Company using new plastic technology to reduce size of heat sink on standard model, set for 2016 applications. Now offering “mini” for use with its navigation systems.
NASA invited MIS to submit a proposal for a technology flight demonstration mission of its Archinaut technology – an in-space robotic manufacturing and assembly platform designed by Made In Space (MIS). It's purpose is to construct space-optimized systems of sizes not previously feasible.
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have launched RemoveDEBRIS, the first satellite with space debris-removal capabilities and the largest satellite ever deployed from the ISS. RemoveDEBRIS, a low Earth orbit test bed for determining the efficacy of active debris removal (ADR) systems, is a multinational effort involving space agencies, aerospace experts, and technologies from throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S.
Nano Dimension Ltd., an additive electronics provider based in Ness Ziona, Israel, has developed the world’s first side-mounting technology for printed circuit boards (PCBs) produced through additive manufacturing (AM) or “3D-printing.” The side mounted designs allow for more functionality on circuit boards, which will impact Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0 applications where customized designs and shapes are a growing demand.
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.
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.
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.
Bell Helicopter will partner with Rolls-Royce to develop an optimized propulsion system for the Bell V-280 Valor and unmanned V-247 Vigilant vertical lift tiltrotor aircraft – the company’s candidate platforms for the U.S. Army’s Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program.
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.
Safran engineers tested and validated several operating modes of the company's distributed hybrid electric propulsion system during this first series of tests, with the electric motors powered only by batteries or by a combination of batteries and turbo-generator.
Counterfeit parts prevention is integral to an effective obsolescence management plan, and the focus of anti-counterfeit standards – including Counterfeit Avoidance Standard (AS5553) and Counterfeit Detection Standard (AS6081) – from SAE International in Warrendale, Pa. SAE International officials are bringing the anti-counterfeit discussion and sharing best practices, which include adherence to critical standards, to the Future of Obsolescence Management (FOM) event on October 10 and 11 in Washington.
The Auto-Tracking Antenna System, a new portable, ground-to-air antenna from Persistent Systems LLC in New York, incorporates aircraft into the Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET) to boost connectivity, communications, and distribution of critical sensor data, including full-motion video, on the networked battlefield. The precisely aimed tracking system works with the MPU5 radio and Wave Relay MANET to optimize connectivity and reliable communications to enable manned and unmanned aircraft to communicate further than ever before, officials say.
Engineers at Martin UAV are incorporating Wave Relay mobile ad hoc network (MANET) technology from Persistent Systems into the company’s V-BAT small, vertical takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Rolls-Royce in London is unveiling a concept electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) vehicle, including civil and military variants, that could take to the skies as soon as the early 2020s. The flexible design – able to be adapted for a variety of applications, including personal transport, public transport, logistics, and defense – is based upon technologies currently in use and under development.
In a collaborative project between the CFMS and the NCC, both in Bristol, England, a closed loop manufacturing process has been demonstrated for the resin transfer molding (RTM) of high-quality composite components.
Northrop Grumman Corp. has acquired Orbital ATK Inc., one of only two leading U.S. manufacturers of solid rocket motors (SRMs), in exchange for $7.8 billion in cash and assumption of $1.4 billion in debt. Officials have finalized the acquisition and formed Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, the company’s fourth business sector, to enable greater expansion into the space market.
U.S. Coast Guard officials are expanding their deployment of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations, after achieving a record-breaking year for drug interdiction using Insitu’s ScanEagle sUAS aboard a single National Security Cutter, the Stratton.
NASA officials in Washington are investing $44 million in total awards to six U.S. companies to advance 10 aerospace technologies at the “tipping point” and with the potential to benefit the commercial space economy and future NASA missions, including lunar lander and deep space rocket engine technologies. A technology is considered at a “tipping point” if investment in a ground or flight demonstration will result in significantly maturing the technology and improving the company’s ability to bring it to market, officials say.