Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC), NASA, and Lockheed Martin engineers brought the Orion spacecraft one step closer to its first flight atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), and enabling humans to explore the moon, Mars, and other deep space destinations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). The team achieved a milestone in the program with a ground firing test of the abort motor for NASA’s Orion spacecraft launch abort system (LAS), designed to enhance spaceflight safety for astronauts, at Northrop Grumman’s facility in Promontory, Utah.
Two new installments in the burgeoning SAE International Podcast Series cast a spotlight on additive manufacturing, which is fueling innovation, greater efficiencies, and the future of mobility engineering. Additive manufacturing continues to advance and transform mobility engineering, as aerospace and automotive firms increasingly adopt and invest in 3D printing technologies, which are becoming more capable and cost-effective.
Aerion Supersonic in Reno, Nevada, is developing supersonic aircraft with the help of the Xcelerator portfolio from Siemens Digital Industries Software, with headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and offices worldwide. Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Dale Tutt, vice president of aerospace and defense, will deliver a keynote address at SAE AeroTech 2020 (SAE.org/aerotech) on the rapid development of next-gen platforms and systems.
By processing ultra-high-definition (UHD), 4K resolution camera images with state-of-the-art AI and machine learning systems at a new £2.5 million ($3.3 million) “digital tower laboratory,” NATS is investigating whether these technologies can improve Heathrow’s landing capacity during low-visibility periods and reduce flight delays.
Months after founder Paul G. Allen’s death, Seattle-based Stratolaunch Systems Corporation will abandon several launch vehicle projects. The news comes days after a brief social media update on the massive Stratolaunch composite aircraft’s latest high-speed taxi test at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California.
Together, the companies will develop customized lightweight material systems and advanced manufacturing processes, such as metal additive manufacturing – also known as 3D printing – to advance current and next-generation aerospace and defense solutions, including new structures and systems not currently in existence.
The goal is a zero-emission, all-electric aircraft that must reach or exceed a target speed of 300 miles per hour (480 kilometers per hour) by 2020. The team plans to build, test, and commercialize the aircraft in a market that does not yet exist all within a 24-month span.
On Sept. 12, NASA will conduct the first test flight of its latest heatshield, the Adaptable Deployable Entry Placement Technology (ADEPT) mechanically deployable semi-rigid aeroshell entry system.
The X-59 utilizes a long and slender airframe to achieve supersonic speeds without causing a high decibel sonic boom. The unconventional design precludes the use of a forward-looking window or viewport. Collins Aerospace is providing a dual multi-spectral enhanced vision system to give pilots a forward view of the airspace.
Natick, Massachusetts-based MathWorks – developer of MATLAB and Simulink software – has added flight control analysis tools to their Aerospace Blockset in release 2018b. The latest release gives aerospace designers the ability to understand the flight properties of the aircraft they are designing via flight dynamics and direct compatibility with flight simulation software.
The first serial Airbus Helicopters H160 medium utility helicopter to roll off the brand-new assembly line in Marignane, France and performed its first flight in a unique “signature” livery.
The collaborative development of digital twins will inform additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing), advanced composites, assembly, and industry 4.0 processes at GKN Aerospace's Global Technology Centre in order to enable the high rate production of aircraft structures.
Software engineers engaged in the construction and development of space launchers and solid and liquid propulsion systems for space travel at AVIO – a global aerospace company with five facilities in Italy, France, and French Guyana – are leveraging the GNAT Pro Assurance and GNATemulator from AdaCore, a provider of software development and verification tools, with headquarters in Paris and New York to develop and expedite testing of safety-critical, on-board software for the Vega C launcher.
Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin successfully completed the tenth launch of its suborbital launch vehicle New Shepard. The New Shepard is designed to be a crewed, space tourism vehicle, and although the launch was unmanned, statements made during Blue Origin’s launch broadcast suggest that the company has its first crewed launch test flight targeted for the end of this year.
Beep Inc., an automated vehicle (AV) distributor based in Orlando, Florida, is partnering with Bestmile SA – a developer of fleet orchestration software. Through the collaboration, Beep will use Bestmile’s software to manage and monitor autonomous shuttle fleets that it sells to fleet owners who operate in low speed environments across the public and private sector.
Local Motors by LM Industries Group, Inc. is launching a fleet challenge for its co-created, self-driving electric Olli shuttle in Washington and Oregon, asking “What would you do with a fleet of autonomous shuttles?”
Scope Technology has migrated its advanced enterprise solutions to Microsoft Azure, significantly enhance the adoption of innovations in its connected car solutions.
The government of Canada is investing $4.6 million in Petro-Canada, a division of Suncor Energy, for building 92 electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations in its coast-to-coast network.
By integrating all of the drivetrain components normally found under the hood of a car into the wheel of an EV, the platform optimizes freedom of design, multiple body configurations on a single platform, reduced vehicle size and weight, and increased energy and operational efficiency.