NEW DELHI – The Indian air force is looking at a flexible airspace model that would allow military airspace to be released for civil operations when not in use by the military. “Airspace of the nation is a finite asset and should be shared equitably,” said Air Vice Marshal D.C. Kumaria, putting to rest speculation that the military was not interested in freeing airspace for civil operations. The Indian air force is interested in looking at the U.S model but has yet to get a response, a senior official told Aerospace DAILY.
EUMETSAT CHOOSES: Arianespace has been selected to launch the fourth MSG-4 weather satellite for Eumetsat, in the second half of 2013. Arianespace had been chosen for MSG-3, set for launch in 2010, and the first two MSG spacecraft, currently in orbit. It was the third launch deal for the Ariane 5 operator this year.
SPECTRUM ACCESS: European telecommunications satellite operators are calling on the European Union to protect the access of satellite communications services to required spectrum and ensure they do not suffer from unwarranted interference from other users. Unless amended, a new regulatory framework for electronic communications currently being debated within the European Parliament could jeopardize the long-term stability of satcom services, the operators said during a meeting of space ministers in Kourou, French Guiana.
Japan’s Selene lunar explorer team has stopped using a malfunctioning reaction control wheel from the spacecraft’s attitude control system as of July 23. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is confident the issue is a minor problem, as the probe’s three other wheels are functioning perfectly and are sufficient for good attitude control. Some high-voltage observation equipment has deliberately been switched off, as controllers reprogram the satellite to a three-wheel-control scheme. Normal operations are expected to begin sometime this week.
ISS RESEARCH: The U.S. Agriculture Dept. will conduct plant research on the International Space Station (ISS) under a memorandum of understanding signed July 23 by NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and Edward Schafer, the U.S. secretary of agriculture. The agreement, part of NASA’s effort to develop the U.S.-controlled facilities on the ISS as a national laboratory, will make experiment racks available to the Agricultural Research Service for plant research into biological cellular mechanisms.
AUDITING AUDITORS: The U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) is asking the Defense Department’s Inspector General (IG) to review congressional auditors’ allegations of shortcomings within the DOD agency. The move comes after a stark Government Accountability Office report and scathing criticism from lawmakers, especially Sen. Claire McCaskill (D), a former Missouri state auditor (Aerospace DAILY, July 25). “We take the GAO report very seriously,” DCAA Director April Stephenson said in announcing the DOD IG request July 25
OPERATIONAL ADAPTATION: The Office of Naval Research (ONR) will run a simulation exercise for its Operational Adaptation program at the MITRE Corporation’s demonstration facility in McLean, Va., Sept. 14-19. The test is the second of five demonstrations planned through 2015. Operational Adaptation is a concept that combines hardware, software, remote sensors and networked communications that create the capability to sustain and develop a decision/action tempo that is beyond a terrorist adversary’s ability to maintain position.
The political battle on Capitol Hill over the best way to help Americans cope with soaring gasoline prices is threatening the chances for passage of any fiscal 2009 spending bills before the current fiscal year ends. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told Aerospace DAILY’s sister publication, Aviation Week & Space Technology, that Senate passage of all 12 annual appropriations bills before the end of FY ‘08 on Sept. 30 is “looking less likely” with each passing day.
LONDON – After more than a year of posturing, the U.S. State Dept. has given the nod for Northrop Grumman to market its Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to Spain. Spain hopes to use the high-flying, long-endurance UAV for maritime and overland surveillance missions. Deliveries would take about two years after a contract is signed. An eventual sale is expected to include five air vehicles and ground support equipment. Indra Defense and Security, a Spanish electronics company, could receive some work from the program.
NEED A RIDE?: The U.S. needs to get back to using operational launch-vehicle missions as testbeds for future technologies, as was done in the 1960s, says United Launch Alliance (ULA) president and chief executive Michael Gass. The Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint-venture’s Atlas V and Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles (EELVs) have a capability to carry experiments that is not being used, he says.
A COLLEAGUE REMEMBERED: Charles Rabb, who worked as a writing editor at Aerospace DAILY and Aviation DAILY for almost 35 years, died July 25 from complications of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and heart disease. He was 75. Rabb covered Congress for most of his career at the two dailies, providing prompt, accurate updates on legislation and issues affecting the aerospace industry. A veteran of the U.S. Army during the Korean War and a graduate of New York University, Rabb received a master’s degree in journalism in 1959 from Columbia University.
