The Italian defense ministry insists an apparent decision to launch its second military communications satellite, Sicral 1b, on a Sea Launch was based on operational reasons, and does not indicate a drop in support for Europe’s Ariane 5 launcher. The decision—which has yet to be officially confirmed—followed a Sept. 14 award of a €118-million ($164-million) contract for launch and operation of Sicral 1b to Telespazio, which will contribute funding in return for a share in capacity.
The DigitalGlobe WorldView-1 spacecraft—a major U.S. space program milestone that finally merges military and commercial space technology—will target its first operational images for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) by mid-October.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed its version of the FAA Reauthorization Act, pleasing labor, airports and general aviation interests while irritating the Bush administration over spending levels and revisiting the air traffic controllers’ labor contract. The measure, which passed 267-151, reauthorizes federal aviation programs for four years and provides funding to begin upgrading ATC facilities. The bill raised the GA jet fuel tax rate, but did not institute financing reforms proposed by the administration and supported by the airlines.
General Electric is ramping up studies into how to make production-standard pulse-detonation engines as it prepares to run the first-ever valve-controlled multi-tube PDE with a power turbine and gear system at its Global Research facility here.
Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England has rejected the Air Force’s efforts to take over management of all Pentagon UAVs that fly above 3,500 ft., but confusion over who is in charge appears to continue. The Defense Dept. is organizing a series of teams to address topics including standardizing procurement and operational processes. Perhaps the most difficult issue ahead is how to merge the Army’s Warrior and the Air Force’s Predator programs, a marriage England decreed must be complete by October 2008.
The U.S. Air Force conducted its second flight trial of an inert version of a new low-collateral damage weapon. During the Sept. 14 test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the Focused Lethality Munition’s (FLM) guidance system performed as required, says Don Hutcheson, Boeing’s direct attack weapons operations manager. FLM is a variant of the 250-lb. Small-Diameter Bomb (SDB). Both are developed by Boeing.
Virgin America CEO Fred Reid is keeping that title for an extra three months after the U.S. Transportation Dept. granted the airline’s request to allow him to stay at the helm instead of stepping down six months after launch, which would have been in November. That was a stipulation in giving the carrier approval to start operations.
Finmeccanica’s first-half revenues increased to €6.1 billion ($8.5 billion), which is 7% over the first half of 2006, with net profit reaching €177 million, up €19 million (excluding one-time gains). Operating earnings increased, but the margin declined to 5.1% from 5.3%. Finmeccanica also saw a substantial growth in net debt, which reached €2.26 billion, bringing the debt/equity ratio to 42% and above the level the management targeted. Order intake for the first six months reached €6.47 billion, a decline from last year’s €7.98 billion.
The STS-120 space shuttle Discovery mission remains targeted for launch Oct. 23 following replacement of hydraulic seals in its right main landing gear strut that originally threatened the target date. Workers at Kennedy Space Center discovered the hydraulic leak when they removed jacks supporting Discovery in the Orbiter Processing Facility, placing the full weight of the 100-ton orbiter on its landing gear.
Japanese controllers are maneuvering Selene (SELenological and ENgineering Explorer) spacecraft into position for insertion into lunar orbit on Oct. 4, following its launch on Sept. 14 from the launch facility on Tanegashima Island in southeast Japan. Over the coming week, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) controllers will adjust the three-ton probe’s elliptical orbit around Earth to set up a lunar orbit insertion 19 days, 19 hr. after launch. In that time, it will make two big swings around Earth before heading off to the Moon.
An Iranian web site associated with the national government says 600 Shahab-3 missiles are aimed at targets throughout Israel and will be launched if either Iran or Syria is attacked. Syria has not yet acknowledged, however, that Israeli aircraft bombed a military site in Western Syria two weeks ago. The Shahab-3 is Iran’s top-of-the-line ballistic missile but has a spotty test record, and it’s highly unlikely that anywhere near 600 of them are in inventory.
Finnair will use Airbus A330s for the bulk of its long-haul operations and to replace its Boeing MD-11s. The initial commitment is for seven A330-300s (six are firm orders previously announced for A330s or A340, and one is an exercised option). Three options remain. The A330s will be powered by General Electric CF6-80E1A4/Bs, in part because the airline’s technical department has experience with the CF6 on the MD-11. Finnair will still operate some A340-300s for very long-haul routes, having already taken delivery of a few of the type.
