Orbital Technologies Corp. (ORBITEC), of Madison, Wisconsin, announced the successful testing of an innovative new liquid-fueled rocket engine the company said could be an integral part of programs promoting low-cost access to space. ORBITEC announced last week that it tested the first rocket engine that operates without hot combustion gases contacting the combustion chamber wall.
ITT Industries' Aerospace/Communications Division, of Fort Wayne, Ind., has been awarded an $8 million contract for formulation phase work on an advanced imager for the next generation of geostationary weather satellites operated and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The new Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) will be a primary instrument on NOAA's future Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), beginning with the GOES0-R mission in 2008.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and prime contractor Frontier Systems are developing a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) intended to stay aloft for up to two days and travel over 2,500 nautical miles. The A160 "Hummingbird" could represent a significant leap in performance above current helicopters, which can typically fly about eight hours over a range of roughly 800 nautical miles. It will not, however, be setting any speed records.
TILTROTORS GALORE: U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James L. Jones tells The DAILY he hopes the Bell/NASA XV-15 will be brought to the Paris Air show so more people can see it fly, as the V-22 Ospreys still remain grounded. Jones is a strong proponent of commercial tiltrotors, such as the Bell/Agusta Aerospace 609, due for its first flight this December. "Commercial tiltrotor technology is an answer to the replacement of regional jets and the problem of overcrowded runways," says Jones.
A flight experiment at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., has successfully demonstrated a new software data analysis tool, called the "flutterometer," which is designed to increase the efficiency of flight flutter testing. "This tool can result in dramatic decreases in time and cost for military and commercial aircraft testing," Dryden project engineer Rick Lind said in a statement.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld praised Lt. Shane Osborn, pilot of the U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance plane that made an emergency landing on China's Hainan Island, and his crew, at a ceremony here May 18. Rumsfeld told the crew that he and President Bush and the members of Congress "support you as we refashion our military for this new century."
POWER HUNGRY: Electrical power requirements will become a major driver in future aircraft design as avionics become more elaborate, says Karl Krapek, president and chief operating officer of United Technologies Corporation. "Whether piloted or unpiloted, future aircraft will have significantly greater electronics requirements," he says. "We really believe that engine thrust will take a backseat to electrical generation." Future unmanned aircraft will require a minimum of 300 kilowatts of power, Krapek says, which will come from a 10,000-lb. thrust engine.
One of the key issues being examined by members of the Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee is whether the U.S. should adopt the European model for government indemnification for satellite launches. COMSTAC is currently examining the adequacy, effectiveness and need for the current liability risk-sharing regime mandated by the Commercial Space Transportation Competitiveness Act of 2000.
BMD CONFERENCE: Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, is organizing a June 28-29 conference in historic Valley Forge, Pa., to make the case for ballistic missile defense. Missile shield proponents from the British Parliament, academia and advocacy groups are among those expected to participate. Weldon believes it will be hard to achieve big spending hikes for missile defense and other defense programs without building public support (DAILY, May 17).
SPACE S&T: Space-related science and technology (S&T) work within the Air Force will remain under the purview of Air Force Material Command (AFMC), rather than being placed under Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), says AFMC Commander Gen. Lester L. Lyles. Lyles says the Air Force recognizes it would be unwise to uproot all the space S&T efforts at various bases around the country and put them under AFSPC control. "We could not just carve up a little bit of Rome or Kirtland ... and put them all under Space Command," says Lyle.
UPLIFTING FORCES: Hobson believes the Air Force doesn't have the lift capability it needs to meet all its responsibilities. "I don't think we have enough lift to project a force as fast as we'd like to around the world in the future." He says he doubts the government will buy enough C-17s to address this problem, and thus some sort of new commercial-derivative system may be required.
PANAMSAT CORP. of Greenwich, Conn., announced shares of its common stock have begun trading on the Nasdaq Europe exchange following its recent admission to the international stock market. The company, which operates four satellites that deliver broadcast, cable, Internet and telecommunications services to European customers, will trade under the symbol SPOT. The company launched a fifth European coverage satellite, the PAS-10 Indian Ocean Region satellite, on May 15 (DAILY, May 16).
The Royal Australian Air Force successfully fired two AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from F/A-18 Hornets at the Woomera Instrumented Range earlier this month, according to the Australian Defence Organisation. The firings were the first for this type of missile in Australia, and both successfully struck their targets, according to the organization.
