SPACE reported that SpaceX “closed out 2023 with a fiery double test of its next Starship megarocket booster and spacecraft…, sharing some stunning videos of both vehicles in the process.” The dual test of engines “on the giant Starship and Super Heavy rocket stages at SpaceX’s Starbase proving ground in Boca Chica, Texas on Friday comes as the company prepares for its third Starship launch test, which is expected in early 2024.” The test, which “lasted about 10 seconds, successfully fired all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster, which serves as the first stage of the Starship rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful booster.” SpaceX “confirmed the successful test of the Super Heavy Booster 10, as well as a separate test of one Raptor engine on the Starship Ship 28 that will ride atop Super Heavy Booster 10 during the upcoming test flight.” That Starship test “was aimed at demonstrating the Raptor engine’s restart capabilities in space, the company said.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Tag: December 2023
L3Harris Approved to Produce Hypersonic Missile Tracking Satellites
Space News reports the Space Development Agency approved L3Harris “to move into production on “16 Tracking Layer Tranche 1 satellites “designed to detect and monitor hypersonic missiles aimed at the U.S. or its allies.” Defense Daily reports, “The Tranche 1 Tracking Layer will identify and track hypersonic weapons and advanced missiles, as part of the SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.”
Full Story (Space News); More Info (Defense Daily)
Embraer Executive Jets Announces Doubling of its MRO Network
Aviation International News reports that Embraer Executive Jets “is doubling its maintenance service network in the US from three to six facilities ‘to support the continued growth of its executive jets customer base,’ the company announced today.” The three new factory-owned service centers – “to be based at Dallas Love Field, as well as in Cleveland, Ohio, and Sanford, Florida – are scheduled to open in the second quarter of next year.” Embraer Services and Support Vice President of MRO Services Frank Stevens said, “We are pleased to offer additional service locations for our customers as we will significantly expand the capacity, capability, and footprint of our MRO network in the U.S. Our Executive Jets fleet has been growing rapidly over the last several years as strong demand continues across the entire product portfolio. This expansion will provide immediate additional capacity and ensures that we are poised to care for our valued customers and strategically grow for many years to come.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
JSX Plans to Add Over 300 Hybrid-Electric Aircraft to Charter Fleet
Aviation International News reports that on Tuesday, public charter operator JSX “announced its intention to acquire more than 300 hybrid-electric aircraft from three different manufacturers as part of its efforts to decarbonize its US regional air services.” The fleet expansion plans “cover up to 332 aircraft, including a letter of intent with Electra for 82 of its nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft (32 firm orders and 50 options), up to 150 of Aura Aero’s 19-seat Era model (50 firm plus 100 options), and up to 100 of Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat ES-30 (50 firm and 50 options).” According to JSX, it “aims to start operating the first of the new aircraft in 2028, without saying which of the three new types will be delivered first.” The Texas-based company’s fleet currently “includes 48 of Embraer’s 30-seat ERJ145 aircraft, providing up to 120 public charter flights daily under DOT Part 380 and FAR Part 135 rules to 24 US destinations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Blue Origin Delays New Shepard Launch
SPACE reports that Blue Origin’s first mission “in more than 15 months was officially delayed on Monday (Dec. 18) after a last-minute scrub.” Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle “was originally supposed to lift off as early as 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT or 8:30 a.m. EST) on Monday.” Following a one-hour delay “due to cold temperatures at the company’s West Texas site, however, Blue Origin announced a scrub on X, formerly known as Twitter.” Officials said, “We’re scrubbing #NS24 today due to a ground system issue the team is troubleshooting. We’ll provide a new launch target for this week soon.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Blue Origin to Resume New Shepard Suborbital Launches
Space News reports that Blue Origin “has announced plans to launch its New Shepard suborbital vehicle on its first flight since a mishap more than 15 months ago.” Blue Origin “announced on social media Dec. 12 that it will launch its New Shepard vehicle no earlier than Dec. 18 from its West Texas test site.” The vehicle “will carry 33 experiments as well as 38,000 postcards from Club for the Future, the educational nonprofit affiliated with the company.” The mission, designated NS-24, “would be the first for New Shepard since a mishap on a September 2022 flight, NS-23.”
Full Story (Space News)
Dassault Falcon Jet Announces $100M Expansion in Little Rock, Arkansas
The AP reports that on Tuesday, Dassault Falcon Jet “announced a $100 million expansion of its facility in Little Rock that the jet manufacturer said will add 800 new jobs. Dassault announced it had selected Little Rock for the expanded completion center for the development and delivery of its new Dassault Falcon 6X business jet and future Falcon programs. The company already has 1,400 workers at its two facilities in Little Rock.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
NASA Celebrating 25th Anniversary of ISS
ABC News reports, “NASA and its astronauts are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station being in orbit.” On Wednesday, the agency “broadcast a live conversation between the Expedition 70 crew and NASA Associate Administrator Robert Cabana and Joel Montalbano, space station program manager.” The space station “has been continuously occupied for more than 23 years, ‘testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to explore farther from Earth,’ NASA said in a press release. According to NASA, the station has been visited by 273 people from 21 countries and has conducted more than 3,300 [investigations].”
Full Story (ABC News)
All V-22 Ospreys Grounded After Investigation into Crash Finds Possible Materiel Failure
ExecutiveGov reports that the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) “is working with the U.S. Marine Corps to improve the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft’s survivability and establish its assault-support elements in high-threat situations, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday.” Col. Matthew Kelly, head of the Department of Defense’s joint V-22 program, “noted that his office is also looking into implementing helmet-mounted visualization technologies for the MV-22 variant for missions in degraded environments.” According to Kelly, “the V-22 production line will accommodate additional orders through fiscal 2023. The governments of Indonesia and Israel are also looking to procure V-22s, he added.”
Full Story (ExecutiveGov)