While all eyes have been on the Saudi Arabian Eurofighter Typhoon deal, BAE Systems has been quietly pushing ahead with the Tornado Sustainment Program for the Royal Saudi Air Force. At least eight RSAF Tornado strike aircraft have undergone the first phase of the upgrade, covering cockpit and avionics modifications. Weapons associated with further stages of the upgrade include the MBDA Storm Shadow cruise missile and Brimstone anti-armor missile.
A new 3M VHB tape has been developed for flame-retardant application in the aerospace industry. The company says the tape can take the place of traditional adhesives and mechanical fasteners including screws, welds, rivets, two-part adhesives and sealants. Use of the tapes can also help reduce the total weight of an aircraft, according to the company. Some of the industry standards met by the tape include FAR (a) second Vertical Burn Appendix F, Part 1 (a) (ii) and the European RoHS directive.
Harbin Aircraft will renew its push into the light transport market with an aircraft whose design has advanced the firm’s skill in computational fluid dynamics. Part of a broad initiative to develop a range of Chinese commercial aircraft that meet the standards of Western customers, the Y12F turboprop shows the great leap in efficiency that industry here has been able to achieve since the development of the original Y12 in the early 1980s.
There have been a lot of things written in letters by some smart people that are not supported by evidence, such as the idea that Mars would serve as an excellent baseline to compare warming trends with Earth. Mars is a different planet with different orbital mechanics, internal thermal dynamics, atmospheric dynamics and water cycles. This is not to say solar output does not affect all planets. We have recently discovered dramatic and sudden changes in the rings of Uranus, but we wouldn’t say this was due to solar output.
Colorado-based MicroSat Systems Inc. (MSI) offers high-performance microsatellites and spacecraft subsystems to government and commercial customers. MSI launched its first satellite TacSat-2, the product for which it received an AW&ST Product Breakthrough Award, on Dec. 16, 2006.
Remember the infamous ice storm that left thousands of JetBlue Airways passengers stranded at New York’s Kennedy Airport last February? That and another winter storm cost the airline $41 million in lost revenue, turning what should have been a first-quarter profit into a $13-million operating loss.
Investigators are eyeing wind shear as a possible factor in the Sept. 16 crash of a One-Two-Go Airlines MD-82 upon landing at Phuket, Thailand, killing 89 people. Preliminary reports indicate Flight 269 departed Bangkok Don Muang Airport for the popular island resort of Phuket at about 2:30 p.m. (local time). The carrier’s manifest shows 123 passengers and seven crewmembers were on board.
The order book for new Pentagon weapons for unique missions is bulging. EDO has won a $171.8-million Navy contract to build 2,250 JCREW radio-controlled improvised explosive device electronic warfare systems as part of an order to support operations in Iraq. These are vehicle-mounted electronic jammers designed to prevent the ignition of radio-controlled IEDs. Raytheon collected an $86.1-million contract to provide multi-spectral targeting systems for Predator and Reaper UAVs.
Nations of the world have signed 131 open skies aviation accords since the first agreement of its type, between the U.S. and the Netherlands, was concluded in 1992, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization. The pacts provide full market access with few or no restrictions between signatory nations. The U.S. is a partner in 77 agreements. In total, 91 nations and territories have concluded the liberal pacts.
Eclipse Aviation is exploiting a digital design tool that emphasizes automobile-like manufacturability in a way that’s reminiscent of an earlier time in U.S. industrial history.
Panasonic Avionics and Rockwell Collins have agreed to bundle inflight entertainment and moving map displays. The agreement means passengers will be able to “pull” individual video choices to their seats rather than have the service provider “push” videos to all cabin monitors.
The proposed buyout of Stork by private equity firm Candover has been canceled after several months of talks. One of Stork’s major shareholders, LME, which controls more than 43% of the conglomerate’s outstanding shares, says it will not tender its allotment under the proposed terms. The refusal by LME to sell means that Candover (which has been acting through an entity called London Acquisition) can’t reach its targeted share level. Talks between LME, Stork and Candover are continuing, however, to see if a different deal can be structured.
