KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Preparations for the launch of Atlantis and its four astronauts on the final flight in the space shuttle program proceeded smoothly on July 7, but the weather outlook for liftoff at 11:26 a.m. EDT July 8 remained dim. Meteorologists with Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s 45th Space Wing downgraded their launch day forecast to a 70% chance of a scrub due to thunderstorms, clouds and rain.
The U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard are test flying a modified F-15C that combines a long-range active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with the infrared surveillance of a Sniper reconnaissance pod. The flights are aimed at countering a growing list of asymmetric and conventional weapons seen as threatening the U.S. homeland. Among them are air and sea-launched cruise missiles, which can be small or have a stealthy design, either of which reduces their radar signature.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — White House officials are delaying a final decision on the configuration and procurement strategy of the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) that Congress has ordered NASA to build while the agency conducts another round of cost analyses on the design it has chosen.
GENOA, Italy — With Europe’s new Vega rocket slated to debut before year’s end, prime contractor ELV is pushing a plan to evolve the small-satellite launcher for deep-space missions to the Moon and beyond. Vega prime contractor ELV, a joint venture between Italian rocket propulsion manufacturer Avio and the Italian space agency (ASI), is studying a Vega derivative that could carry relatively heavy payloads to the tune of 700 kg (1,540 lb.) to near-Earth bodies, including the Moon, Mars, Venus and Jupiter.
LYNN LEAVING: The Pentagon’s No. 2 official, William Lynn III, will leave office as soon as a successor chosen by new Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is in place this fall, the Defense Department announced July 7. According to the Pentagon, Lynn, a Raytheon executive before taking office, will continue living in the Washington area but has not yet announced future plans. The position of deputy defense secretary, which has to be confirmed by the Senate, is sometimes referred to as the Pentagon’s “mayor,” or chief operating officer.
Surrogate flight tests of the software and systems for the Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned combat aircraft system demonstrator (UCAS-D) have resulted in “hands-free” landings of an F/A-18 Hornet on a U.S. Navy carrier. Controlled by the avionics and software from the X-47B, the F/A-18 conducted 58 coupled approaches to the USS Eisenhower on July 2, including 16 intentional touch-and-gos and six arrested landings, program officials say.
HOUSTON — A majority of Americans – even in the midst of a battered economy – believe it is essential for the nation to stand at the summit of space exploration, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. The survey, released three days before the scheduled July 8 launch of NASA’s final space shuttle mission, suggests that support largely cuts across economic and educational boundaries as well as political affiliation.
EXTENDED TORNADO: The U.K. Ministry of Defense is working on a fatigue life extension for its Tornado GR4 fleet to allow the aircraft to keep flying until its planned retirement date of 2021. A ministry official says that fatigue testing now under way should allow some of the Tornado GR4s to reach 8,000 flight hours. The bulk of the fleet currently has a service life of 7,000 hr., with a few of the aircraft cleared to 7,500 hr.
LONDON — The U.K. government’s decision to change its approach on buying aircraft carriers and Joint Strike Fighters has added risks to the long-term program that are still not fully understood months after those changes were spelled out in the Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR), the National Audit Office warns.
Telenor Satellite Broadcasting of Norway has selected Arianespace to launch its Thor 7 Ku/Ka-band telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit atop an Ariane 5 rocket in late 2013, the Oslo-based company announced July 5. European commercial launch consortium Arianespace edged out International Launch Services of Reston, Va., Sea Launch of Long Beach, Calif., and Space Exploration Technologies of Hawthorne, Calif., to win the competitive award.
U.S. Air Force officials are preparing to launch the second Boeing GPS IIF satellite on July 14. The launch window opens at 2:49 a.m. EDT at Cape Canaveral, says Col. Christopher Warack, space systems program manager at the Space and Missile Systems Center near Los Angeles.
LONDON — Pakistan will receive advanced radio frequency protection equipment for its latest F-16s under a $49 million U.S. foreign military sales contract with ITT Systems. The contract covers delivery of 18 ALQ-211(v)9 pods and other equipment for the Pakistani air force, the Pentagon says. The initial foreign military sales request was for up to 21 systems.
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A House panel recommends killing the Northrop Grumman-built James Webb Space Telescope, calling the Hubble successor “billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management.”
PARIS — The biennial Paris air show in June highlighted numerous innovations in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which are adding diverse capabilities to increase their tactical and strategic value. Israeli manufacturers unveiled a number of new UAVs at Paris, including several electrically powered systems. This fast-growing class increasingly combines ease of handling and economy with extended range, advanced-technology payloads and efficient propulsion systems.
GENOA, Italy — Mexico has chosen the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan as its new tactical airlifter. Under a package deal worth $200 million, the Mexican air force is to receive four C-27Js, the first slated for delivery in September with more following by the end of 2012.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter deliveries continue to lag, though training continues ahead of pace for the stealthy fighter this year. Maj. Gen. C.D. Moore, deputy JSF program manager, said last month at the Paris air show that the first F-35s would be delivered to Eglin AFB, Fla., in June. They have not yet been ferried over owing to delays in the paperwork needed for the flights, says Joe Dellavedova, the Pentagon’s JSF spokesman.
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SINGAPORE — Japan has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of F-15s following an accident Tuesday in which an F-15 on a training mission crashed off the country’s southern island of Okinawa. The aircraft’s pilot is missing. Since it is unclear whether the crash occurred because of pilot error or an aircraft malfunction, the F-15 fleet has been temporarily grounded nationwide, according to local news reports, quoting officials from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Jasdf) and Japan’s Ministry of Defense.
LONDON — There is worry in the U.K. defense and aerospace sector that the British government’s effort to improve its acquisition practices could have unintended consequences that harm industry. “The concern is that in trying to achieve better value for money, we have detected that [the Defense Ministry’s] attitude to industry seems to be moving back to an arm’s-length approach based on buying off the shelf,” says Ian Godden, chairman of the Aerospace, Defense and Security industry trade group.
HOUSTON — U.S. and Russian spacewalk activity is expected to decline from an average of 12 to between one and three excursions annually as the assembly and outfitting of the International Space Station’s U.S. operating segment draws to a close with the final space shuttle flight.
