HOUSTON — The International Space Station’s U.S.-led, 15-nation partnership marked its 10th anniversary of continuous crew habitation on Nov. 2, with the six-member crew citing the retirement of NASA’s shuttle fleet next year as the biggest challenge to sustaining the accomplishment. Two and possibly three shuttle missions remain, including the STS-133 mission scheduled for launch on board Discovery Nov. 3. Meanwhile, Congress and the White House have authorized at least another decade of station operations.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA called off the scheduled Nov. 3 launch attempt of space shuttle Discovery on its 39th and final flight to assess a potential problem with the backup controller of one of the ship’s main engines, officials said Nov. 2.
BEIJING — China Satcom will favor fellow subsidiaries of national space contractor China Aerospace Corp. (CASC) as it places contracts to enlarge its satellite fleet over the next five years. Declaring an interest in developing L- and S-band technology, the company appears to be aiming to offer global communications services, probably eyeing Chinese state companies as early customers.
DOHA, Qatar — The Qatar emiri air force will soon decide on a new fighter trainer, according to Air Force Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Mubarak Mohammed Al-Khayarin. The notional size of the program is for 12 aircraft, he tells AVIATION WEEK on the sidelines of the Shephard Air Power Middle East conference here. The aircraft would be used for both basic and advanced training, Al-Khayarin notes.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Engineers are moving into the last phase of detailed design for ExoMars, the twin lander/orbiter mission planned by the European Space Agency and NASA to pave the way for a sample return from the red planet.
AIR FORCE ITT Industries Inc., Systems Division, Cape Canaveral, Fla., was awarded a maximum $74,628,309 contract modification which will provide a space life range systems contract extension for one base year which is Nov. 1, 2010 through Oct. 31, 2011; two six-month options (Nov. 1. 2011 through April 30, 2012; or May 1 through Oct. 31, 2012). At this time, $23,295,379 has been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0001; P00693).
Rockwell Collins CEO Clay Jones tells analysts the recovery from this economic downturn will be different from past recessions, as aftermarket sales remain lower than expected while sales to original equipment manufacturers pick up.
CELL ACTIVITY: Fifteen years after it began producing multi-junction gallium arsenide solar cells, Spectrolab reports it has passed the 3 million mark at its factory in Sylmar, Calif. Part of Boeing Defense Space & Security, the lab is in its 50th year and has supported missions from Apollo to the International Space Station. One of its newest projects for NASA is Juno at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Juno is the first mission to Jupiter to be powered by photovoltaic cells.
The U.S. Marine Corps failed to follow proper procurement procedures in 90% of the 88 Undefinitized Contractual Actions (UCAs) worth about $2.75 billion awarded by Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) from Fiscal 2004-09, according to the Pentagon Inspector General (IG). “MCSC contracting officials did not consistently comply with statutory requirements for managing 80 of the 88 UCAs,” the IG states in a recent report.
A&D Supplier Innovation Challenge Winners Announced! More than 80 suppliers were evaluated on the basis of value provided to primes, subcontractors and end-users. See who topped the list in terms of: -- Design innovation that changes product size, weight or capability -- Technology breakthroughs that provide new or substantially improved performance View the complete list of winners and nominees at
With Northrop Grumman making its first official moves toward spinning off its shipbuilding segments as a single unit, industry wires are starting to buzz with chatter that the spin-off could go public as its own company. Such a move would satisfy the U.S. Navy’s desire to keep its nuclear vessel builders in the hands of a U.S.-based company that knows what it is doing. The question, of course, is whether Wall Street will buy into the plan.
NEW DELHI — Saab Group signed a letter of intent last week with Mahindra Satyam and will soon form a joint venture for civil aeronautics, special IT systems, network-centric warfare and command and control systems, CEO Håkan Buskhe tells AVIATION WEEK. Mahindra Satyam is a global business and information technology services company with expertise in supply chain management, engineering and product life-cycle management and infrastructure services.
AVIATION WEEK Management Forums, MRO Engines Forum Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, 2010 Munich, Germany Gain cost-effective best practices and strategies for engine MRO planning, new technology implementation, navigating maintenance contracts, green processes and compliance issues. Register now - http://www.aviationweek.com/events/current/mroeng/index.htm
BENGALURU, India – The Indian Air Force (IAF) sees “marginal” positive change in defense public sector undertaking (DPSU) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) in terms of its commitment to delivering “quality products and sticking to the deadlines.” A senior IAF official who was part of the recent IAF Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi tells AVIATION WEEK that the slight shift in HAL’s commitment was mainly due to the firm stand adopted by India’s military services.
AIR FORCE Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was awarded a maximum $9,000,000 follow-on contract for avionics sustaining engineering services for the C/KC-135 series aircraft fleet. At this time, nothing has been obligated. OO-ALC/GKCK, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8105-11-D-0001). ARMY
NAVY Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $48,107,835 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-10-C-2229) for additional planning and advanced engineering services in support of the LHA replacement (LHA[R]) Flight 0 amphibious assault ship (LHA 7). The work will be performed in Pascagoula and is expected to be completed by May 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — NASA managers met Nov. 1 to review preparations for the space shuttle Discovery launch on STS-133, clearing the spacecraft for liftoff Nov. 3 on what will be its 39th and final flight. It was a quick meeting, with unanimous consent to press ahead with a launch attempt at 3:52 p.m. EDT. “If I wouldn’t have talked about how quickly it was going, it would have gone even faster. We didn’t have any technical issues to discuss,” quips Mike Moses, shuttle launch integration manager at Kennedy Space Center.
LONDON — Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez on Oct. 29 accepted into inventory eight Embraer AT-29 Super Tucano trainer and light attack aircraft. The initial aircraft were delivered in December 2009, and another batch arrived this year. The Dominican Republic air force notes that 10 pilots and 21 copilots already have been trained to operate the turboprop, with another eight pilots now in training.
HOMELAND IT: U.S. law enforcement agencies have dramatically increased their focus on counterterrorism and homeland security, especially through the use of information technology, but they still face challenges in managing the expansion of related information-sharing networks, making sure everyone necessary participates and seeking flexibility in homeland security grant programs to account for variation in local needs and capabilities, according to a new Rand Corp. report.
BENGALURU, India — India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on Oct. 28 conducted a 2.3-hr. flight of its Nishant UAV that tested its structural health-monitoring (SHM) system. Nichant’s 32nd flight was carried out at Kolar airfield, near Bengaluru.
