UP Aerospace, Inc., www.upaerospace.com, the world's premier supplier of low-cost space access, is continuing its preparations for the inaugural space launch from the New Mexico Spaceport this July. UP Aerospace's SpaceLoft XL vehicle provides the lowest cost-to-space of any space launch vehicle in the world.

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The U.S. Air Force would be able to launch satellites or deliver special purpose payloads in as little as 48 hours using a new, rapid-turnaround launch system proposed by Northrop Grumman Corporation.

The new concept, called a Hybrid Launch Vehicle (HLV), would also reduce launch costs by approximately two-thirds compared to the cost of using a medium evolved expendable launch vehicle.

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(Matthew Travis for The Spacearium)

Putting the best face on a depressed launch market, the two largest American aerospace companies, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, have agreed to form a joint venture combining their respective space launch businesses.The new company, United Launch Alliance, will be 50 percent owned by each parent corporation.

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Air Force officials removed the suspension of three Boeing Co. units associated with its rocket business March 4.

The company's Launch Systems, Boeing Launch Services and Delta Program business units were suspended July 24, 2003, for serious violations of federal law, officials said. The 20-month suspension has been the longest for a major defense contractor.

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Lockheed Martin's first Atlas V booster for launch from the West Coast has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, continuing the proud legacy of over four decades of Atlas operations from California.

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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first man-made satellite, Arianespace will launch a cluster of 50 nanosatellites for the International Astronautical Federation in 2007.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Air Force have awarded funding to four teams for the second phase of the Falcon Small Launch Vehicle (SLV) program. The goal of the Falcon SLV program is to develop and demonstrate an affordable and responsive space lift capability.

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The Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI) has awarded a grant to Analex Corp. to support planning for a Range Technology Qualification (RTQ) initiative to demonstrate new transformational launch technologies at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

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The Air Force has awarded a $49 million contract for rocket launching services to the Alaska Aerospace Development Corp., California's Spaceport Systems International, and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority. The groups will "provide for" the Rocket Systems Launch Program, which is directed by a detachment of the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center. The program launches demilitarized intercontinental ballistic missiles and commercial rockets for the Defense Department and other government agencies.

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THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION. IT IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). In accordance with FAR 52.215-3, NASA does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited.

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