Kentucky Space

Kentucky Space exhibiting at "Bio"

Kentucky Space is excited to have a presentation booth within the Kentucky BIO Pavilion at BIO in Chicago, IL. May 3rd – May 6th. The BIO International Convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry.

As part of the Kentucky Space Exomedicine research initiative, we are looking forward to meeting potential biotechnology partners interested in performing microgravity research on the International Space Station.

Wayne

Second Kentucky-built host for "plug and play" microlabs bound for ISS

Following the successful delivery of the first NanoRacks Platform on Shuttle Discovery earlier this month, the second such unit is manifested aboard Atlantis, designated STS-132, for May.

This photo shows the Astrotech payload processing facility at Port Canaveral, Fla., where workers dressed in "bunny suits" lift a cargo pallet into the Russian-built Mini-Research Module-1. The second platform is stowed in this module for flight.

The NanoRacks Platform powers up to 16 individual "CubeLabs," each of which can host microgravity research experiments. This standard method for doing microgravity research offers many more organizations an opportunity to do repeatable, cost efficient work in the bio-sciences, for example.

With regularly scheduled trips to the station, Kentucky Space is now working with organizations to put their experimental programs on the ISS.

Wayne

Photo Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett March 18, 2010

NanoRacks, Kentucky Space hardware being transferred to ISS

Here is a terrific view from NASA television of the logistics module in Discovery's bay prior to being lifted out and attached to the International Space Station.

The hatch between the two was opened earlier this morning and supplies, including the NanoRacks platform and two CubeLabs, will soon be moved to their permanent places inside the station to begin work.

Wayne

Countdown to new era in microgravity research

After all the months of hard work, of the long days put in by everyone from the Houston team to Kentucky students, we are now in the countdown to the scheduled Monday launch of the NanoRacks Platform on board Shuttle Discovery, STS-131.

The platform is scheduled to be inserted permanently on board the International Space Station’s U.S. National Laboratory. The platform is for me — and for all of us — a work of elegant art. It represents the best of engineering principals: hardware that is functional and efficient. The platform will allow up to 16 experiments using the CubeSat form factor, a design and shape known to university and researchers world wide. We call them CubeLabs — named by Kris Kimel of Kentucky Space, our major partner.

Not that it was simple to develop this platform. It took the experience of our Houston team, the enthusiasm of students in Kentucky Space and the creativity of everyone involved. What is simple is the premise: that through use of standardized hardware, the cost of space station utilization will be dramatically lowered.

Our idea is already working, we have signed five commercial customers from the Valley Christian High School and Quest Institute to a new pharmaceutical crystal growth effort. That is really exciting for all of us.

But now comes the countdown — I’m heading down this weekend for the launch and to see old friends and begin my own new journey, to promote and market the commercial utilization of our section of the U.S. Space Station National Laboratory. I'm glad that Jim Lumpp from the University of Kentucky will be there. NanRack’s Mike Johnson is staying in Houston because this veteran of so many launches and space engineering projects is just too blasé to be at the Cape! Mike says he would have been there but it's Easter.

Countdowns are nervous - whether cargo ships or manned. This one more so for all of us at NanoRacks and Kentucky Space, but the mission of STS-131 is one heck of a way to launch a new business!

Jeffrey Manber

NanoRacks signs agreement with American Aerospace

NanoRacks LLC has signed an agreement with American Aerospace to fly on STS-133 this September.  

The on-orbit research opportunity was enabled through a partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

Wayne

More than hardware: Discovery flying "new business model" to space station

Aviation Week has published a terrific article on the Shuttle Discovery flight, STS-131, that will take the innovative microgravity research NanoRacks platform and two "Cubelabs" to the International Space Station next month.

The flight is more than a simple delivery of hardware built right here in Kentucky, exciting as that is, but "could be a harbinger of how the U.S. hopes to do business in space in the years to come."

In addition to space station work, NanoRacks also also discussion with a other space companies about the use of the standard interface across several different space vehicles, orbital and suborbital, "so the customer can concentrate on developing the experiment or other hardware to be flown."

That's key. A focus on something other than the sheer technical challenge of getting to and staying in space represents an exciting new development in the commercialization of space. Working with NanoRacks, Kentucky Space is not only carving out a place for Kentucky-built and integrated suborbital and orbital payloads, but participating directly in the growth of space as a business frontier.

The managing partner for NanoRacks, Jeffrey Manber, also spoke on camera recently while in Lexington about the upcoming flight. Please check it out.

Wayne

The Business case for Cubelabs

Taking a look at the business prospects for sub-orbital research payloads, the Space Business Blog noticed the work being done by NanoRacks and Kentucky Space to make microgravity research on the International Space Station an affordable and repeatable proposition. It likes, in particular, the modular nature of the solution and points out one very important benefit of using Cubelabs:

NanoRacks has developed a standard rack that plugs into a [mid deck locker] on station. NanoRacks worked with Bob Twiggs (co-creater of the CubeSat) from Kentucky Aerospace to build a standard experiment module called the CubeLab. Still 10cm-cubed, and plugs into their rack via a standard USB port. Very plug-and play! I like this. NanoRacks and Kentucky Space intend to offer this CubeLab technology as open-source for the benefit of the industry. One important nugget: the CubeSat has already passed significant ITAR hurdles, and since the CubeLab is based on similar technology to the CubeSat, a business using this open-source technology should have a significantly easier time attracting and working with international customers. NanoRacks goal is to offer Micro-gravity research opportunitis on the ISS, but I think the technology ports very well into the suborbital arena as well.

Space blogs typically focus on hardware and technology, but rarely on the business prospects for that hardware and technology in the developing frontier of commercial space. Read the entire piece from Space Business Blog.

More images from Kentucky Space may be found on Flickr. Jeffrey Manber provided a recent video update on NanoRacks here.

Wayne

Video: NanoRacks, Kentucky Space flying in March to International Space Station

On a visit to Kentucky Space earlier this month, Jeffrey Manber provided an update on the work to make affordable, repeatable micro-gravity research available on the International Space Station. The first of three planned NanoRacks, along with the first two "Cubelabs," will fly on a Shuttle flight, STS-131, to the station in March. More about NanoRacks and this innovative approach to orbital research be found here.

Wayne

Cubelab, Kentucky Space, NanoRacks

Nanorack, anechoic chamber pic

On Friday, the second completed Nanorack underwent successful tests in the anechoic chamber on the campus of the University of Kentucky. It will ship to Florida in the next several days.

The first Nanorack and two Cubelabs^tm will be taking a March flight to the International Space Station aboard STS-131.

Wayne

Kris Kimel: "It's a new era in entrepreneurial space"

Kris Kimel, the president of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (the managing partner for Kentucky Space), talks about last Friday's events and 2010 in general in this audio recorded on the University of Kentucky campus.

The very first Nanorack is currently on its way to Florida for a March Shuttle flight to the International Space Station. The January date for the suborbital "SOCEM" mission Kris refers to was recently mentioned @kyspace on Twitter. For the most recent information, you may want to follow Kentucky Space there.

Wayne