The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority refused to lend Alaska Aerospace funds to build the facility because AAC's business model showed they could not repay the loan.  It was only built after pressure from then Senator Ted Stevens on the USAF to provide construction funding.  Read about it here and here.

KRLIG's research showed that private launch customers were not interested in the KLC because it was too expensive.  Occasional military launches (plus a one-off NASA launch) have been the only business and many of those were due to Stevens' influence.

There was not a single launch at the KLC in 2009. The facility remains dependent on federal and state funding to operate and maintain this dormant white elephant.
After twelve years, the KLC is no "secret" (as Campbell implies below) and AAC has had all that time to market itself and attract private launch customers.  The KLC is a drain on government finances and provides an inadequate return for the size of the investment.

KLC is looking for launch customers
Guest opinion by Alaska Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell
Article published on Tuesday, Jan 19th, 2010 Kodiak Daily Mirror

Alaska is fortunate for our superb geographic location. We are blessed with abundant natural resources which can and should be developed for the economic vitality of our state. From seafood and mining to oil and gas resources, Alaska has what the world needs. And we are located at the northern apex to North America and Asia, giving us two directions to focus our sales and export opportunities.
But our geographic location also has tremendous value in the aerospace industry. Our Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), owned and operated by the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC), is a gem. Located on 3,700 acres of state land at Narrow Cape on Kodiak Island, the site is ideal for both government and commercial rocket launches. Over the past 12 years, KLC has been critical to our space launch access and missile defense testing capability. In the past six years there have been eight Missile Defense Agency (MDA) target missile launches from KLC, demonstrating the value of this site to our nation. Now it is time to look beyond missile defense launches, to other military capabilities and potential commercial operations.
Earlier this month, I traveled to Colorado to meet with General Robert Kehler, Commander, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) to discuss potential opportunities for increased use of KLC. Along with Mr. Dale Nash, AAC chief executive officer, and Mr. Tom Case, AAC president and chief operating officer, we presented the rational for increased use of KLC by AFSPC. While it is too early to declare victory, our meetings netted some very positive direction.
We received assurances that KLC will be included in determining launch locations for future AFSPC launches. This is important, as KLC provides the ideal site for launches into polar orbits. It also allows for almost a 20 percent payload advantage when launching into the Molniya and Tundra orbits over Vandenberg AFB in California.

The State of Alaska has provided direct financial support to KLC in the past. In 1998, $16 million was invested to develop the complex. Last year, the state provided an additional $7 million for rocket motor storage facility construction. Additional funding is being considered for expansion of the site, based on increased demand for use. So the trip to Colorado was a specific targeted effort to expand the market for KLC and secure greater opportunities for launches in the coming years.
I have a mission for all Alaskans: Let’s not keep the Kodiak Launch Complex a secret. The site has matured to the point where Alaska needs to be more proactive in marketing the capabilities and opportunities for increased use, both government and civilian. The team at Alaska Aerospace Corporation is doing a tremendous job operating the site and looking for expansion opportunities. Alaska is best positioned to provide greater access to space and I am committed to leading that effort with the team from AAC. As KLC increases launch activities in the coming years, Alaska will benefit. Let’s keep the momentum going.

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