Kenya Airways, Africa’s third-largest airline, has reached a five-year, $10- million agreement with Switzerland’s SITA to upgrade its information technology network through a low-cost, VSAT satellite network. VSAT, or very small aperture terminal, uses small two-way ground stations to relay data between terminals on Earth via a communications satellite in geosynchronous orbit. The SITA VSAT network is designed to allow each of the airline’s 46 remote sites to communicate through the satellite to both corporate offices in Nairobi and the reservations host in Europe.
Airbus, in the wake of an uncommanded pitchdown event on board a Qantas A330, is alerting A330 and A340 operators to inform flight crews “without delay” of what action to take in the event of an inertial reference system failure. The Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) is certain of one fact: On Oct. 7 a rare flight-control system anomaly caused Qantas Flight 72 to plunge 650 ft. in 20 sec., injuring 40 of the 313 people on board. Now, ATSB and Airbus are focused on resolving the uncertainties—what exactly failed and how to stop it from happening again.
Lockheed Martin engineers working on the Orion crew exploration vehicle will use data from a test deployment by Orion subcontractor ATK as they develop the distinctive circular solar arrays that will power the next-generation U.S. human spacecraft. ATK deployed this 5.5-meter (18-ft.) version of its UltraFlex array, and demonstrated that the arrays can handle the 2.7g acceleration it would get in a departure for the Moon. “We have to deploy the arrays early in the mission so we don’t need large batteries,” says Larry Price, Lockheed Martin Orion deputy program manager.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Graham Warwick (Washington)
The decision to build 20 more F-22s—which would push the total U.S. Air Force buy to 203 Raptors—has been punted to the next administration. But contrary to what outsiders may think, aerospace industry analysts with insight into the F-22 program contend that a Democratic administration would feel obligated to spend more on defense projects for at least the first two years of the new administration to prove itself strong on defense.
NASA/ESA Cassini spacecraft imaged Saturn’s moon Enceladus from only 26,000 mi. as Cassini climbed away after passing within only 15 mi. of Enceladus’s surface Oct. 9. The daring dive was made to sample the geysers of water and other contents that explode from fissures in the surface such as the giant canyon that cuts across half of the 330-mi.-dia. Enceladus. The resolution of this raw unprocessed image is 1,650 ft. per pixel. A second dive is planned Oct. 31.
Six U.S. teams have won contracts to develop concepts and identify technologies for future subsonic and supersonic aircraft to help NASA set its aeronautics research agenda for the next 20 years. The studies will develop advanced concepts meeting NASA’s environmental and performance goals for aircraft that could enter service in 25-30 years—so-called “N+3” designs three generations beyond today’s commercial aircraft.
I read that NASA considers the chances of a “catastrophic impact” on the space shuttle Atlantis during the Hubble mission to be one in 185 (AW&ST Sept. 15, p. 18). This would be with a time exposure of several days at the more dangerous altitude of 300 naut. mi. If so, how has Hubble survived at this altitude for decades? Wouldn’t Hubble have been impacted many times? It is smaller than the shuttle, but still presents a large target. Is it hardened enough to survive impacts that would doom the shuttle?
Eumetsat has OK’d payload definition for Europe’s third-generation geostationary orbit weather satellite system, MTG, to be submitted for approval by Eumetsat and European Space Agency member states later this year. The payload, which must still be approved by ESA, will feature imaging (MTG-I) and sounding (MTG-S) spacecraft. The MTG-I payload will include a flexible combined imaging system and a lightning imager, along with data-collection and search-and-rescue subsystems.
German researchers are getting ready to flight test a gel-fuel rocket motor technology demonstrator that could lead to safer and more versatile battlefield applications for a number of weapon systems. The demonstrator, expected to fly next year, culminates a program that kicked off in 2000 to gradually start validating the underlying technology involved in gel-fueled motors. Underlying technologies were validated in ground trials that concluded in 2006.
Pratt & Whitney has repositioned its commercial engine overhaul and after-market services organization under the leadership of its manufacturing division. “Customers want us to focus on the product line, to take a more integrated approach to selling engines throughout their lifecycle,” a company official commented. Todd Kallman, president of commercial engines, now has the broader role of heading Commercial Engines & Global Services. For Pratt, engine MRO is a big deal. Its revenues grew 30% in 2006-07 and now represent more than 50% of total revenues.
A massive Boeing 787 purchase agreement, encompassing up to 100 aircraft, represents a timely show of strength for both American Airlines and Boeing. The deal signals that growth opportunities still exist for the two industry giants despite the manufacturer’s labor turmoil and the airline’s financial struggles.
