AT&T and MCI's rivalry spilled over into the direct broadcast satellite (DBS) business last week as each shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars for a slice of the rapidly growing market. AT&T began the week by agreeing to pay $137.5 million for a 2.5% stake in Hughes' DirecTV service. Announcement of the deal, which included options allowing AT&T to increase its equity share in DirecTV to 30%, sent Hughes Electronics stock up 10%, its biggest single-day gain ever.
Roger Nickell of the Chemistry and Materials Branch of the Naval Air Warfare Weapons Div., China Lake, Calif., has won the Sandia National Laboratory's Golden Ring Award for his role in the Nartional Low-Residue Soldering Task Force formed by the Defense and Energy Depts. and industry experts to demonstrate the concept of no-clean soldering.
NASA MANAGERS HAVE BEGUN mapping out ambitious plans to launch a large interferometer around 2010 that would survey nearby stars for evidence of life on the planets orbiting them.
Japanese development for the international space station will accelerate in 1996 with a critical design review set in February for the Japanese Experiments Module (JEM) and establishment of an organization to promote science and industrial research in the facility.
ORBITAL SCIENCES CORP. is hoping the third time will be a charm for its Pegasus XL. The air-launched booster has been scheduled for flight sometime in a 30-day launch window that opens Feb. 29. Orbital has spent six months trying to ensure that the two initial failures of the new booster--the most recent last June--aren't repeated.
Saab Aircraft of America and two affiliated companies have forced Business Express into Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings so that it can reorganize while continuing to operate with a fleet of 37 Saab 340s.
CARGO TRAFFIC AND REVENUES BEGAN DECLINING in the third quarter of 1995 for American Airlines and many other carriers, continued during the fourth quarter and are expected to keep falling this quarter. In the October-December period, American's cargo revenues were down 4.4%; USAir's, 6.4%, Northwest's, 10.3%; and Continental's 31%, largely due to capacity cuts. American's cargo ton miles were down 2.8% and Northwest's 5.4% last quarter. The softness in retailing in the U.S. is assumed by American to be partly responsible for the decline.
To Boeing Co. President Phil Condit and Alan Mulally, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group senior vice president for airplane development and definition; Dale Hougardy, 777 Div. vice president and general manager; John Cashman, 777 chief project pilot; and Boeing engineers and workers. They are cited for the development and on-time certification, including ETOPS qualification, of the 777--the world's largest advanced twinjet--despite engineering, market, manufacturing and certification challenges.
Fokker is desperately seeking new partners in hopes of saving the company from bankruptcy and extinction. The struggling Dutch manufacturer is the victim of excess production capacity in the crowded regional aircraft business, lethal competition in the weak market, Northern Europe's high labor costs and European currencies' unfavorable exchange rates against the U.S. dollar.
With a runway change to avoid shifting winds at altitude, Endeavour was brought to a smooth night landing here to cap a successful start to NASA's 1996 flight operations. Commanding NASA's newest orbiter on shuttle Mission 72, Brian Duffy guided Endeavour to a landing on Runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility here at 2:41:41 a.m. EST, Jan. 20. There was a direct tail wind of 8-15 kt. at landing.
Gilbert Rovetto has been appointed president of Aeropostale, France's postal carrier.He succeeds Philippe Mounier-Poulat, who has left the company. Rovetto was advisor to Christian Blanc, chairman/chief executive officer of the Air France Group.
THE GENERAL AVIATION MANUFACTURERS ASSN. vows to wage war on Sen. John McCain's (R.-Ariz.) bill to require users of the nation's air transportation system to pay 100% of its costs. GAMA President Edward W. Stimpson claims the fees would severely cripple, if not destroy, much of general aviation. It will be an uphill fight, though. The McCain bill has the solid support of the White House and many budget-sensitive members of Congress.
David S. Osterhout has been named vice president-Washington operations for Lockheed Martin. He succeeds Dan A. Peterson, who will remain as a senior consultant. Osterhut was vice president-defense and aerospace legislative affairs.
Kent Kresa, chairman/president/chief executive officer of the Northrop Grumman Corp., has been elected chairman of the board of governors of the Aerospace Industries Assn. Vice chairman is Harry C. Stonecipher, president/CEO of the McDonnell Douglas Corp.
Joseph Tsui has been named vice president/general manager for Harris Corp. communications operations in China. He was president/chief executive officer of the Telecom Group of Tricom Holdings Ltd.
The U. S. will have to abandon the Administration's defense icon of being able to fight two major regional conflicts at the same time if the military must be reduced in size, according to Defense Secretary William Perry. ``If we had to make a major cut in force structure, one of the first things that would have to go would be the military strategy that supports two MRCs [major regional contingencies],'' he told a group of defense writers late last week. He emphasized that readiness remains his top priority.
NASA managers expect to complete plans this week for adding up to three space shuttle flights to Mir and the international space station to shore up Russian support for the stations. Space shuttle and space station program officials last week were identifying options for adding or replanning flights to Mir in 1998 and to the international station in 1999.
Tad Hutcheson has been appointed vice president-marketing and sales development and Keith Mackey vice president-flight operations for Kiwi International Airlines. Hutcheson was a marketing development executive for Delta Air Lines, and succeeds Armand Arel. He now heads the international division of the Florida Tourism Dept.
GOVERNMENT-OWNED VIETNAM AIRLINES in June expects to introduce a new fleet of 10 Airbus Industrie A320s leased from Aerostar Leasing, a unit of Region Air Pte Ltd. of Singapore. That's when a current wet-lease for eight A320s from Air France expires, according to Deputy General Manager Phan Truong Son. Questions of registration have held up the deal, and terms still have not been worked out over whether the 320s will come in ``wet'' or ``dry'' condition. The airline wants them on a dry lease so it can use the Vietnamese crews it has been training under Air France.
Thomas L. Mertens has been appointed national director of aviation for Carter&Burgess Inc. of Denver. He was major projects director for McCarren International Airport, Las Vegas, Nev.
Herbert Bammer, president of Austrian Airlines, has been elected president of the European Airlines Assn. for 1996. He succeeds Roger Sietzen, chief executive officer of Luxair.
THE FULL CONSTELLATION OF 24 Russian Glonass satellites appears about ready to be declared operational. Of the three satellites launched Dec. 14, one is active, one is in reserve, and the other is completing final checks.
JAPAN'S NEW TRANSPORT MINISTER, Kamei Yoshiyuki, said he will form a committee to accelerate development of a third Tokyo airport to relieve the Narita and Haneda international and domestic airports. The intent is to build an offshore facility, perhaps using a floating design, that will be ready in 15-20 years. The new committee was backed by the Aviation Council, a cabinet advisory committee, in a report submitted last fall on priorities for the 1996-2000 capital spending plan.
