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Article

SAE International establishes a new AI standards committee at Le Bourget

2019-06-19

With an initial focus on critical fight management systems, the committee will evaluate applications for AI usage in aviation and aerospace and will propose standards to support implementation and certification

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ANSYS will help Airbus develop AI-enabled flight controls for the FCAS program’s autonomous wingmen

2019-06-19

Originally proposed at the 2018 Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung (ILA) Berlin Air Show, the systems-of-systems FCAS architecture includes new sixth-generation Next Generation Fighter (NGF) that will serve as a hub or nucleus for multiple cloud-linked UAV or “remote carrier” wingmen.

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BAE Systems will supply flight control and target identification systems for Boeing’s carrier-based MQ-25

2019-06-18

BAE Systems plc is the latest to join the Boeing Company’s MQ-25 Stingray team. At the 2019 International Paris Air Show, BAE announced that it will supply the Vehicle Management Control System and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) System for Boeing’s new carrier-based unmanned air refueling platform.

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Lockheed Martin announces latest hypersonic progress at Le Bourget

2019-06-17

Lockheed Martin successfully flight tested the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) on a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The captive carry flight – announced during the 2019 International Paris Air Show – marks Lockheed Martin’s most recent demonstration of hypersonic technology development.

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Can the Air Force reach a 24-hour launch window?

2019-06-13

In a “sources sought” notice titled Rapid Space Launch Initiative, the service is reaching out to American space launch companies to identify technical risks and challenges and develop demonstrations that would result in a launch within 24 hours of a “call up,” versus weeks or months.

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NASA opens the International Space Station for commercial business

2019-06-10

The shift towards commercialization runs parallel to the agency’s Artemis program goals of landing a woman on the Moon by 2024 – which will also involve significant support from traditional and New Space companies.

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Sikorsky’s autonomous Black Hawk helicopter takes flight

2019-06-06

Sikorsky tested a new full-authority, fly-by-wire flight control technology kit for the first time on a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk medium-lift utility helicopter. The flight marked the beginning of the flight test program for the soon-to-be optionally piloted rotorcraft.

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Vertical Aerospace is Honeywell’s latest partner in the UAM industry

2019-06-05

Through the partnership, Honeywell Aerospace plans to integrate its current avionics, navigation, fly-by-wire technologies into Vertical Aerospace’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

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Wind River and Airbiquity partner to update autonomous and connected vehicle software through cloud-based, over-the-air technology

2019-06-04

Through this work, Wind River and Airbiquity look to enable secure and intelligent software updates and data management for these vehicles through over-the-air (OTA) programming technology. The work may also lead to similar solutions for traditional aerospace and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industries.

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OmegA rocket sustains explosion during first static test, Northrop Grumman maintains test was a success

2019-05-31

Although Northrop Grumman officials acknowledged during a post-test press conference that the incident needs to be “looked into,” they stated that the thrust profile could be “very normal, nominal.” A following statement labeled the test a success and announced that OmegA is on track for its first test launch in 2021 and operational service in 2022.

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Lockheed Martin’s “non-operational” Space Fence detects Indian anti-satellite operations while still in test mode

2019-05-30

When India’s MICROSAT-R was scheduled to pass through the surveillance fence, Space Fence’s gallium nitride-powered S-band ground-based radars detected multiple objects within proximity of each other and issued an automatic “breakup alert.”

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Law enforcement agencies used DroneSense’s UAS-management platform to support Indy 500 security operations

2019-05-29

Agencies involved in the operation obtained a special exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration’s national security flight restrictions over the airspace above the event, for purposes of keeping the crowds, drivers, and race personnel safe.

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NASA selects power and propulsion module for upcoming lunar Gateway

2019-05-24

Maxar Technologies Inc. will design, build, and perform a spaceflight demonstration of the power and propulsion element spacecraft with Blue Origin, LLC and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

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New university-led Air Force Center of Excellence focuses on securing autonomous systems operating in contested environments

2019-05-22

The researchers at the COE for Assured Autonomy in Contested Environments – all of which histories of innovation for Department of Defense problems of interest – will focus on the availability, integrity, and effective use of information by leveraging its diverse expertise in dynamics, mathematics, control theory, information theory, communications, and computer science.

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NASA budget amendment to help send Americans to moon by 2024, then Mars

2019-05-15

An amended NASA budget for fiscal year 2020 would add $1.6 billion to a $21 billion initial budget request and fund deep space exploration, science, and technology initiatives. An acquisition approach to various projects would present significant opportunities for commercial partners and, likely, the entire aerospace supply chain.

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Jeff Bezos lays out Blue Origin’s moon shot, debuts lunar lander

2019-05-13

According to the presentation, the cargo variant of the Blue Moon lander can carry 3.6 metric tons to the lunar surface. Another lander variant could potentially stretch to be capable of carrying a 6.5-metric-ton, human-rated ascent stage.

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NASA highlights material and coating technology ready for commercial applications

2019-05-10

Four of these technologies – smart coatings for corrosion detection and protection, aluminum alloys for high temperature applications, particle contamination mitigation technologies, and thermal and environmental barrier coating systems – are among NASA’s most in-demand technologies and have been applied to mainstream engineering projects.

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Aitech Defense will provide data interface technology for Boeing’s unmanned MQ-25 refueling platform

2019-05-09

As outlined in the contract, Aitech Defense will supply an advanced, customized remote input/output (I/O) interface controller based on the company’s commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) modular, dual-core Ai-RIO remote interface.

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Apollo Fusion will supply NASA JPL with MaSMi Hall thrusters as sole licensed manufacturer

2019-05-08

JPL transferred the license to Apollo after the company was awarded a contract to produce three engineering model MaSMi-EM thrusters for JPL’s Ascendant Sub-kW Transcelestial Electric Propulsion System (ASTRAEUS). Apollo will deliver the three MaSMi-EM thrusters to JPL this summer.

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Lockheed Martin validates heatshield for the Mars 2020 rover mission

2019-05-07

Lockheed Martin Corporation successfully completed development and testing for the heatshield that will protect NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mars 2020 rover during its descent to the Martian surface. After completing the flight hardware structure, Lockheed Martin tested the heatshield’s physical integrity by exposing it to ‘flight-like’ thermal conditions.