Breaking Defense reports, “Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has won a high-flying Army contract to convert a business jet into a deep-sensing spy plane, beating out an industry team up featuring L3Harris, Leidos and MAG Aerospace. Under the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program, SNC will now be charged with integrating sensing technologies aboard the Bombardier Global 6500 business jet for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as the service phases out a legacy fleet of turboprop aircraft.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Tag: August 2024
Decision on Boeing Starliner Crew’s Path Home Expected Saturday Per NASA
Reuters reports, “NASA said on Thursday it expects to announce on Saturday its decision on whether the two astronauts who rode Boeing’s glitchy Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station will need a SpaceX vehicle to return to Earth.”
Full Story (Reuters)
NASA to Continue to Study Orion Heat Shield Issue Before Stacking Artemis II Rocket
Ars Technica reports, “NASA would like to start stacking the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis II mission—the first human flight around the Moon since 1972—sometime next month, but the agency’s exploration chief says the milestone could be delayed as engineers continue studying the readiness of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Electra Aims to Revolutionize Aviation with Hybrid Electric Aircraft
Northern Virginia Magazine reports, “How does a quick flight from Manassas to downtown Manhattan sound? It’s in the works. Electra.aero, a next-gen technology aircraft company based in Manassas, is changing the face of aviation with a mission to open new air transportation markets and help decarbonize aviation.”
Full Story (Northern Virginia Magazine)
ESA’s JUICE Jupiter Probe Glides Past Moon in Historic Flyby
Scientific American reports, “Europe’s JUICE Jupiter probe swung by the moon for a ‘gravity assist’ on Monday (Aug. 19), and it snapped some photos to commemorate the historic encounter. JUICE (short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) came within a mere 465 miles (750 kilometers) of the lunar surface on Monday evening, on the first leg of an unprecedented gravity-assist doubleheader.”
Full Story (Scientific American)
B-2 Stealth Bombers Complete Transpacific Flight to Australia
FlightGlobal reports, “Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers from the US Air Force completed a transpacific flight from their base in the USA, making a night landing at a Royal Australian Air Force Base in Queensland on 16 August.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)
Dan Dumbacher Recognized with Allyship Award
AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher is being recognized by Women in Aerospace with their 2024 Allyship Award. This honor is presented to an individual ‘who actively promotes and aspires to advance a culture of inclusion for women through purposeful, positive and intentional efforts that benefit women in the aerospace community’. We are extremely proud of Dan and his ongoing efforts to advance women in the aerospace community. Congratulations Dan! The award will be presented at the WIA’s 39th Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, on 10 October.
Full Story (WIA)
Boeing Pauses 777-9 Test Flights Due to Structural Component Issue
Flight Global reports Boeing confirms it “has halted flight tests of its entire 777-9 test fleet after discovering the failure of an engine-related structural component, , marking a setback to the widebody’s already delayed certification programme.”
Full Story (Flight Global)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 22 Starlink Satellites from Cape Canaveral
Spaceflight Now reports SpaceX has launched 22 more Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station took place “at 9:20 a.m. EDT (1320 UTC), which was the end of a four-hour launch window. The Starlink 10-5 mission was the 57th launch of the internet enabling satellites so far in 2024.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
Russian Progress 89 Cargo Ship Delivers Supplies to Stranded Astronauts
BBC News reports, “An uncrewed Russian cargo ship successfully docked at the International Space Station early Saturday (Aug. 17) to deliver tons of fresh gear, food and other vital supplies. The cargo ship will “remain docked for approximately six months before departing for re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere to dispose of trash.”
Full Story/Video (BBC News)