NEW OFFICIALS: The Bush Administration's choice for two Defense Department positions and the presidency of the U.S. Export-Import Bank have received congressional approval to begin their new jobs. On May 17, the Senate confirmed former trade official Victoria Clark to be assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, former Army Department general counsel William Haynes to be DoD general counsel and former U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman John Robson to be president of the Ex-Im Bank.
JSF A GO: Congressman Dave Hobson (R-Ohio) thinks the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) will become a reality, and not just a technology showcase. "I think we're going to do the JSF," says Hobson. "I don't see any alternative." He believes, however, that the F-22 may not be so lucky. "I would be more concerned about the F-22, and the amount of the purchases of it, because if people leapfrog, where I think they're going to leapfrog to is the JSF.
SPACEDATA INTERNATIONAL, of McLean, Va., announced it has obtained formal notification from the Federal Communications Commission of a long-term FCC order and authorization to allow it to operate the NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) on a "time share" basis with NASA and the U.S. Government. The FCC license, which the company said is the first of its kind, is the result of a cooperative effort between NASA, the National Telecommunication Information Agency (NTIA) and the FCC.
EADS Aeroframe Services has officially opened its aircraft maintenance and modification facility at Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles, La. The company is the U.S. joint venture between EADS Sogerma, a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., and Northrop Grumman Corp. The venture invested $14 million in the Louisiana facility, which it is using for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of large commercial aircraft.
Messier-Bugatti, supplier of carbon brakes for the Air Force C-17 transport, announced May 17 that it has been awarded the brake contract for the Boeing Long Range 777-200/300 commercial aircraft. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed. The contract, the third given to the company by Boeing, makes Messier-Bugatti a preferred supplier of oxidation resistant carbon brakes for Boeing commercial aircraft, a Messier-Bugatti official said.
Japan's Self-Defense Agency, which is planning to buy a new type of tanker/transport aircraft this year, is sending a study mission to the U.S. this month to collect information about Air Force tanker/refueling operations. Specialists in the Air Self-Defense Force will visit the Department of Defense and several Air Force bases.
The aerospace industry's elusive holy grail - forging swords into ploughshares, or converting defense technologies into profitable private sector products - has a new seeker, Titan. Despite an "abysmal" industry track-record in this area, according to one Wall Street analyst, Titan is planning to reap commercial success in several new ventures borrowing defense technologies ranging directed energy to remote communications systems, Aerospace Daily affiliate AviationNow.com reported.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has awarded ITT Industries' Aerospace/Communications Division a $39 million contract to upgrade up to 12 Global Positioning System Block IIR satellites. The satellite payloads will be modified to incorporate a second civilian signal and two new military signals, the company announced May 16. The addition of new channels to the satellites will be made using a single broadcast carrier wave, according to ITT. A high-power amplifier will add power to the military signals when needed.
Commercial space imagery is growing so fast that before long, anyone will be able to buy high-resolution imagery of any place on earth, specialists in the field have concluded in a new book. The advent of widely accessible high-resolution commercial satellite imagery can yield a vast increase in knowledge and other benefits, but it also brings potential dangers, editors of "Commercial Observation Satellites: At the Leading Edge of Global Transparency," said at a May 16 news conference in Washington, D.C.
The Boeing Co. has proposed minimizing weather-related problems in Shemya Island, Alaska, the site of a proposed missile defense radar, by building the radar in a warmer climate and then shipping it to Shemya, congressional sources said May 17. Some work on the X-band radar would still be done at Shemya, including installation of a concrete pad, the sources told The DAILY. But assembling the radar parts elsewhere could significantly shorten the time it would take to deploy a land-based missile defense system.
General Electric Corp. officials will pursue the company's proposed merger with Honeywell Corp. despite preliminary objections from the European Commission, said David Calhoun, GE Aircraft Engines chairman and chief executive officer. GE expects help from the United States government, he added. Calhoun, speaking at the Aerospace Finance Conference here, said Honeywell businesses complement GE's operations and together, the two companies could save nearly $1.5 billion. " 'Complementary' is the word we would use," he said.
A leading Senate advocate of missile defense has called on the Bush Administration not to give away the right to pursue space-based missile defenses in exchange for political support for a limited system.
