A U.S. Air Force Space Command flight test of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, scheduled to launch April 20 from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., atop an Atlas 501, will serve as an “on-orbit” demonstration of space vehicle technologies as well as pioneer reusable spacecraft operations.
Larry Dobbs (see photos) has been appointed director of business development for space products for San Diego based L-3 Communications, Telemetry-West . He was director of business development for space electronics at L-3 Communications, Cincinnati Electronics. Dobbs succeeds Paul Brammer, who is now director of proposals.
About 80% of the global $42.3-billion civil aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market is outsourced, but only 18% of the work is exported outside an operator’s region (see p. 52). Bolt-on acquisitions, information technology investment and development of non-traditional MRO offerings are differentiating service providers. As evidence, AAR Corp.’s acquisition of Aviation Worldwide Services leverages its logistics business and enhances its engineering capabilities.
Dnepr-1 operator Kosmotras has set launch dates for three European missions following the launch of CryoSat-2. A twin payload carrying Sweden’s Prisma formation flying mission and France’s Picard solar observatory will lift off in the first half of June, according to officials from French space agency CNES. Infoterra’s Tandem-X 1-meter-resolution radar imaging spacecraft will launch on June 21, followed by a cluster mission on Oct.
Todd Smith has been named general manager and Mike Trevino director of sales for the Minneapolis-based Donaldson Aerospace and Defense Group’s Western Filter . Smith was director of compressed air and process filtration and Trevino director of business development for HR Textron. Honors and Elections
Five U.S. companies will develop advanced space-propulsion technologies for NASA under contracts awarded by Glenn Research Center that are worth as much as $50 million each. Intended to provide propulsion systems that have higher performance, lower cost and better safety and reliability, the work will center around propulsion system design and trade studies, nontoxic chemical propulsion systems, hypergolic systems, electric propulsion and rocket-based combined-cycle systems.
Craig Acton has been named CFO and Greg Kinsella has been appointed Washington-based vice president-business development of Wayfarer Aviation , Purchase, N.Y. Acton was director and divisional controller of flight and system operations for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Kinsella was senior sales director for Saab Aircraft.
The system development and demonstration phase of the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 radar modernization program has been completed by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. The company is the prime contractor for the aircraft, and Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems developed a large portion of the new radar hardware under contract to Northrop. The modernization program replaces the B-2’s original radar with units that include a new advanced electronically scanned array antenna, a power supply and a modified receiver/exciter.
The decision by low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines to charge for overhead storage of carry-on bags is accelerating the push for regulation or taxation of airline a-la-carte fees. The fee, effective for travel beginning Aug. 1, will range from $20-45 and apply to carry-ons that do not fit under seats, with exceptions for items such as medication, baby supplies and coats. Spirit defends the fee as necessary to lessen a glut of carry-ons that is slowing down the boarding process and creating safety problems, as passengers seek to tote more on board to avoid checked-bag fees.
Panama’s civil aviation authority is paving the way for a radical modernization of its air traffic system following flight validation of Boeing-developed Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedures for the nation’s Tocumen International and Howard airports.
The British Royal Air Force’s 2 Sqdn. last week replaced 9 Sqdn. on deployment in Afghanistan, following the latter’s three-month detachment in theater. RAF Tornado aircraft are being used to provide reconnaissance and close air support (CAS) for coalition forces in Afghanistan. During its three-month tour, 9 Sqdn.’s operation flights totaled 1,600 hr.
Pratt & Whitney Canada is laying out a major update program for its large turboprops as ATR, Xian, Bombardier and Embraer refine plans for new-generation regional turboprops. “We’re looking at refreshing the PW100 and/or the PW150 families, both of which have had remarkable resurgences since 2003,” says Richard Dussault, PWC strategic planning and marketing vice president. “We’re looking at what technology suite we can get from the PW800, and other product lines,” he says.
The Vietnamese branch of AirAsia will begin flying in August, following the signing of the partnership agreement that brings it into the budget airline’s chain and positions it to compete with Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific. Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd., whose 30% stake in the company was approved this month over the objections of Vietnam Airlines, says its new affiliate, VietJet Aviation, has tentatively adopted the trade name VietJet AirAsia.
