Crews repairing damage to Pad 0A at the Virginia-owned Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Wallops Island, Virginia. The pad, shown here in May 2015, was damaged in October 2014 after an Orbital ATK Antares rocket exploded seconds after liftoff. Credit: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport

Orbital ATK, Virginia Reach Accord on Pad Repair Bill, Insurance

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Orbital ATK, NASA and the state of Virginia agreed to split a $15 million bill for repairing a launchpad damaged when Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket exploded after lifting off on a NASA cargo mission. Orbital ATK also will be required to carry insurance to cover any future damage to the state-owned launch facility.

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Virginia May Seek Federal Funds for Wallops Spaceport Repairs

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After the failure of an Orbital Sciences Corp. Antares rocket caused as much as $20 million in damage to a state-owned launch pad, Virginia’s two U.S. senators said they may seek federal funds to cover repair costs.

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Profile | Dale Nash, Executive Director, Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority

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When space shuttle veteran Dale Nash got the call in 2012 to run the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, tensions were already on the rise with the state-funded organization’s anchor customer, Orbital Sciences Corp.

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VIDEO | Minotaur Rocket Lofts 29 Satellites from Virginia Spaceport

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Astrotech reported higher revenue and operating profit for the three months ending Sept. 30 compared to a year ago on the strength of increased launch services to commercial customers.

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Minotaur Rocket Lofts 29 Satellites from Virginia Spaceport

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The U.S Air Force successfully launched an experimental Defense Department satellite and 28 secondary payloads Nov. 19 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

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Cygnus Mission Set to Wrap Up Oct. 23; Shutdown Nonissue for Virginia Spaceport

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The cargo capsule is set to detach from the international space station Oct. 22 and burn up over the Pacific Ocean.

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Orbital Sues Virginia, Says State Owes It $16.5 Million

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Orbital is suing Virginia over $16.5 million the company says it shelled out a few years ago to help cover cost overruns incurred during construction of the state-owned launchpad Orbital leased to launch cargo delivery missions to the ISS for NASA.

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STPSat-3 Delivered to Wallops for Virginia Spaceport’s Fourth but Possibly Not Final Launch of 2013

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The Wallops launch facility is getting ready to send a second small satellite into orbit this year. 

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Booster Backlog at Launch Site While Orbital Waits on Virginia

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While Orbital Sciences waits for the state of Virginia to turn over its new Wallops Flight Facility launch pad, boosters for the company’s Antares rockets are stacking up.

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Virginia Spaceport Poised To Turn Pad Over to Orbital This Month

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WASHINGTON — The outgoing head of the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority said the group is on track to hand off a launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Va., to Orbital Sciences Corp. this month.

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Virginia’s Spaceport Needs More Money, Report Says

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A newly released report on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, Va., concluded that increased state funding will be necessary to keep the operation afloat.

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Virginia Urged To Increase Its Spaceport Investment

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A study commissioned by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority calls for the state to make the capital investment necessary to turn the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island into a multi-use facility and attract new customers.

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Florida Fights Launch of Manned Missions from Virginia [Florida Today]

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Space and economic development officials in Florida are weighing in against a proposal by NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to consider launches of human spaceflight missions, calling it a “betrayal” of their state’s workers, Florida Today reported.

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Virginia Report: Remove Orbital Sciences from Spaceport Board [Daily Press]

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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s office has released a report suggesting that Orbital Sciences Corp. should lose its voting position on the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island in order to “provide a level playing field for all customers,” the Daily Press reported Nov. 28.

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Virginia May Give Tax Break for Space Burials [Daily Press]

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Virginia is considering legislation to provide a tax incentive for people to have their cremated remains launched into space, the state’s Daily Press newspaper reports. 

Policy & Politics Virginia

GeoEye is Consolidating Northern Virginia Offices

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Imagery satellite operator GeoEye of Dulles, Va., will relocate its headquarters within Virginia next year and plans to add 100 new jobs in the state over the next three years, the company said in an Oct. 12 press release.

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