Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Aug. 26

For the first time in 19 years, Cape Canaveral plans to launch three rockets in one week. The first launch is a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta 4 Heavy National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) mission scheduled for Aug. 27. The following day a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SAOCOM 1B satellite for Argentina, and a Falcon 9 Starlink launch is scheduled for Aug. 30. Credit: NASA

A startup founded by former SpaceX and Tesla engineers is developing an autonomy platform to convert the Cessna 208 Caravan for unmanned cargo operations. Reliable Robotics performed the first automated landing with a Caravan on June 30 having already flown a Cessna 172 Skyhawk fully unmanned in U.S. airspace.

Looking ahead to a 2021 certification of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner as a second means of commercially transporting crew to and from the International Space Station (ISS), NASA has assigned a third astronaut to the company’s first planned operational mission. That astronaut is Jeanette Epps, an aerospace engineer selected by NASA for astronaut training in 2009, after seven years as a technical intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Credit: NASA

F-X

Russian Helicopters has been contracted by Moscow to develop a new-generation naval helicopter. The new shipboard rotorcraft will be developed by engineers from the company’s National Helicopter Center, which was formed in 2019 through a merger of the design offices of both Mil Moscow and Kamov, the OEM announced on Aug. 25 at the Army 2020 annual military technical forum. Credit: U.S. Navy

British electric aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace has revealed its design for a tiltrotor electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Bristol, England-based Vertical hopes to fly a prototype of the VA-1X—a fixed-wing tiltrotor powered by eight distributed electric motors—in the third quarter of 2021, with the aim of bringing it to market in 2024. Credit: Vertical Aerospace

The U.S. Navy has awarded a $220 million, five-year base contract to FlightSafety Services for aircrew training services (ATS) to support the TH-73A helicopter program. FlightSafety will provide 18 flight simulation training devices (FSTD) beginning in 2021-2026. The total contract value is about $363 million. The Navy revealed that two companies vied for the contract, but did not disclose the other vendor. Credit: Naval Air Systems Command

The UK has launched a draft United Nations (U.N.) resolution on the responsible use of space, as concern grows about the potential impacts to national economies if space-based infrastructure is damaged through accidents or misunderstandings between nations. Credit: India defense ministry

Aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is looking to sell off assets as the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the travel industry bites deep into the company’s finances. The British engine-maker said it has identified “a number of potential disposals” that would allow the company to generate proceeds of £2 billion ($3 billion), including Spanish aero-engine firm ITP Aero. Credit: Rolls-Royce