The United Launch Alliance, based in Centennial, successfully launched a Delta II Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Dawn spacecraft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday morning.
After months of delays, Dawn is finally on its 3 billion-mile trip and eight-year mission to explore the asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, which orbit between Mars and Jupiter. Science instruments on Dawn will examine the asteroids and search for water-bearing minerals. Mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., successfully received a signal from Dawn on Thursday.
“This is a moment the space-science community has been waiting for since interplanetary spaceflight became possible,” Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell said in a written statement.
The mission will examine the conditions of the solar system’s earliest age.
The ULA began processing the Delta II Heavy rocket in Decatur, Ala., nearly two years ago. Hundreds of ULA technicians, engineers and managers worked on the Dawn mission.
The ULA’s next launch will be the Wideband Global Satcom satellite for the Air Force, scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V as early as Oct. 9.
BROOMFIELD
Event Center allies with Ticketmaster
The Broomfield Event Center has selected Ticketmaster to serve as the authorized ticketing provider and exclusive ticket-resale service for all events held at the venue.
Under terms of the multiyear agreement, Ticketmaster will provide the center with services, including a venue-authorized TicketExchange resale service, on-site scanning technology to validate barcoded event tickets, online and offline marketing distribution, and communication tools.
NEW YORK
Xcel vows to bolster conservation efforts
Xcel Energy and seven other U.S. utility owners pledged to spend $1 billion a year on energy conservation over the next three years to reduce pollution and the need to build new power plants.
The annual spending, aimed at cutting emissions of carbon dioxide linked to global warming by 5 million tons a year, will increase to $1.5 billion beginning in the fourth year, the companies said Thursday in a joint statement issued in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.
The utility owners, which sell power to almost 20 million homes and businesses in 22 states, said the annual reduction is equivalent to taking 1 million cars off the road and eliminates the need for 5,000 megawatts of generating capacity.
NEW YORK
Verizon to allow Naral text messaging
Verizon Wireless, the second-largest U.S. mobile-phone company, will allow members of an abortion-rights group to sign up for a text-messaging program, reversing an earlier decision.
Verizon Wireless had rejected a request by Naral Pro- Choice America to sign up members to receive text messages that encourage members to support abortion- rights legislation. That decision was “incorrect,” Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said in a statement.
The texts were originally prohibited under a Verizon Wireless policy that prevented “controversial” content from being sent over its messaging service, Naral said.
While Verizon customers were able to sign up to receive the messages on Naral’s website, they couldn’t register by sending a text message to the organization.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.
Aquila wins more support for sale
Aquila Inc., operator of electric and natural-gas utilities in Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, said Thursday that a second independent proxy firm has come out in support of its planned sale to Great Plains Energy.
Institutional Shareholder Services is recommending that investors vote for the proposal during a special shareholder meeting Oct. 9. Glass, Lewis & Co. also recommended approval earlier this week.
Great Plains has scheduled a meeting for its shareholders on Oct. 10. Under the deal, Aquila shareholders would receive $1.80 a share in cash and 0.0856 in Great Plains stock for each share held.
BENTONVILLE, Ark.
Wal-Mart expanding generic-drug plan
Wal-Mart Stores is expanding its national $4 generic prescription-drug program by about 10 percent, adding drugs for some new conditions.
The world’s largest retailer said Thursday it has added drugs covering glaucoma, attention-deficit disorder, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, fungal infections and acne. Two prescription birth- control drugs and one fertility drug were added at $9.
Wal-Mart launched the $4 generics program late last year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
FCC offers Sirius merger assurances
Broadcasters nationwide need not worry about local advertising revenue disappearing if the proposed takeover of XM Satellite Radio Holdings by Sirius Satellite Radio goes through, the chairman of the Federal Communication Commission said Thursday.
The National Association of Broadcasters opposes the estimated $4.7 billion acquisition on the grounds that combining the nation’s only two satellite-radio companies would create a monopoly.
FCC chief Kevin Martin said, however, that there is a “higher burden” to examine the transaction carefully.