A relatively new type of air traffic control surveillance technology that is becoming a de facto standard for surface surveillance at airports worldwide is now being tapped for wide-area coverage to track aircraft in airspace far beyond the airport boundary in the Czech Republic, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Colorado and elsewhere.
The European Commission has decided to formally request information from the Italian government about its complaince with a 2008 judgment by the European Court of Justice ordering it to cease awarding helicopter supply contracts to AgustaWestland without a competitive tendering procedure. The EC noted that illegally awarded contracts remain in force and that a new helicopter order about to be placed also will fail to comply with EC fair competition rules.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is urging Boeing to let it set up a final assembly line in Japan for the 737 replacement program, arguing that the line would help support local customers. The company does not want to take over all final assembly, says Kiyotaka Ichimaru, general manager of Mitsubishi’s civil aircraft division, clarifying other industry executives’ comments reported on AviationWeek.com Sept. 30. Instead, Mitsubishi would help carry the final-assembly burden of what would probably be a massive, high-rate production effort.
Lease of Chicago’s Midway Airport by an investment group headed by a subsidiary of the Vancouver airport authority is prompting greater interest in privatization. But legal restrictions pose obstacles to any quick change in U.S. airport ownership. Chicago and its City Council have accepted a $2.52-billion bid from Midway Investment and Development Co. (Midco) for a 99-year lease of the square-mile airport on the city’s South Side. Once the project is approved by federal agencies, it will establish the first privatized large airport in the U.S.
Marinus Heijl has become the International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Assns. first representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. He retired from ICAO in December 2007 after a 27-year career. Heijl was acting director/deputy director of the Air Navigation Bureau and chief of the Air Traffic Management Section.
David Cavossa, who is vice president-satellite communications for Arrowhead Global Solutions, is one of three individuals named to receive Promise Awards from the New York-based Society of Satellite Professionals International . The others are: Nick Mitsis, manager of corporate communications for Intelsat; and Yvette Dominguez, manager of the Payload Design Section for Space Systems/Loral. Dick Tauber, vice president of Cable News Network Satellite and Transmission Technologies, has been selected to receive the Mentor Award.
The U.S. Defense Dept. is sponsoring development of an airborne test platform designed to evaluate sensors, high-speed communications links and mission computers. Known as Oculus, the system is being developed jointly by West Virginia University and Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) and consists of two pallet-mounted modules—one for the operator and the other for test devices, says Bill Robinson, GTRI senior research scientist.
Launch of the Defense Dept.’s second Boeing Wideband Global Satcom spacecraft is still officially listed as Dec. 4 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V from Cape Canaveral, but it will not occur before Jan. 14.
GenCorp’s Aerojet said late Oct. 13 it won a U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) contract for the Kill Vehicle (KV) Commonality Pathfinder Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS). The Aerojet propulsion system is designed to control the KV by firing individual thrusters to control it while homing for an intercept with a ballistic missile or its warhead, according to the company.
A Long March 3A launch vehicle will put China’s third geostationary meteorological satellite into orbit in late December. The Fengyun 2-06 spacecraft will replace Fengyun 2C and operate in concert with Fengyun 2D. The first of the Fengyun 4 successor series of geostationary satellites is due to be launched around 2013, says China’s meteorological administration.
NASA managers say there is still time to make the 2009 launch window for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission—if enough extra money can be found. But sources within the agency worry there’s only about a week of wiggle room to get the critical launch/cruise environmental tests underway late next month and stay on track (see p. 56). Missing the window and slipping launch 26 months to the 2011 planetary window for Mars will cost an estimated $300-400 million more.
The U.S. Navy has approved low-rate, initial production (LRIP) for the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile, a guidance upgrade for the basic High-Speed Anti-Radiation weapon. Details are under negotiation with contractor Alliant Techsystems. However, LRIP is expected to be about 5% of the total buy of 1,879 missiles.
ITT picked up a $26-million U.S. Army contract to expand command and control capabilities of Iraqi army signals platoons (for communications intercept) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) battalions. These Iraqi army units will work with Iraqi air force units that are fielding Cessna Caravan 208s (some armed with Hellfire missiles) and Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s for advanced ISR (see p. 30).
European Aviation Safety Agency certification of a Tupolev Tu-204-120CE freighter holds potential benefits for the Russian aerospace sector—though more export sales of the model are unlikely. Gaining an airworthiness type certificate from EASA for the version powered by the Rolls-Royce RB211-535, has taken four years.
