India’s first Mars orbiter has propelled out of Earth’s orbit and embarked on a 10-month voyage to the red planet. The critical maneuver to place the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft (MOS) in the Mars Transfer Trajectory was successfully carried out Dec. 1, says K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the state-run Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Turbomeca and China’s Avic Engine have completed the first test bench runs of the new Ardiden 3C turboshaft that is destined for use on the Chinese version of the Eurocopter EC175. The tests, completed at Turbomeca’s Bordes facility in France, confirmed what the company called “good aeromechanical behavior and performance,” and allow the manufacturer to proceed to the test and certification phase of the engine’s development program.
FAA has decided a NASA astronaut may engage in operational flight functions up to and including piloting a commercial space vehicle for aborts, emergency response, and monitoring and operating environmental controls and life support systems during FAA-licensed commercial space launches and re-entries. But astronauts beware: training to become employable by commercial providers may force a take-it-or-leave-it proposition: either commit to becoming a NASA astronaut, or commit to a career as a commercial space pilot.
HOUSTON — Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi will begin training in December for six months aboard the International Space Station. Onishi will be the sixth Japanese astronaut to serve aboard the orbiting science laboratory since 2009. Liftoff of his Expedition 48/49 mission is planned for mid-2016.
BANNED: The U.S. State Department said Nov. 27 it has issued an order administratively debarring LeAnne Lesmeister, former compliance officer at Honeywell International, from participating in any activities that are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). According to State, Lesmeister — Honeywell’s senior export compliance officer in Clearwater, Fla., from 2008 to 2012 — used her position to circumvent Honeywell’s export compliance program in the fabrication of various export control documents that she presented as State authorizations.
Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) on Dec. 2 again postponed the first launch of its Falcon 9 v1.1 to geosynchronous transfer orbit from Cape Canaveral to allow for more time to double-check various fixes following the mission’s aborted Nov. 28 attempt. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that the 24-hr. delay to Dec. 3 will be spent “rechecking to be sure.” The launch window opens at 5:41 p.m. EST.
Comet Ison is providing the world’s astronomers and planetary scientists with a scientific bonanza as it makes a much-anticipated sweep around the Sun on Nov. 28, which is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Whether it provides as much of a spectacle for backyard stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere remains a mystery.
LONDON — Gulf Helicopters has signed the largest order by an offshore operator so far for the AgustaWestland AW189 eight-metric-ton helicopter. The Qatar-based operator will buy 15 of the aircraft, which is awaiting imminent certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency. The firm order, announced during the Dubai Airshow, is the second-largest for the new helicopter, behind Bristow Group’s, which has ordered six aircraft for offshore operations and a further 11 to support its U.K. search-and-rescue (SAR) contract awarded this year.
A recent study by the U.S. Navy sketches the time frame for the opening of the Arctic seaways due to melting ice and other related changes in the region. “For the near-term, defined as present to 2020, current trends are expected to continue, with major waterways becoming increasingly open,” Rear Adm. Jon White, Task Force Climate Change director, says in a recent online post.
BIDEN IN ASIA: Vice President Joe Biden embarks on a trip to Japan, China and South Korea Dec. 2-7. Although the trip is intended as a signal of the Obama administration’s commitment to the Pacific region and broadly encompasses many issues, China’s recent declaration of an air defense identification zone is an issue that looms over the visit.
The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon is slated to depart Nov. 29 for its first deployment, arriving in Japan Dec. 1, the U.S. Navy says. The deployment officially begins the aircraft’s initial operating capability (IOC), an important milestone for the Poseidon.
Winding down from war is taking just as big as a toll financially is it did to gear up for conflict, as logistics-related services have ranked high among U.S. Defense Department expenses, an Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN) analysis shows. Logistics support services ranked fourth among Pentagon expenses in 2011 with about $10.6 billion worth of contracts and contract modifications, according to the AWIN analysis of contracting data aggregated by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
The U.S. Navy wants a fleet of next-generation amphibious ships, the nation’s top military shipbuilder says, but funding the vessels is another matter. “Does the Navy want it? The answer is yes, the Navy wants it,” says Mike Petters, chief executive officer of Huntington Ingalls Industries. “The second question is: can they fit it into their budget? This has been the dilemma,” Petters said earlier this month during a phone call with Wall Street analysts to discuss the company’s quarterly results.
LONDON — Airbus Military has formally retired Grizzly 1, the first prototype A400M airlifter, from flight-test operations. The aircraft, MSN1, made its final flight on Nov. 4, having completed 1,448 flight hours in 475 flights. It was manned by the same crew that took it aloft for its first flight on Dec. 11, 2009. The aircraft is now in storage at Toulouse as Airbus decides what to do with it; discussions about a final display site are being undertaken by the company’s heritage department.
LONDON — Eurocopter has claimed two climb records for its twin-engine EC175 as it moves the aircraft closer to certification. Eurocopter’s two records for the EC175, which have been ratified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, are a time-to-climb to an altitude of 6,000 meters, performed in 6 min., 54 sec., and a time-to-climb to 3,000 meters, achieved in 3 min., 10 sec. The record-setting flights were performed in February of this year and are claimed by Eurocopter’s lead EC175 test pilot, Alain di Bianca.
In observance of the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish issues dated Nov. 28 or Dec. 2. Aviation Week Intelligence Network subscribers can visit www.aviationweek.com/awin for updates.
