Michael A. Taverna (Paris), Frank Morring, Jr. (Washington)
A new wave of Asian and European hybrid spectrum geostationary mobile service satellites are emerging just as the first North American GEO spacecraft are poised for launch, suggesting that heady days await the MSS segment.
Record high oil prices, the lingering effects of the U.S. housing crisis and the tightening of credit are combining to put a damper on consumer demand for air travel.Although economists still are hesitating to use the “R” word, most agree that the U.S. economy is either in or shortly will tip into a recession. Analysts and industry groups are continuing to reduce their full-year financial forecasts, and airline executives are prepared to enact further capacity cuts should passenger bookings decrease.
Orbital Sciences Corp. will build a new liquid-fueled medium-lift launch vehicle as part of its winning proposal in NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) recompetition, adding at least $150 million of its own money to $170 million in federal seed money NASA brings to the effort.
Every picture tells a story, and this view of the International Space Station from the space shuttle Atlantis at the end of the STS-122/1E mission speaks volumes. Europe’s new Columbus laboratory is jutting off the starboard side of the Harmony node. Also prominently displayed is the disabled starboard solar array wing that must be repaired before the station can accommodate the six-person crew needed to operate all of the science equipment that arrived on Columbus or is due at ISS this spring.
Passengers are required to provide biometric data to gain access to the international lounge at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 1. A fingerprint and a photo are taken before passengers proceed through security. At the gate, the data are reconciled to confirm a passenger’s identity and ensure that U.K. border control regulations are met. Personal data are destroyed within 24 hr. of use.
A pair of big spacecraft projects may finally turn satellite broadband from a dream into a “killer application”—and in the process forge a fresh reshaping of the satcom landscape.
Dassault Falcon has opened a spares distribution center in Shanghai and signed an agreement for another center in Mumbai. The facilities are to be in place by the end of March and May, respectively.
Boeing has reacted strongly to reports that it is studying the possible cancellation of the shorter haul 787-3 variant as part of efforts to get the delayed 787-8 model back on track. “We have orders and are committed to the -3,” says the company, which so far has only taken orders for 43 787-3s (30 from All Nippon Airways and 13 from Japan Airlines) out of a total 787 orderbook of 857. Boeing does, however, acknowledge that engineering resources are being diverted from other development efforts, including the stretched 787-9, to help resolve the problems on the 787-8.
Embraer plans to wait until the second half of the next decade to introduce a next-generation jet, despite proposals by two competitors to technologically leapfrog the Brazilian aircraft builder within five years.
Airbus is in advanced talks with at least three new A380 customers—Asiana, Air India and All Nippon Airways—and is looking to broaden the appeal of its A350 twin-widebody with the likely introduction of a high-capacity configuration. The negotiations with Air India have been underway for some time, but Airbus chief operating officer for customers, John Leahy, says the deal could be completed this year.
Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. (ret.) Moshe Lippel (see photos) has been appointed vice president/chief financial officer at Israel Aerospace Industries Elta Systems. He was financial adviser to the IDF’s chief of staff/head of the Budget Section at the Ministry of Defense. Tal Sagee has been named Elta’s vice president/general counsel at Elta Systems. Israel air force Col. (ret.) Moshe Medina has become general manager of the Aircraft Div. of IAI’s Bedek Aviation Group. He was head of the Israeli delegation in Washington for the Joint Strike Fighter.
Wichita State University (WSU) ranks third among all universities in the U.S. in aerospace engineering research and development, behind Georgia Institute of Technology and the Johns Hopkins University, according to the National Science Foundation. WSU’s new ranking is chiefly due to activities at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) located on campus. In 2007, the university spent $19 million on research and development and had an operating budget of $35 million.
Serious development efforts on the Kongsberg/Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Missile for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are expected to begin this year, although a production decision on the stealthy cruise missile is still pending. Kongsberg has been working on concept refinement of JSM under the aegis of the defense ministries of Norway and Australia. The focus has been on adapting the ship-launched Naval Strike Missile in production for the Norwegian navy for internal carriage on the fighter.
