Space Shuttle managers yesterday put the upcoming launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on hold while they consider whether to replace a dented liquid hydrogen line, a process that could take "a minimum of several days" and force elimination of some spacewalks to shorten the mission, according to an agency spokesman.
The Pentagon has found a potential funding shortfall of up to $4 billion in the national missile defense (NMD) program, Dept. of Defense and industry officials told The DAILY. A special "Tiger Team" has been established to grapple with the issue, which stretches over the future years defense plan out to fiscal year 2005, officials told The DAILY at an Association of the U.S. Army symposium here. The shortfall is for funding that has not yet been requested.
Airbus Industrie's supervisory board yesterday gave the green light to the consortium to test the market for the proposed A3XX superjumbo airliner. The board, meeting in Toulouse, France, said the economic viability of the $10-billion-plus project "has been confirmed" and that it "has therefore decided to authorize the Airbus management to approach airlines interested in the A3XX family at top level to get clear indication about the commitment of the airlines to the A3XX versions, quantity in demand and timing."
Negotiations between the European Union and the U.S. on hushkits are "doing better today than they did yesterday," the spokesman for EU Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio said here yesterday. The commissioner will report on the talks at a meeting with the Council of EU transport ministers on Friday.
UPS, citing significant growth in air express, announced an agreement with Airbus to accelerate the acquisition of new A300-600 freighters. UPS next year will take delivery of seven instead of four of the aircraft. It will get the first of 30 A300-600s on firm order next July with six more coming during the year. The remaining 23 are to be delivered by June 2004. UPS also has placed options on another 30. UPS, in reporting third quarter financial results in October, said that average daily Next Day Air volume rose 14.6% and international export volume rose by 22.1%.
Space Shuttle managers yesterday delayed the upcoming launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery by almost a day to give ground crews time to replace a nicked wire leading to the No. 2 main engine. The STS-103 mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope is now set for launch at 11:42 p.m. EST Dec. 11. Before the slip it had been scheduled to lift off at 12:13 a.m. EST Dec. 11.
The European Space Agency and the European Commission are moving ahead on the $2.76 billion Galileo satellite navigation program. ESA signed a $20 million contract with a consortium led by Alenia Aerospazio for the GalileoSat study. And the EC this week will sign four study contracts with industry, the largest, with Alcatel Space, will be worth $27 million. Together, the contracts will cover the definition phase of the Galileo program. A total of $80 million has been allocated for the year-long definition phase.
U.S. Air Force launch officials delayed yesterday's planned launch of four satellites aboard a recycled Minuteman II ICBM after two critical avionics boxes failed preflight tests.
GE AIRCRAFT ENGINES' CF34-8C1, which will power the Bombardier CRJ700 jetliner, has received its type certificate from the FAA. The engine is rated at 12,679 pounds thrust at normal takeoff. Other variants of the CF34-8 in development include models for the Fairchild 728JET and the Embraer ERJ170. The CRJ700 is expected to receive certification in late 2000.
Members of a House subcommittee yesterday demanded to know why the U.S. Air Force's F-22 fighter program has had continual delays and cost overruns that now are in the billions.
Airbus Industrie Chairman Noel Forgeard told the French newspaper Liberation that the A3XX superjumbo airliner project is "convincing." But he also wants to be sure about the market before going ahead. The Airbus partners, meeting today in Toulouse, are expected to agree and refrain for the time being from deciding to launch the $10 billion-plus project.
An experimental Ilyushin Il-114T regional turboprop freighter crashed Dec. 4 just after takeoff from Domodedovo airport near here. The airplane climbed only about 30 meters and then crashed 400 meters from the end of the runway. Five of the seven crewmembers were killed the accident, while the captain and flight engineer were seriously injured and hospitalized in intensive care.
