Boeing is on track to meet its milestones in the second phase of NASA’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev-2) competition, after completing a preliminary design review earlier this month for software needed to operate its CST-100 crew capsule. Still to come are CCDev-2 milestones that include an orbital maneuvering/attitude control engine hot-fire test, NASA says, adding that “all of NASA’s industry partners, including Boeing, continue to meet their established milestones in developing commercial crew transportation capabilities.”
HOUSTON — The NASA-led International Space Station (ISS) Mission Management Team has approved plans for the scheduled unberthing of the first U.S. commercial resupply mission spacecraft later this week, as the astronauts aboard the orbiting science laboratory wrapped up a fast-paced, 2,400-lb. cargo exchange.
The U.S. Navy’s decision to truncate its DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyer fleet and curb radar tests and development on those ships is adding costs to the service’s next-generation aircraft carrier program, as defense analysts and others had warned.
The U.K. government has awarded an industrial team of Marshall Aerospace , Rolls-Royce , and Lockheed Martin a £350 million ($548 million) contract to support C-130Ks and C-130J airlifters until 2015.
NEW DELHI — Boeing is in negotiations to sell its Apache AH-64D multi-role combat helicopter to the Indian air force (IAF) and expects a final decision by the end of 2012, a senior Boeing Defense, Space and Security (BDS) official says. “We feel very positive about the deal … and we probably will get to a decision point by the end of the year,” Mark Kronenberg, vice president of international business development for BDS, tells Aviation Week. Financial details were not disclosed.
HOUSTON — The SpaceX Dragon capsule rendezvoused with the International Space Station (ISS) May 25, overcoming some late tracking issues to become the first U.S. commercial resupply craft to dock with the six-person orbital science laboratory. Astronauts Don Pettit, Andre Kuipers and Joe Acaba grappled the unpiloted spacecraft with the station’s 17.6-meter (58-ft.) Canadarm2 at 9:56 a.m. EDT, as Dragon flew in formation 10 meters below. The freighter was berthed at the station’s U.S. segment Harmony module at 12:02 p.m. EDT.
Exploration program experts looking for ways to restructure NASA’s downsized Mars program will have about 400 concepts and abstracts to review, following a call for ideas in connection with an upcoming workshop in Houston.
LONDON — China is progressing quickly in the field of unmanned underwater “gliders,” an area previously dominated by the U.S. “They’re putting a lot of money, a lot of engineers into this field,” says Lyle Goldstein, strategic researcher at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute. “They’re energized because they know there’s a gap in underwater capability, and this is a chance to leapfrog ahead.”
As the U.S. searches for a way to further protect itself from the threat of foreign nuclear ballistic missile attack during times of budget austerity, some analysts and officials are suggesting a change in the degree or even basic philosophy of the nation’s nuclear protection strategy. Everything from the size of the country’s boomer submarine force to the three-legged nuclear protection triad is coming under scrutiny and attack.
Solar-electric propulsion (SEP) is high on NASA’s priority list of technologies required for long-term human space exploration. And within that arena, figuring out how to deploy large, lightweight solar arrays in space is a key enabler. Results are starting to come in under the relatively open-ended technology development effort launched at the beginning of the Obama administration. While Congress hasn’t approved the billion-dollar funding levels for the work the White House wanted, it has sprung enough money to make a start.
NEXT UP: With SpaceX’s first cargo demonstration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) a success so far, NASA is looking ahead to the first flights of its other Commercial Orbital Transportation Services contractor, Orbital Sciences Corp. Orbital’s first demonstration launch of its Antares/Cygnus vehicle — which will not visit the ISS — could occur as early as August, according to NASA ISS Program Manager Mike Suffredini.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicates new calendar listing.) june 1 — International Defense Logistics and Support 2012 Conference, Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, Belgium. For more information go to www.eventseye.com/fairs/f-international-defence-logistics-and-support-9… june 5 - 6 — AUSA ILW Mission Command Symposium, "Mission Command and The Network," Marriott Kansas City Downtown, Kansas City, MO. For more information go to www.ausa.org
The results of Aviation Week’s 2012 Top-Performing Companies (TPC) study are providing fresh evidence that downturns in U.S. and European defense spending are starting to hit contractors. BAE Systems, Finmeccanica, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon all saw their TPC scores decline from last year. And the strong gains in operational efficiency made by defense primes during the past decade are showing tentative signs of weakening.
In observance of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish an issue on May 29. The next issue will be dated May 30. Subscribers to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network can visit www.aviationweek.com/awin for continuous news updates.
MOSCOW — The first Tupolev Tu-214R reconnaissance aircraft is now in flight trials. The aircraft has been spotted at the Kazan-based KAPO facility, a subsidiary of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
BMD SLUMP: The ballistic missile defense market, which earned revenues of $9.45 billion in 2010, is expected to drop over the next few years, reaching $8.44 billion in 2016, according to consultancy Frost & Sullivan. The market is expected to recover by 2020, the group says. “Procurement is now focused on improved ‘kill packages,’ radar modifications, and improved missiles,” Frost & Sullivan analyst Wayne Plucker says. “In general, the market is moving closer to a sustainment model, but true sustainment can be achieved only after the next six to seven years.”
U.S. Navy officials say they remain committed to deploying the first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-1), the USS Freedom, to Singapore as a warship. But at the same time, service officials and other government supporters of the vessel say it should really be viewed as an R&D prototype shedding light on what design changes will be needed for the rest of the class.
In observance of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report will not publish an issue on May 29. Subscribers to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network can visit www.aviationweek.com/awin for continuous news updates.
HOUSTON — The SpaceX Dragon, working flawlessly, sailed 1.5 mi. below the International Space Station (ISS) early May 24, clearing the way for the first U.S. commercial delivery of cargo to the orbiting laboratory.
NEW DELHI — India has finally signed a contract to buy a fleet of 75 Swiss Pilatus PC-7 MK II turboprop aircraft to conduct initial training for its air force pilots. The contract, which is worth more than 500 million Swiss francs ($520 million) also includes an integrated, ground-based training system and a comprehensive logistics support package.