The U.S. Homeland Security Dept. thinks it has found a better way to screen passenger baggage for liquid explosives—magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is now in test at New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory. The ultralow-level MRI can differentiate among “probably 200 different” liquids and gels, classifying them as hazardous, nonhazardous or uncharacterized, says Rear Adm. (ret.) Jay Cohen, Homeland Security undersecretary for science and technology. Uncharacterized liquids would be subject to secondary screening, he says.
Astrium affiliate Infoterra has formed a joint venture with Spanish satcom operator Hisdesat and the Cartographic Institute of Catalonia (ICC) to distribute high-resolution radar imagery from Infoterra’s TerraSAR-X satellite. Astrium will have a 60% share and ICC and Hisdesat, 20% each.
Global demand for new combat rotorcraft is driving sales upward and fattening order books as governments seek to modernize their forces and warfighting capabilities. Turbine engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce forecasts that demand for military helicopters will remain steady until 2012 before declining to a more sustainable level by 2016. In addition, during the next eight years, military sales will gradually shift away from single-engine turbine-powered helos toward medium- and heavy-lift designs deemed necessary for long-term operational needs.
Emirates has increased service between Dubai and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to daily from thrice-weekly, only two months after initiating the flights. Richard M. Vacar, director of the Houston Airport System, says 70% of the passengers are representatives of the Houston-area oil and gas industry. On average per flight, Emirates aircraft are carrying 16 tons of cargo departing Houston, while arriving flights carry an average of 10 tons of freight.
The International Air Transport Assn. hopes to begin testing its Baggage Improvement Program (BIP)—designed to address all of the causes of mishandling—with six member airlines and airports in 2008. For every 1,000 passengers, 982 do not have problems with luggage, according to IATA. But of the remaining 18, luggage for 15 is delayed on delivery, 2.25 are damaged and 0.75 is lost.
Japan’s first KC-767J tanker arrived at Gifu air base on Feb. 20, following its delivery flight from Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems’ conversion and modification site in Wichita, Kan. The aircraft, which was formally delivered to the Itochu Corp., a trading company acting for the Japanese government, will be officially handed over to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force following an in-country acceptance process.
Sikorsky S-92 flies over New York on a demonstration flight. The commercial helicopter industry is riding a wave of prosperity that is forecast to remain strong for the next 10 years (see p. 56). Thousands of new rotorcraft are expected to be built as operators replace aging, high-maintenance aircraft with new, more efficient models. Strong demand from law enforcement, energy exploration and emergency medical services will help drive sales upward. Sikorsky photo by Rich Zellner.
Mar. 4-5—ATO Events’ Third Annual Conference and Exhibition: “Aircraft Maintenance Russia.” Holiday Inn Moscow Sokolniki Hotel. Call +74 (95) 626-5329, fax +74 (95) 245-4946 or see www.events.ato.ru/eng/events/mro/ Mar. 4-6—American Astronautical Society’s 46th Robert H. Goddard Memorial Symposium: “Exploration to Commercialization: Going to Work in Space.” Greenbelt (Md.) Marriott. Call +1 (703) 866-0020, fax +1 (703) 866-3526 or see www.astronautical.org
Dassault Aviation says it took orders for 212 business aircraft last year—dwarfing the previous high of 158 in 2006. The purchases prompted a leap in orders to €6.26 billion ($9.2 billion), the fifth year in a row that new business has increased. The bulk of buys—73 units, according to figures reported last year—were for the new top-of-the-range 7X trijet, which entered service last June, said Chairman/CEO Charles Edelstenne. Falcon Jets deliveries climbed to 71 units from 61 a year earlier.
The U.S. Navy is asking three companies each to design an aircraft that can conduct simultaneous intelligence-gathering missions that were considered impractical, perhaps impossible, even a couple of years ago.
Jim Stobie has been named Falls Church, Va.-based director of aviation weather programs for government customers for Ensco . He was a senior systems engineer for the FAA.
The PowerJet SaM146 turbofan engine for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 family of 75-95-seat regional jets has completed the first phase of airborne trials on an Ilyushin Il-76LL transport, accumulating 42 hr. during 22 flights. Officials of the Snecma/NPO Saturn joint venture say the engine is meeting performance targets, but is not yet ready for production.
