Intelsat is struggling to deploy the west antenna reflector on its New Dawn satellite, and has postponed deployment of the east Ku-band antenna reflector until the problem is fixed. The spacecraft's solar arrays deployed after its Ariane 5 launch April 22 along with the Yahsat 1A satellite. Intelsat and satellite manufacturer Orbital Sciences Corp. are investigating the antenna issue and assessing possible corrective actions. New Dawn is the first-ever African private sector communications satellite.
With about 150 aircraft under management and a growing network of fixed base operations facilities (FBOs), ExecuJet Aviation has been in the center of the storm that has beset business aviation in Europe and beyond. CEO Niall Olver spoke with AW&ST International Editor Robert Wall about the current state of the industry, the implications for ExecuJet, and what new areas of business growth the Zurich-based organization—with more than 800 staff around the globe—has set its sights on.
With the Pentagon facing yet another round of budget cutting, or “finding efficiencies,” there are hints that the U.S. Air Force's new bomber program is popular and the increasingly expensive F-35 is not. “The [new] bomber is incredibly important to us,” says Erin Conaton, undersecretary of the Air Force. “To remain a world-class power, we need a penetrating bomber force that can touch difficult-to-reach areas of the globe.”
Private space companies can expect at least 44 paying passengers for trips to orbit in the next 10 years, NASA says, but the price per seat could be higher than the U.S. government already is paying for rides on Russia's Soyuz capsule.
NASA crews are starting work on underwater simulations of what it might take to explore an asteroid with astronauts. U.S. space agency engineers and “aquanauts” will dive to the seabed around the Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo, Fla., to prepare for an asteroid-landing experiment there in October. The long lead time is necessary because so little work has been done on the idea of sending humans to asteroids, a target set by President Barack Obama for NASA's human-exploration efforts beyond low Earth orbit.
A Northrop Grumman microsatellite launched as a secondary payload on the first orbital flight of the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9/Dragon stack last year met its test objectives, paving the way for future microsatellite developments. Dubbed Mayflower, the microsat rode the Falcon 9 to an elliptical orbit averaging 285 km (180 mi.) in altitude, validating an “advanced solar cell deployment system” and collecting baseline design data for future flights at higher altitudes, according to Northrop Grumman.
The stealth-modified H-60 Black Hawk helicopters used in the May 1 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, were likely produced at Sikorsky's facilities in Elmira, N.Y. But imagery of the facilities and the Elmira Corning Regional Airport on Google Earth is not up to date and has been modified.
Another shake-up, record sales and disillusionments are likely in store for the “middle” of the commercial air transport market—the 150-220-seat segment. But don't count on next month's Paris air show to provide a long-overdue clarification. Boeing is no longer expected to announce anything, Airbus executives may just stress how good they are, Bombardier may have no CSeries orders to unveil, Comac and Irkut may remain mute, as usual, and Embraer is expected to stay in a cautious waiting mode.
Kimberly Murdoch has been appointed vice president of operations at Phoenix-based ACSS, an L-3 Communications and Thales company. She came from Honeywell Aerospace, where she was senior director for Electrical Global Planning-Integrated Supply Chain; prior to that she held key positions at Boeing and Pratt & Whitney. Honors And Elections
Selex Galileo is bolstering its unmanned aircraft capability with the purchase of Unmanned Technologies Research Institute, a small Italian operation. In particular, the deal will help expand the company's product range into smaller systems, including a 6.5-kg mini vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned aircraft system, a ducted fan system called Spyball and a 2-kg-micro fixed-wing Crex-B.
Turkey is exploring whether it would be feasible to launch an indigenous fighter program, even though the government recognizes that such a move might be a step too far and that the country might have to be satisfied with another off-the-shelf procurement.
David Soaper has joined Southern Air Holdings, Norwalk, Conn., as chief operating officer. He was senior vice president of aircraft operations for Comair.
Two Hawker Beechcraft AT-6s, kitted out for light-attack, precision-targeting and intelligence-gathering missions, are put through their paces. The aircraft are being tested as a less-expensive alternative to armed unmanned aircraft. The photo shoot was conducted over southern New Mexico following earlier machine-gun and rocket-pod testing at Gila Bend, Ariz. Photograph by Jim Haseltine/HIGH-G Productions.
Dave Johnson has been hired as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Willis Lease Finance Corp., Novato, Calif. He was vice president of marketing and corporate counsel at International Lease Finance Corp.
The April 11 collision between an Air France Airbus A380 and Comair Bombardier CRJ700 (AW&ST April 18, p. 15) seems like another case of gadgets getting in the way of good sense.
Julie Showers (see photo) has joined the Airline Group of national labor and employment firm Ford & Harrison as a partner, based in the Minneapolis office.
Martin Barila has been appointed vice president of operations based at the Garden Grove, Calif., headquarters of AC Tech, provider of aircraft sealants. He was director of operations at Air Industries Co.
Steve Reid (see photo) has been appointed senior director of site operations at Crane Aerospace & Electronics' Elyria, Ohio, site. He worked as a business unit leader, operations manager and marketing manager during a 16-year career at Parker Hannifin.
USAF Col. Timothy J. Leahy has been nominated by President Barack Obama for appointment to brigadier general. Leahy is currently serving as director, knowledge and futures, J-7/J-9 Headquarters U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Fla.
With the Legacy 650, Embraer introduces an able entry to the long-range business jet market. This latest variant of the EMB-135BJ can carry eight passengers more than 3,800 nm, enabling it to fly nonstop from London to New York, Dubai to London, Sao Paulo to Miami or Singapore to Sydney.
Efforts to restructure France's defense and aerospace sector come and go, but the newest round of talks between Safran and Thales may have more staying power than previous initiatives. There's nothing particularly novel in the asset swap now under discussion between the two French enterprises. The topic has popped up several times, most recently last year, although the two sides were not able to agree on terms.
Mike Turner has become the new senior product marketing manager for Wichita-based Hawker Beechcraft Corp. He joins the company from StandardAero, where he was director of marketing and corporate communications.
Controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will be using 12-in. ion thrusters to ease NASA's Dawn spacecraft into orbit around Vesta, a protoplanet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that may have one of the oldest planetary surfaces in the Solar System.
Wendel Lambert (see photo) has joined Dallas Airmotive, Dallas, as regional service representative for the company's AgRight agricultural aviation services program.
