HOUSTON — The International Space Station’s mission management team is preparing two more spacewalks to restore the orbital outpost’s cooling system to full function, following a breakthrough excursion on Aug. 11 that opened a leaky ammonia valve for the removal of a failed pump motor assembly.
BENGALURU, India — Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) will have to step up Su-30MKI production at its Nasik facility following the announcement that 42 more fighters have been ordered from Russia.
September 29-30, 2010 ExCeL, London, UK Learn to maintain military assets longer; sustain aircraft beyond forecast; recover from budget cuts, delays and program cancellations, and develop new strategies required to deliver and support equipment. Learn more at www.aviationweek.com/events
Leading 2009 PentagonFuel and Liquid PropellantContractors Leading 2009 Pentagon Fuel and Liquid Propellant Contractors CONTRACTOR NUMBER OF CONTRACTS AND MODIFICATIONS TOTAL AMOUNT AMOUNT PER TRANSACTION The Bahrain Petroleum Company B.S.C.
BENGALURU, India — The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is gearing up for a unique satellite mission to study the solar corona — the outermost region of the Sun — in visible and near-infrared bands. The satellite, called Aditya, will be launched in 2012 during the solar maximum, a high solar activity period. The solar maximum occurs roughly every 11 years.
The U.S. Air Force has begun the formal process through which the service communicates with KC-X bidders about their proposals in preparation for picking a winner, according to officials familiar with the process.
LONDON — Although Germany’s Rheinmetall suffered a slight drop in sales in its defense business in the first six months of this year, the company managed to eke out a slight increase in earnings for the sector. The company reports that earnings for the first six months came in at €71 million ($92 million), up €1 million from the year before, even though sales slid to €762 million, down €27 million. Order intake for the business also improved, up €66 million to €1.1 billion.
DONE DEAL: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Israel Space Agency Director General Zvi Kaplan signed a joint statement of intent to expand the agencies’ cooperation in civil space activities during a meeting in Washington Aug. 10. The agencies agreed to explore joint activities related to Earth and space science, life sciences, space exploration and other areas. The goal is to expand scientific exchange and inspire young scientists and engineers, NASA says.
Fuel is proving to be a very volatile commodity for the Pentagon as operations heat up in Afghanistan. The Pentagon spent about $4.8 billion on fuel and liquid propellants in 2009, making them the third-highest expense for the U.S. military last year, according to an Aerospace DAILY analysis of federal contracting data provided by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
HOUSTON — Spacewalking Expedition 24 astronauts Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson succeeded Aug. 11 in removing a failed cooling system pump module from the vaulting truss of the International Space Station. They were prevented from separating the bulky 780-lb. pump from the station’s Loop A cooling system during an Aug. 7 outing, when one of four cooling lines they were disconnecting leaked toxic ammonia (Aerospace DAILY, Aug. 10).
NEW DELHI — As India’s GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system reaches it final operational phase, FAA, Raytheon, the Indian Space Research Organization and the Airports Authority of India have reached an agreement to use ISRO’s algorithms to address the ionospheric challenges expected to affect GPS signals. To facilitate Category 1 precision approach landing of aircraft, India is developing GAGAN as a regional space-based system. This is a major step forward that will enable FAA to certify the system once it is operational in June 2013.
LONDON — The U.K. aerospace industry is in rebound mode, reports the Aerospace, Defense and Security industry group as it updates its midyear review in the wake of last month’s Farnborough International Airshow.
BENGALURU, India — India and Russia are looking into exporting the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. An intergovernmental agreement (IGA) signed by New Delhi and Moscow stipulates that the missile will be inducted into the armed forces of India and Russia and also will be exported to certain shared allies.
The Obama administration is trying to assure the Senate that it would have a constitutional role in future amendments to the New Start treaty with Russia, assuming 67 senators first ratify the nuclear weapons reduction deal as soon as the White House hopes.
BENGALURU, India – Nearly four months after taking over as 26th chief of the 1.1 million-strong Indian army, Gen. V.K. Singh will finally touch down in Bangalore on Aug. 12 for his first official visit. Singh will inaugurate the Army Welfare Housing Organization (AWHO) — a massive housing project for army personnel — at Whitefield near Bengaluru. He will lay the foundation stone for the project along with Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, sources say.
Ex-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), until 2008 a pillar of defense appropriations and commercial aviation lawmaking, died Aug. 9 as the result of the crash of a DeHavilland DHC-3T (N455A) that claimed four other victims near Dillingham, Alaska. Stevens was 86. EADS North America CEO Sean O’Keefe and his son, Kevin, also were aboard but survived, company officials said late Aug. 10. “We look forward to Sean’s full recovery and his rapid return to EADS North America,” Chairman Ralph Crosby Jr. said in a prepared statement.
IN PLACE: The first Global Position System IIF satellite is in its final phase of on-orbit checkout following its arrival on station Aug. 1. Checkout should be completed by September, when the satellite will be cleared to serve as part of the operational constellation. Launched in May, the Boeing-built satellite features a new civil safety-of-life signal, known as L5.
LOS ANGELES — Northrop Grumman and Alliant Techsystems (ATK), two of the main structural suppliers for the F-35, are both accelerating subassembly manufacturing as Lockheed Martin prepares to ramp up Joint Strike Fighter production. Full rate F-35 production is expected to start around 2015, assuming current funding remains on track, with one aircraft rolling off Lockheed’s Fort Worth assembly line every day by 2016.
Boeing is studying the possible deployment of unmanned air vehicles, such as ScanEagle Compressed Carriage (SECC), from the back of the V-22 Osprey. “It’s mostly through our Boeing V-22 program, but we’re looking at whether you could launch this thing out of a box,” says Ron Perkins, director of Boeing Phantom Works’ Advanced Unmanned Airborne Systems. “It’s very doable and would fit very easily in a V-22.”
Thales Alenia Space has delivered its first trio of Globalstar second-generation communications satellites and is set to deliver a second group of three by the end of the month. The six spacecraft are scheduled to be launched to low Earth orbit in October aboard a Soyuz launcher. Thales Alenia Space is under contract to build 48 of these satellites, each weighing 700 kg. (1,540 lb.) and generating 1.7 kw. They are equipped with 16 C- and S- band transponders and are expected to have a 15-year operational life.
New Delhi — Lockheed Martin is denying reports that Pakistan’s pilots are flying United Arab Emirates (UAE) Block 60 F-16 fighters. The reports come as the downselect for India’s 126-fighter Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) program draws closer. Lockheed Martin is offering its Block 60 F-16IN, called Super Viper, in that competition. There is concern in certain circles that in a combat situation, India would not have an advantage if Pakistan is flying the same type of fighter.
