PARIS — The launch manifests of NASA’s two commercial cargo service providers will bump up against one another in December when Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Orbital Sciences Corp. are slated to send competing rockets and spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA says both missions were intentionally scheduled for the end of 2013 in anticipation that one will experience delays in meeting target launch dates.
LONDON — The U.S. Navy program to find a replacement for the “Marine One” Presidential helicopter is looking set to become a one-horse race following the withdrawal of AgustaWestland and Northrop Grumman. The two companies had partnered to offer the AW101 three-engined helicopter for the VXX requirement to replace the aging fleet of Sikorsky VH-60 Whitehawks and VH-3 Sea Kings, but have decided to withdraw after analyzing the request for proposal documents.
LOST ALLY: Deputy NASA Administrator Lori Garver is losing a key ally in her ongoing battles with more traditional NASA management. President Barack Obama has named Beth Robinson, NASA’s chief financial officer, as undersecretary of energy, that department’s No. 3 post. A Ph.D.
LONDON — SonAir of Angola has become the first oil and gas operator to return its EC225s back to flight operations over hostile environments, following the certification of interim fixes to a crucial component of the helicopter’s gearbox. The company conducted a series of flights to offshore platforms in the Atlantic Ocean from Luanda, following the restoration of two of its EC225s, from a fleet of 11, back to flight status. The aircraft have been fitted with the interim fixes developed by Eurocopter and approved by EASA on July 9.
AeroVironment’s Puma AE unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is to be used for commercial missions in the Arctic following receipt of restricted-category type certification from the FAA. Insitu’s ScanEagle also received type certification and operational approval for Arctic flights (Aerospace DAILY, July 26). AeroVironment expects the 13-lb., hand-launched Puma AE to be deployed later this summer to support oil-spill monitoring and wildlife observation in the Beaufort Sea off the coast of Alaska’s North Slope inside the Arctic Circle.
LONDON — The U.K. Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of Vickers VC10 air-to-air refueling tankers is drawing closer to retirement. The RAF now has just three VC10s left in the inventory following the retirement of the oldest in the fleet — XR808 — which was flown into the former U.S. Air Force airbase at Bruntingthorpe on July 29.
FRANKFURT — Berhard Gerwert is expected to be named as the CEO of EADS’ new joint defense and space unit. Industry sources tell Aviation Week that the current CEO of EADS defense division Cassidian will run the joint entity. The future of Astrium’s current CEO, Francois Auque, is unclear.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) aug. 11 - 15 — AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference, Hilton Head, S.C. For more information go to www.aiaa.org/EventDetail.aspx?id=13178 aug. 11 - 15 — AIAA Aerospace Sciences, Flight Sciences and Information Systems Event, Boston, Mass. For more information go to www.aiaa.org/Boston2013
PARIS — Delays in the launch of three telecommunications satellites atop European, Russian and U.S. rockets will reduce projected 2013 earnings for Luxembourg-based SES, the world’s second-largest fleet operator by revenue.
Both the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) seaframes and concepts of operations (Conops) need to be modified to accommodate ship limitations, U.S. Navy officials acknowledge. “The ships’ current characteristics limit operations to a greater extent than envisioned by the Conops and ROC/POE (Required Operational Capabilities and Projected Operational Environment) developers,” Rear Adm. Samuel Perez wrote in a special Navy-ordered review of the LCS.
TSA TO-DO: House Republicans are pushing a bill that would require the Transportation Security Administration to publish a “strategic multiyear technology investment plan,” as well as conduct a cost-benefit analysis for purchases and create an inventory tracking system. “For too long, TSA has struggled with efficiently testing, investing in and deploying new technology,” says House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas).
