SAFEGUARD SUBSYSTEMS: Alcatel Alenia Space will supply full safeguard subsystems for Soyuz Fregat medium-lift boosters to be launched from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Switching and power supply units will be included that are designed to shut down engines in the event of a mishap, along with a test and acceptance bench to be provided for the TsSKB Progress in Samara, Russia, where the Soyuz boosters are manufactured. Alcatel already supplies safeguard subsystems for the Ariane 5 heavy-lift booster.
Germany's Thomas Reiter installed his custom-made protective seat liner in the Russian Soyuz capsule that serves as the lifeboat for the International Space Station July 6, bringing the station crew size back to three for the first time since shortly after the Columbia accident grounded the space shuttle fleet in February 2003.
Lt. Gen. John S. Caldwell, Jr. (USA, Ret.) has been named to the board of directors. Col. George Fenton (USMC Ret.) has been appointed vice president, government and military programs.
Jae Ahn has been named chief executive officer. Brian Boxman has been appointed chief operating officer. Scott Byrnes has been named vice president of marketing. William Chatterton has been appointed chief financial officer.
ATV ACOUSTICS: EADS Space has completed acoustic testing of the ATV space tug intended to serve as a resupply vehicle for the International Space Station. The one-week campaign, performed at the European Space Agency's engineering center in Noordwijk, Netherlands, included three 30-second acoustic blasts designed to verify the vessel's ability to withstand the dynamics of an Ariane 5 launch. The 20-metric ton vehicle was the largest ever to be tested in the ESA acoustic chamber. The next stage of testing is thermal vacuum trials.
Following the July 3 completion of its acquisition of PanAmSat, Intelsat is embarking on an 18-month integration plan that includes closing 14 facilities and reducing the companies' combined work force from 1,400 employees down to roughly 1,000. The staff cuts will eliminate redundant positions and should be two-thirds complete within the first 12 months, according to Intelsat COO James Frownfelter. At the same time, the company will be adding customer service personnel, he said.
The U.S. Navy's Program Executive Office for Submarines has approved the MK 48 Mod 7 Advanced Capability Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System heavyweight torpedo for full-rate production. The torpedo is a joint product - including shared engineering, development, manufacturing and support - between the United States and Australia, and will be the primary weapon aboard both navies' submarines, officials said June 29.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - Mission Commander USAF Col. Steven Lindsey and co-pilot Navy Cdr. Mark Kelly piloted space shuttle Discovery through an 8 minute, 30 second zero-to-Mach 25 ascent following its at 2:38 p.m. Eastern time liftoff on July 4. They were joined on the top deck by flight engineer Navy Cdr. Lisa Nowak in the center seat and astronaut Mike Fossum in the aft right seat.