This data overlay map of the Idunn Mons feature on the cloud-shrouded surface of Venus represents the best evidence yet that the planet remains active, with volcanism spreading lava flows across the surface to erase impact craters. The brown area is radar terrain data generated by NASA’s Magellan probe and vertically exaggerated 30 times. The color overlay on the mountain is based on data from the visible and infrared thermal imaging spectrometer (Virtis) on the European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft.
A battle between China Southern Airlines and a fast rail line will help reveal how badly high-speed trains will undercut Chinese carriers over the coming decade. The airlines are at least facing a few years of stunted growth as the railways ministry progressively commissions the world’s largest high-speed rail system, on which it will run the world’s fastest long-distance trains.
Major additional suppliers to China’s Comac ARJ21 regional jet have been rewarded with contracts to make equipment for the C919 156-seat narrowbody. Parker Aerospace will build the primary fly-by-wire flight control actuation system and—in association with a subsidiary of national aircraft-making conglomerate Avic—the hydraulic, fuel and inerting systems. Honeywell will supply the auxiliary power unit in cooperation with Avic Engine Co., and Goodrich will fit the C919 with external lighting, working with the Jiangsu Tongming Automobile Lamp Co.
In a move that threatens to reignite the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, Syria is being blamed for supplying Hezbollah with Scud-B short-range ballistic missiles. In response, Israel has been sending warnings to Syria through diplomatic back channels via the U.S., Qatar and Turkey that it might use force to stem the transfer of such weapons. But those calls seem to have been ignored, so far prompting no action however. In 2007, Israel showed its willingness to intervene when it attacked a presumed nuclear facility under construction in Syria.
A flurry of acquisition activity in recent weeks lends some credence to predictions that the commercial aviation aftermarket would ripen for acquisitions early this year.
Com Dev has begun detailed design (Phase C) for the Canadian Space Agency’s Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) under an authorization-to-proceed agreement from prime contractor MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates. The RCM—a fleet of synthetic aperture radar satellites intended to provide more timely and comprehensive data than current Radarsat spacecraft—are to be launched in 2014-15, pending negotiation of a final-build contract.
Stronger commercial aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses are emerging from a market that has dipped in strength in the past year. As the aviation aftermarket rebounds in 2010, expect to see companies that have focused on leaning, restructuring or reinventing their organizations during the downtime to be stronger.
China’s human spaceflight program is developing a 13-ton cargo carrier to supply the space station it plans to orbit late this decade, but the program’s leader is ready to discuss using it for International Space Station logistics, as well. Wang Wenbao, head of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, says his agency is prepared to cooperate across the board on human spaceflight with NASA and other agencies, including joint human missions and unpiloted logistics with the 5.5-ton-payload-capacity cargo vehicle it plans to test after 2014-16.
Pratt & Whitney’s aftermarket services will reach seven engine centers this year with the start of overhaul work at its Turkish joint venture in Istanbul for CFM56 and V2500 powerplants. Meanwhile, the CFM56 overhaul center that Pratt opened last September in Shanghai, in a partnership with China Eastern Airlines, is now fully online and builds on the company’s 26-year presence in Singapore (AW&ST Jan. 7, 2008, p. 55). China Eastern operates its country’s largest CFM56-powered fleet.
Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems started its pulse production line for the GPS IIF spacecraft last week with Space Vehicle 4. Each satellite will take about 10 months to manufacture, including 14 pulse stations with different work. Twelve satellites are on order from USAF.
The Space Foundation’s Space Report 2010, released at the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, paints a picture of positive global growth in the space business, but simultaneously reveals the continuing shrinkage of the U.S. launch industry. The report reveals it reached a value of $261.6 billion in 2009, representing close to 40% growth since the Space Foundation started tracking the state of the industry in 2005.
Michael Mecham says “the Delta IV Heavy’s 2-million-lb. liftoff thrust is the most of any expendable rocket since the Saturn V . . .” Didn’t the Titan IV have around 3? (The reader is correct. The Titan IV’s two solid rocket booster motors had a combined 3 million lb. thrust. Its two-stage liquid propellant core had 548,000 lb. in the first stage and 105,000 lb. in the second—Ed.)
