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Article

Gaming tech helps Apache maintainers reduce training time

2019-06-14

Lockheed Martin Corporation has released the latest version of RELY3D, its advanced visualization and training tool for sensor system maintainers working on the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.

Article

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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Aerospace composites experts will meet in Wichita this month, focusing on validating repairs techniques

2019-06-12

The meeting will include updates from members of the Composite Materials Handbook Substantiation of Bonded Repairs (SoBR) working group who have been continuing development of SAE International Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee standardization efforts.

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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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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.

Article

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.”

Article

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.

Article

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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Rolls-Royce deploys virtual reality training for maintainers

2019-05-09

Rolls-Royce holds that hands-on, practical training will always be the main focus for maintainers; however, VR technology will help bolster training activities especially with the amount of new aircraft that will be needed to accommodate the additional air passengers (which is expected to almost double by 2036).

Article

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.

Article

Maintainers design a $400 maintenance fixture to save the U.S. Air Force $500k per year

2019-04-30

A cowling, or engine cover, is a critical airframe component that reduces drag and directing airflow into the engine. For the E-8C JSTARS, an aircraft with four massive Pratt and Whitney JT3D-based TF33-102C turbofan engines, each set of engine cowling components can cost up to $80,000 per set. Even a slightly warped cowling renders the entire housing unsafe and unserviceable.

Article

Air Force facility dedicated to AI and automation opens in Pittsburgh

2019-04-30

The new Advanced Technology and Training Center (ATTC), which opened yesterday after a ribbon-cutting ceremony, will focus on breakthroughs in condition-based maintenance and the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and automation within that domain.

Article

Kepler Communications will flight test a transmission optimizing “smart radiator device” on its next satellite mission

2019-04-16

Kepler Communications, Inc.’s (Kepler’s) TARS six-unit cubesat – the company’s third satellite scheduled for launch later this year – will feature an innovative smart radiator device (SRD) designed to significantly optimize heat dissipation on communication satellites where environmental conditions have a big impact on transmission signals.

Article

Stratolaunch all-composite aircraft achieves first flight

2019-04-15

Stratolaunch Systems Corp., founded by Paul G. Allen, in Seattle, Washington, has completed the first flight of the Stratolaunch, the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, with a dual-fuselage design and wingspan greater than the length of an American football field. The Stratolaunch aircraft took flight on April 13 at 0658 PDT from the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California; achieved a maximum speed of 189 miles per hour; and flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. 

Article

Sensuron enables real-time structural health monitoring onboard NASA’s X-56 UAV

2019-04-04

In contrast to the stiff, rigid wings found on most commercial aircraft, flexible wing technology is considered essential to next generation, fuel efficient aircraft. However, flexible wings are susceptible to “flutter,” or highly destructive aeroelastic instability. To better understand and mitigate flutter, engineers at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) equipped the X-56 with fiber optic sensing (FOS) technology.