Tag: 2024

Helium Leak Presents No Safety Threat to Boeing’s Starliner Capsule According to NASA

CBS News reports that engineers are confident the leak will not worsen in flight, and even if it does, the Starliner can safely launch June 1. The article cites Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, who said that “even if a suspect shirt-button-size rubber seal in the plumbing leading to one specific thruster failed completely in flight — resulting in a leak rate 100 times worse than what’s been observed to date — the Starliner could still fly safely.”
Full Story (CBS News)

Boeing to Launch First Crewed Test Flight Tonight

The Washington Post reports, “A decade after NASA awarded Boeing a contract to fly astronauts to the ISS, Boeing will finally attempt to fly its Starliner spacecraft with people onboard. If all goes to plan, at 10:34 p.m. on Monday, the company is set to fly a pair of veteran astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, on a mission that will be one of the most significant tests for Boeing’s space division — and for NASA — in years.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

Boeing’s 777-9 Certification Program Paused to Address Engine Component Crack

Aviation Week reports, “Cracks in engine attachment components that have stalled Boeing’s 777-9 certification program were found in a fourth test aircraft that has not flown in nearly three years, Aviation Week has learned. The latest discovery, on WH004, is expected to help narrow down Boeing’s investigation into the failures in the thrust links—assemblies that connect the airframe with the aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X engines.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

India to Launch European Proba-3 Satellites on Dec. 5 to Create Artificial Eclipses in Space

SPACE reports, “A European mission that will use two satellites to create artificial eclipses in Earth orbit will launch early Thursday morning (Dec. 5) … The ESA’s Proba-3 formation-flying mission is scheduled to lift off atop an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Thursday at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT; 4:42 p.m. local time in India).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Boeing Starliner Crewed Test Flight Passes Critical Review

Space News reports, “The first crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is a step closer to launch after completing a major pre-launch review April 25. NASA announced at an April 25 briefing that, at the completion of the two-day Flight Test Readiness Review, officials approved plans to proceed with the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, with a launch scheduled for 10:34 p.m. Eastern May 6 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex (SLC) 41.”
Full Story (Space News)

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Ready to ‘Touch the Sun’

The Washington Post reports that a risky NASA mission is about to send a spacecraft hurtling practically within spitting distance of the sun. The Parker Solar Probe is designed to “touch the sun,” as NASA puts it. On Dec. 24 the probewill make its closest pass, coming within 3.8 million miles of the surface, having been accelerated by gravity to more than 430,000 miles per hour.
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication)

Airbus Delivers 323 Aircraft in First Half

Reuters reports, “Airbus confirmed on Monday it had delivered 323 airplanes in the first half of the year, up 2% from 316 in the same period of 2023. The world’s largest planemaker also said in a monthly bulletin that it had won 327 gross orders in the first six months of 2024, or a net total of 310 after cancellations.”
Full Story (Reuters)

ULA Delta IV Heavy Set to Fly Once More

Ars Technica reports United Launch Alliance’s last Delta IV Heavy rocket is set to lift off Thursday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, with a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, the US government’s spy satellite agency. “Weather permitting, the Delta IV Heavy will light up its three hydrogen-fueled RS-68 engines at 1:40 pm EDT (17:40 UTC) Thursday, the opening of a four-hour launch window.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

AstroForge Prepares for Deep-Space Mission to Mine Asteroid

Mining.com reports, “California-based AstroForge, a pioneer in the field of space mining, is preparing to launch the first fully commercial deep-space mission with the ambitious goal of harvesting precious metals from asteroids. CEO Matt Gialich envisions a future where mining in space alleviates Earth’s resource constraints by tapping into the vast, untapped deposits found on asteroids and other celestial bodies. In a conversation with MINING.COM’s host Devan Murugan, Gialich said that AstroForge’s unique positioning in space will enable the company to achieve profit margins superior to traditional, earth-based mining, largely due to the abundance and purity of space resources.”
Full Story (Mining.com)

Boeing’s Largest Union Approves New Contract, Ending Lengthy and Costly Strike

The New York Times reports, “Members of Boeing’s largest union approved a new contract on Monday, ending a weekslong strike that was one of the country’s most financially damaging work stoppages in decades. The contract was endorsed by 59 percent of those voting, according to the union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

A400M Operators Set to Receive New Upgrades, Support Package

Aviation Week reports, “Airbus’ A400M airlifter is set to receive a series of upgrades as part of a new agreement between the launch customer nations. The upgrades package, called Block Upgrade 0, will update the turboprop-engine transport aircraft’s flight management systems, ensure the wider fleets are compliant with NATO requirements, and improve the aircraft’s communications capabilities.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Japan Grounds Ospreys Following Hard Landing During Exercise

Aviation Week reports, “The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) has grounded its fleet of Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys following a hard landing incident. The Japan Defense Ministry Joint Staff says the incident took place on the country’s Yonaguni Island on Oct. 27. The V-22 was participating in Exercise Keen Sword, a joint wargame with the U.S. military, where it was transporting military personnel simulating a medical evacuation.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

American Airlines Sets New Record with its Longest Flight by Distance

Simple Flying reports, “American Airlines made history this morning with the arrival of its inaugural nonstop service from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Australia’s Brisbane Airport. The flight set a new record for the longest route by distance flown by American Airlines, and it is now the longest route on the growing Brisbane Airport network map.”
Full Story (Simple Flying)

Crew-8 Splashes Down Off the Coast of Pensacola, Florida

Spaceflight Now reports that three U.S. astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut have “returned to Earth after spending more than seven months in space.” Crew-8 includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

 

Video

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Re-entry and Splashdown
(NASA; YouTube)

Blue Origin’s Second Human-rated New Shepard Makes First Flight

Space News reports, “Blue Origin carried out the first flight of a new model of its New Shepard suborbital vehicle Oct. 23, a mission the company called ‘nominal and on target’ despite going to a slightly lower altitude than past flights. The uncrewed NS-27 mission lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas at 11:26 a.m. Eastern. The company had scrubbed an initial launch attempt Oct. 7 for unspecified technical issues that could not be resolved before the launch window closed, and Blue Origin called off a second attempt Oct. 13 ‘to troubleshoot a GPS issue.’”
Full Story (Space News)
More Info (AIAA Statement)

 

Video

New Shepard Mission NS-27 (Launch at 10:53 mark)
(Blue Origin; YouTube)

FAA Announces Pilot Training, Certification Rules for Air Taxis

Reuters reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday finalized comprehensive training and pilot certification rules for flying air taxis, addressing a key hurdle to the deployment of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The FAA called the rule ‘the final piece in the puzzle for safely introducing these aircraft in the near term.’ Some flying companies hope to begin flying commercial passengers as soon as 2025.”
Full Story (Reuters)