ATK have officially unveiled their new vehicle, which is targeted at a near-term solution for their COTS partner PlanetSpace, as well as satellite and planetary markets. Unnamed, but known in the industry as Athena III, the three stage vehicle is based on a 2.5 segment Solid Rocket Booster, with an ATK Castor 120 second stage, topped off with an ATK Castor 30 third stage and Orbit Adjust Module (OAM).

With just over half a month until the launch of shuttle Atlantis on STS-122, her return to a launch posture picks up the pace with a set of Flight Readiness Reviews (FRRs) over the next 10 days. The FRRs will give a final review of flight rationale, following the replacement of ET-125's LH2 Feed-through connector - along with other elements of the shuttle that have been sitting on launch pad 39A since November.

Following a NASA Constellation budget review - which found the program has a short term deficit of $700m - managers have presented a re-aligned development and test flight schedule, in an attempt to protect Orion's debut mission to the ISS in 2015. Among numerous changes, Ares I-Y is to be delayed by a year, Orion's 1-3 are delayed between nine and three months, while Ares V's lunar mission debut with Orion 13 will now be an unmanned fly-by.

Thursday's Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) meeting has been presented with documentation that adds confidence to the initial findings of a "smoking gun" during testing of ET-125's removed external LH2 Feed-through connector. At the same time, plans are being put into place to use a special grease gun on the problematic starboard SARJ (Solar Alpha Rotary Joint) on the International Space Station (ISS).

The official decision on the future of Atlantis has finally been made, as she avoids early retirement in 2008 - gaining STS-128 and STS-131 in the process via new planning documentation. Atlantis' flagship mission - STS-125's trip to service the Hubble Space Telescope - has been delayed by one month, to September 5, as the bulk of the manifest moves to the right by around 30 days, due to the slip of STS-122 to February 7.

Sea Launch have finally returned to flight, with the lift-off of their Zenit-3SL launch vehicle, carrying the Thuraya 3 telecommunications satellite for the United Arab Emirates. Launch was at 11:49am GMT, with the satellite successsfully placed into its desired orbit. NASASpaceflight.com covered the launch as a live event, with extensive background, live updates, images and a free launch video - available now - on the links below (read more).

Weekend testing of the removed ET-125 LH2 Feed-through connector resulted in "circuit instability" on two ECO (Engine Cut Off) sensors during LH2 test runs at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). While testing will continue, these opening results add confidence to the initial data that pointed to the "External Plug / Feed Through Receptacle Pin Contacts" as the cause of the ECO system anomalies during the two STS-122 launch attempts and subsequent tanking test.

United Space Alliance (USA) and Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) engineers have installed the replacement external LH2 Feed-through connector inside Atlantis' ET-125, marking a key milestone ahead of Atlantis' NET (No Earlier Than) February 7 launch. The modified element of hardware is the "most likely" solution to the Engine Cut Off (ECO) system anomalies that have delayed the mission - as tests continue at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

Gert van Ommering, Director of Technology at Space Systems/Loral - and leader of the company's activities regarding COTS 2 - has conducted a Q&A with NASASpaceFlight.com. SS/L and Constellation Service International (CSI) have collaborated to bid for the lucrative NASA contract, utilizing SS/L's 1300 model spacecraft bus and CSI's space intermodal transportation architecture.

Thursday's Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) meeting has concluded with a decision on a forward plan that will allow for three missions in the space of around 10 weeks. Managers discussed the current status of testing on the external LH2 Feed-through connector troubleshooting, and decided against conducting a tanking test ahead of the launch of STS-122, which is now tracking a NET (No Earlier Than) February 7 launch date.

Shuttle manager Wayne Hale has called for patience, as engineers focus on solving STS-122's LH2 Feed-through connector problems. A crucial set of test results are being collated from the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) - which will provide the basis for the go-ahead for the installation of a replacement connector into ET-125 later this week. At the same time, the program is already working towards rolling out Endeavour - ahead of STS-123 - pre-empting a run of six missions in 2008.

A new issue with Atlantis' External Tank LH2 Feed-through connector hardware will require further investigation, after cracks were found on the glass seal below the pins on ET-125's removed external connector. At present, engineers do not believe it is related to the Engine Cut Off (ECO) system anomalies, as the process begins at the pad to install a replacement Feed-through connector system into the tank, in time to allow STS-122 to launch in early February.

While some level of confusion in the media was caused by deputy shuttle manager John Shannon's January 24 reference last week, STS-122 will "definitely" get another "work to" launch date in around a week's time. NASA, United Space Alliance and Lockheed Martin schedules show STS-122 is currently NET (No Earlier Than) February 2, leading to Flight Director Cathy Koerner to send out a memo of clarification that the launch is tracking the February timeline - not January.

While engineers continue to move forward with preparations for the installation of replacement external LH2 Feed-through connector hardware on ET-125, another issue may overlap the tank repair schedule. The problem relates to the ATVC (Ascent Thrust Vector Control) - specific to the commanding of the Right Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Rock Actuator. The unit will be replaced over the weekend, although documentation shows Sunday as the deadline for replacing the unit, in order to make the February 2 launch date target for STS-122.

Shuttle managers have concluded their meeting over the latest status of the troubleshooting efforts on ET-125, which is to receive new external LH2 Feed-through connector hardware, due to arrive on Friday. The PRCB was presented with a forward plan that shows the new NET (No Earlier Than) launch date as February 8 - should they decide to conduct a tanking test. Without the test, they could aim for February 2. These date options are "expected" - while a protected January 24 option is deemed unlikely.

With 2008 being a crucial year for the development of the Ares and Orion vehicles, legendary Flight Director Gene Kranz has made a motivational call to arms for the Constellation workforce to "make it happen." Kranz made his comments in an heavily produced video that mapped out the heritage from as early as the Mercury program, up to the current development of the Ares I launch vehicle.

Engineers have removed the external LH2 Feed-through connector from ET-125, beginning the next stage of the major troubleshooting that has caused the delay to STS-122's launch. Moving forward with repair Option A, engineers hope that subsequent testing will confirm the ECO (Engine Cut Off) system anomaly is specific to the external elements of the connector, allowing work to be completed at the pad, thus avoiding rollback.

The STS-126 mission will resume ISS operations after a break for STS-125's flight to the Hubble Space Telescope, but one of the newest additions to the mission plan won't take place until reentry. The mission's Program Freeze Point was overviewed at the PRCB (Program Requirements Control Board) meeting earlier this month, where a Boundary Layer Transition (BLT) Detailed Test Objective (DTO) was proposed.

Two options were debated by the all-powerful PRCB (Program Requirements Control Board) meeting, one of which will allow Atlantis to aim for a late January - or more likely - early Febuary launch date, the other involving rollback. Currently, "Option A" appears to have the support of shuttle management, which will involve the soldering of the LH2 Feed-through connector pins. "Option B" involves rollback and a tank swap with ET-126.

Russia has successfully carried out a Christmas Day launch of their Proton-M launch vehicle with a Block DM-2 upper stage, carrying three Glonass-M GPS satellites. Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome occurred at 7:32pm UTC. The launch marks the 20th mission from Baikonur during 2007, 19 of which were successful. The September 6 Proton-M launch, carrying the JCSAT 11 telecommunications satellite, was the only failure.