COUNTERMEASURES NEEDED: The U.S. Navy is reprogramming nearly $13 million in fiscal 2008 to address threats posed by new capabilities in anti-ship missiles employed in the Pacific region. About $7 million will provide an active/passive sensor simulator that will help the Navy to develop countermeasures for new missiles that employ both passive and active guidance seekers.
To list an event, send information in calendar format to Donna Thomas at [email protected]. (Bold type indicated new calendar listing.) July 28 - Aug. 1 — Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s “Enterprise Strategic Analysis and Transformation.” Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. For more information call +1 617-253-2537 or go to http://lean.mit.edu
Mars Phoenix scientists are carefully analyzing some tantalizing results from the second wet-chemistry experiment with a soil sample scooped from the Martian tundra at the beginning of July. The testing has taken longer than expected, and may lead to more tests before the Phoenix science team is ready to announce results. An announcement of the findings could come as early as mid-August, NASA says.
DSP GAP?: The Pentagon’s fiscal 2008 omnibus reprogramming request also includes $16 million for a technology demonstration to identify commercially available solutions for a “potential short term need” for an Overhead Non-imaging Infrared (ONIR) capability. The goal is to find a solution that provides infrared data similar to that provided by the aging Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite constellation. The funding document cites possible “coverage gaps” in the 2013 – 2017 time frame.
JTRS MEETING: A meeting scheduled for Saturday, July 26, between Pentagon acquisition chief John Young and the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) board of directors has been pushed off indefinitely. The meeting was originally intended to provide an uninterrupted stretch of time “for a more in-depth review” of JTRS, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.
SUKHOI CONTRACT: Sukhoi is awaiting a five-year contract from the defense ministry that will significantly increase the production of the Su-34 strike aircraft. Novosibirsk so far has built a handful of Su-34s at a rate of roughly two per year. Russian newspaper Vedomosti quotes Mikhail Pogosyan, the head of Sukhoi, saying the company is anticipating a contract for “several dozens” of the type to be produced for the Russian air force over a five-year period.
U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is planning to accelerate upgrade work for the Haystack Ultra-wideband Satellite Imaging Radar, providing the Pentagon the ability to characterize microsatellites earlier than previously planned.
EUROPEAN DEFENSE: French defense minister Herve Morin says the government will push a string of measures to facilitate the creation of a functioning European defense industry during its six-month stint at the head of the European Union presidency. The measures include launching new defense initiatives through the European Defense Agency (EDA); consolidating the defense industry base, particularly in the fragmented naval and ground-systems sectors; and establishing new regulatory mechanisms.
PARIS – A report by the working group on an International Mars Architecture for the Return of Samples (iMARS) concludes that a mission to bring back a soil and rock sample from Mars would be scientifically justified and technically feasible. However, a number of enabling technologies would have to be developed, and delicate science-engineering tradeoffs resolved, before a program could be launched.
TURRET TESTING: The U.S. Army’s Future Combat Systems program will begin strenuous turret testing on the program’s Manned Ground Vehicle (MGV) Mounted Combat System (MCS). The evaluations at the Army Tank, Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) near Detroit will be followed by a second phase of testing at Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland in late 2008. The MCS turret is completely automated, with a lightweight 120-mm cannon, advanced stability controls and an automatic loader.
PLEASE HOLD: Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and several of his Congressional colleagues have requested a full review and analysis from the U.S. Navy regarding the service’s recent decision to cancel procurement beyond the first two DDG-1000 destroyers (Aerospace DAILY, July 24). A letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, signed by Kennedy and others July 24, requests a “detailed, documented” estimate of costs for both the DDG-51 and DDG-1000 “to assess the extent to which each ship can meet the validated warfighting requirements for which the DDG-1000 was intended.”
CSAR-X DEMO: Lockheed Martin will demonstrate the capabilities of its proposed Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter on July 31 at its Center for Innovation in Suffolk, Va. The demonstration will be tied in to labs across the company to simulate how a Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), A-10 Warthog, HH-71 CSAR helicopter and a C-130J aircraft would coordinate a rescue mission. Lockheed Martin said it is working to improve the timeline it takes to rescued a downed airman.