The chief of the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command wants to boost the budget for a program that links an aerostat with radars to provide over-the-horizon surveillance of cruise missiles. Lt. Gen. John Costello is asking to double the budget for the program over the next five-year plan of the Dept. of Defense, Col. Mary Fuller, manager of the project for SMDC, said in a Dec. 3 interview here at an Association of the U.S. Army symposium. Budget drills for the Pentagon's next program objective memorandum (POM) are underway now.
The U.S. Air Force received its 56th Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane last weekend at McChord AFB, Wash., the company announced. Delivery of the airlifter, flown by Maj. Gen. George Williams, director of Operations at the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command, marked the 44th consecutive delivery ahead of schedule by Boeing Airlift and Tanker Programs, Boeing said. Boeing said its Long Beach, Calif., facility plans to deliver about one new C-17 a month until a total 48 of the airlifters have been delivered to McChord.
The U. S. Air Force reported that its Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle veered off the main runway after landing at Edwards AFB, Calif., and that its nose gear collapsed. The Air Force said the incident occurred this week while the UAV was taxiing back from a landing and caused no injury or property damage. The cause of the mishap is under investigation.
Matra Marconi Space yesterday got the green light to develop and produce the first European polar orbiting satellites dedicated to operational meteorology and climate monitoring.
The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization on Monday implemented a new organization structure it says will better communication and collaboration through the organization. "This is an evolutionary change to the structure we have had in place since its inception," Rear Adm. John G. Morgan, Jr., deputy for acquisition strategy and long range planning, said in a telephone interview last week. Under the reorganization there are less levels and more direct communication directly to BMDO Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish.
NASA managers will undertake a "major rethinking" of the agency's plans to explore Mars as a result of the almost certain loss of the entire four-spacecraft Mars '98 mission, with particular emphasis on building a network of communications and navigation platforms at the planet to support future missions.
General Dynamics, Armament Systems, Pittsfield, Mass., is being awarded a $ 7,334,129 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-97-C-5189 to exercise an option to provide guided missile directors, Mark 82 Mod 0, with director control, Mark 200 Mod, maintenance assist modules, and production test center site support (integration, logistic and field engineering support services). With this modification the total cumulative value of this contract is $41,808,738. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Mass., and is expected to be completed by March 2002.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Missile&Fire Control Dallas, Grand Prairie, Texas, is being awarded a $48,350,000 modification to cost-plus-incentive-fee contract DAAH01-98-C-0062 for five PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Four-Packs. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas (69.8%); Huntsville, Ala. (11.2%); Camden, Ark. (17.2%) and Lufkin, Texas (1.8%), and is expected to be completed by Dec. 2, 2001. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 26, 1998. The U.S.
Science&Technology International Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a ceiling price $50,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to continue development and demonstration of a littoral airborne sensor - hyerspectral (LASH). The system will provide real-time surveillance, detection, and localization of submarines and smaller objects in relatively shallow waters. Currently, LASH is the only operational passive hyerspectral system flying on fleet aircraft, and is the only airborne gyro stabilized system.
Inter-Coastal Electronics Inc., Mesa, Ariz., is being awarded a $548,386 modification (cumulative total $33,077,083) to firm-fixed-price contract DAAH23-99-C-0064 for Tactical Engagement Simulation System (TESS) Phase IV in support of the AH64D Apache Helicopter. Work will be performed in Mesa, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Feb. 25, 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Dec. 2, 1998. The U.S.
JAYCOR, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $117,400 increment as part of a $23,031,445 cost-plus-award-fee contract to develop, test, analyze, and support electronic hardware, optics and software to promote Battle Management Command, Control, Communications and Computer Intelligence (BMC4I) interoperability, to provide enhanced nuclear material detection capability, and to support operational performance of missile defense components.
Orbital Sciences Corp. launched seven more of the "little LEO" data relay and messaging satellites operated by its Orbcomm Global L.P. affiliate Saturday, bringing the number of the tiny spacecraft in orbit to 35. An Orbcomm spokesperson said yesterday all were performing well, and should be brought on line for commercial service after no more than three months of performance testing. Before the launch all but one of the 28 orbiting Orbcomm satellites was in service, the spokesperson said.
