SPACE reports that NASA’s Deep Space Network is getting a new dish. This one will be at the DSN facility in Canberra, Australia. “The new dish, Deep Space Station 33, will be a 112-foot-wide (34 meters) multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna (BWG), according to the NASA statement.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Tag: April 2024
SkyDrive Flies Air Taxi Prototype in Osaka
Aviation International News reports that on April 9, SkyDrive’s three-seat SD-05 eVTOL aircraft prototype made its first public demonstration flights at the World Expo 2025 event in Osaka, Japan. “ During the flight, which lasted about four minutes, the remotely piloted and highly automated aircraft reached an altitude of 5 meters, according to SkyDrive.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Video
Public Flight of SKYDRIVE Model SD-05
(SkyDrive, Inc; YouTube)
SpaceX Astronauts Splash Down in Pacific for First Time
The New York Times reports that four private astronauts ended a mission in a SpaceX vehicle on Friday by splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, marking a first for the company. “The Fram2 mission had circled the Earth for four days in a north-south orbit. The journey was the first time people have been able to look down directly at the North and South Poles from orbit.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Video
Fram2 Astronauts Launch on Polar Orbit Mission (Splashdown occurs at 08:12)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
China Embarks on World-First Mission to Collect Samples from Far Side of Moon
The Washington Post reports, “China on Friday embarked on one of its most ambitious space missions yet: the launch of a probe to retrieve samples from the far side of the moon and bring them back to Earth within two months. If successful, it would be a first, for any country.”
Full Story (Washington Post)
V-22 Program Office Eyes Technology Refresh to Extend Osprey’s Life
Defense News reports, “The V-22 program office is studying the future of the tiltrotor aircraft, weighing both a technology refresh as well as whether it could rip off the wings and nacelles to add decades of additional life to the airframes.”
Full Story (Defense News)
NASA’s Viper Moon Rover Undergoing Preparations for Mission Later this Year
SPACE reports that with its “mighty mast,” NASA’s Polar Exploration Rover dubbed VIPER continues to be prepped for its mission to the moon slated for late 2024. It has “earned its ‘neck’ and ‘head,’ aka its ‘mast,’ meaning it now stands proudly at 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Beta Alia-250 Completes First Crewed eVTOL Transition Flight
Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies this week achieved a milestone few eVTOL companies have reached. The company on Tuesday said it completed a crewed, full transition flight of its Alia-250 (A250) eVTOL.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Archer, Joby to Provide Air Taxi Service in Abu Dhabi
Flying Magazine reports, “Two titans in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi industry are building on their previously announced plans to serve the United Arab Emirates. At the inaugural DriftX conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, both headquartered in California, signed agreements with Abu Dhabi government agencies to introduce their respective air taxis in the Emirate.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Gulfstream Delivers First Two G700s
Aviation International News reports, “Gulfstream Aerospace has delivered the first two $75 million G700s to customers, the Savannah, Georgia-based aircraft manufacturer said yesterday afternoon. Both are now in service with undisclosed customers in the U.S. The company’s 7,750-nm flagship aircraft received FAA approval on March 29, followed by production certification and cabin interior approval on April 8.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Blue Ghost Mission 1 to Deliver NASA Electric Moon Dust Shield
SPACE reports, “NASA is sending a technology demonstrator to the moon on the upcoming private Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 in order to test how to repel and remove lunar dust using electricity … The EDS system will fly aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, which will put a lunar lander on the moon’s surface later in 2024. A total of ten agency payloads will launch to the moon on Blue Ghost Mission 1, including the EDS prototype.”
Full Story (SPACE)