Boeing recently ramped up its production of the space bound CST- 100 Starliner and to get acclimated with the new spacecraft, two of the four NASA astronauts training to fly Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft stopped by the Boeing facility to try some of the systems that will prepare them for flights to the International Space Station.The CST-100 Starliner’s first crew flight test to the space station is expected in 2017 and will be Boeing’s first commercial flight transporting of people to that destination.
Learn MoreNorth Korea’s nuclear threats and claims have led the U.S to deploy the WC-135 Constant Phoenix to track the origin of any radioactive substances in the area around North Korean alleged hydrogen bomb test zone. Atmospheric gatherings will be collected by the aircraft to determine whether North Korea’s nuclear test did indeed happen.
Learn MoreUpgrades to the Raytheon made Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System have proven to be very effective with a recent flight test proving that the they are capable of destroying advanced threats at greater ranges. The test where performed using a Patriot system upgraded with a suite of improvements known as PDB-8 (Post Deployment Build 8) which successfully tracked and engaged a ballistic missile target with PAC-3 MSE missiles.
Learn MoreA General Dynamics-led team has just completed the next step in the implementation, integration and testing of NASA’s Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment (SGSS) Command and Control Infrastructure. Dubbed Increment A4, this project includes the ground antenna and associated control systems that are housed in a Space Network Operations Center. This same General-Dynamics led team also completed a full demonstration of the Increment A4 capability to maneuver a simulated tracking and data relay system satellite.
Learn MoreAfter much deliberation, the US Air Force has finally decided to move forward with Lockheed Martin’s innovative space debris surveillance system, otherwise known as the Space Fence. The billion-dollar project will see Lockheed create an S-band phased-array radar system on that will vastly improve the space debris detection capabilities of the US Air Force for the foreseeable future. The completed Space Fence project will be capable of automatically detecting baseball-sized objects as far as 1,900 kilometers away from the Earth’s surface. This will give the US Air Force a much greater understanding of the near space environment moving forward.
Learn MoreThe European Space Agency’s gravitational-wave detection technology demonstrator, known as the LISA Pathfinder, has recently completed a series of tests in Germany. Now, it is preparing to leave Germany for Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. In November, the Lisa Pathfinder is scheduled for lift-off aboard a European Vega rocket, where it will travel 1.5 million kilometers away from the earth and towards the sun. The spacecraft will be used to test instrumentation and technologies that will help to observe and accurately measure gravitational waves.
Learn MoreAerojet Rocketdyne has delivered their 100th throttling divert and attitude control system (TDACS) to Raytheon.
Learn MoreAirbus has beaten Boeing in a bid from South Korea as the country has decided to purchase 4 military airborne refueling tankers. The purchase grants $1.3 billion to the European aerospace company. In addition to beating Boeing, Airbus also outbid Israel Aerospace Industries in the tanker aircraft bid. The four A330 MRTT tankers will be delivered from 2018 to 2019 and will have the capability to fuel all fighter jets in the South Korean Air Force.
Learn MoreAt the 51st Paris Air Show, France’s Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) announced that it would sell its 35% stake in Arianespace to Airbus Safran Launchers, giving the private company majority ownership. CNES is the government agency tasked with implementing France’s space policy in Europe. The sale of the French government’s shares of the Evry, France-based Arianespace has been cleared by Prime Minister Manuel Valls after Airbus Safran Launchers promised that it would not move Arianespace from its current Evry headquarters.
Learn MoreWith the 2015 Paris Air Show fast approaching, premier cybersecurity provider Raytheon plans to entice current and future clients with its latest portfolio of missile defense technologies, ultra-powerful radars, missile interceptors, and jammers.
Learn MoreThe ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is set to purchase 12 Airbus A320 family aircraft. Worth an approximate $1.3 billion, the deal includes ten A321 and two A320 airliners which will be used to replace Frontier Airlines’ larger variants while phasing out the Airbus A319 aircraft.
Learn MoreIn June 2015, Airbus Group announced that they will soon start the production of its first aircraft in the United States once the large aircraft components reach the final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama.
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