Aerospace & Defense News - Space

AirGuide Business, Sept 8, 2008

Sep 8, 2008

Industry proposals for orbital complexes, Moon and Mars landers and a rocket capable of putting 50,000kg (110,000lb) into low-Earth orbit have emerged for a European Space Agency exploration reference architecture. At ESA's 7-8 July architecture review meeting European industry detailed ideas that could inform ESA's development of a European strategic plan for space exploration and proposals the agency will prepare for its member states' ministers in November. Sep 4, 2008

Aerospace Industries Association

Nominations sought for UTC's Lyman Award, presented by AIA. The Aerospace Industries Association of America is seeking nominations for United Technologies Corp.'s 2008 Lyman Award. The award will be presented by AIA at the association's Year-End Review and Forecast luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Read more. Sep 8, 2008

Alliant Techsystems

Alliant Techsystems has begun modifications to components of a retired Shuttle solid rocket booster in preparation for the first test flight of a prototype Ares launch vehicle in April. Dubbed Ares 1-X, the launch will test a four-segment ATK-built solid rocket booster with a dummy fifth segment, components that together make up the planned first stage of the Ares booster. A second stage, also a mass simulator without propellant topped with the Orion crew exploration crew vehicle, will fall to the ocean after the suborbital test flight. On burnout, ATK will test the three-parachute recovery system for its first stage. Modifications under way on the 9,979kg (22,000lb) aft skirt of the first stage include adding twin ATK-built separation motors to each side of the skirt, aligned perpendicular to the flightpath. The rockets will be used to tumble the first stage after it separates from the upper stage, a necessary action to slow the booster to subsonic speed for parachute deployment, says ATK. The company is also installing a series of small solid rockets on each side of the first stage to decelerate the booster after separation with the second stage at first stage burnout. Sep 3, 2008

Armadillo Aerospace

Armadillo Aerospace's liquid oxygen and alcohol engine completed three test flights on 25-26 August at Clinton Sherman Industrial Airpark in Burns Flat, Oklahoma in a modified Rocket Racing League Velocity XL. Each flight averaged about 10min and the top speed was 190kt (350km/h). The engine has been selected by the Rocket Racing League for its six registered teams, although a rival engine, developed by Xcor Aerospace, based at Mojave air and space port, could be used by teams if its performance improves. More Armadillo engine test flights will take place in the coming weeks and a first demonstration race is scheduled for the 2008 Reno Air Races this month, pending approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration. The first public Rocket Racing demonstration flights used the Xcor LOX and kerosene engine at the 2008 Experimental Aircraft Association Oshkosh AirVenture show reported Flight. Sep 3, 2008

Armadillo Aerospace

Armadillo Aerospace's liquid oxygen and alcohol engine completed three test flights on 25-26 August in Burns Flat, Oklahoma in a modified Rocket Racing League Velocity XL. Each flight averaged about 10min and the top speed was 190kt (350km/h). The engine has been selected by the Rocket Racing League for its six registered teams, although a rival engine, developed by Xcor Aerospace, could be used by teams if its performance improves. A demonstration race is set for the 2008 Reno Air Races this month, pending approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration. Sep 1, 2008

ESA

Four phases of ESA architecture. The architecture's four phases start with science on the completed International Space Station from 2010 and end in the 2030s. The first phase, broadly starting now and running until 2020, sees the development of the Crew Space Transportation System (CSTS), robotic lunar landers, the ExoMars rover mission and a three-crew, 20,540kg "Man-Tended Free Flyer" (MTFF) low-Earth orbit research station. The next decade could also see a man-rated Ariane 5 launch a crew capsule developed with no Russian involvement. The second and third phases cover the 2020s and establish lunar communications and navigation constellations, an international lunar outpost, the 8.54m (28ft)-long low lunar orbit Lunar Space Station with 33m (1,163ft ) of habitable volume, a lunar-capable CSTS, continued MTFF use, Mars sample return mission and the deployment of the 50,000kg to LEO Ariane rocket. The fourth phase sees a manned Mars mission with Marships assembled at a LEO station. Sep 4, 2008

GeoEye

GeoEye celebrates launch of imaging satellite. GeoEye's $500 million imaging satellite was successfully launched into polar orbit Friday afternoon and should begin producing photos for government and commercial clients within about two months. In a single day, the GeoEye-1, built by General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, can collect color photos from an area the size of New Mexico. In black-and-white mode, the satellite can pick out objects as small as 16 inches from its orbit 423 miles above Earth. Sep 8, 2008