Aviation International News reports that Elliott Aviation “has performed its first completion and delivery of the Garmin Autoland upgrade in a King Air B200.” Designed as a safety measure, the Autoland system “in an emergency situation can take control of an aircraft and autonomously land itself at the nearest suitable airport.” According to Elliott, the modification “represents the next chapter in the evolution of the Garmin G1000 NXI package for the King Air family.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Tag: engineering
SpaceX Launches First Satellites Designed to Connect Directly to Smartphones
Space News reports that SpaceX “launched its first batch of Starlink satellites designed to connect directly to unmodified smartphones Jan. 2 after getting a temporary experimental license to start testing the capability in the United States.” Six of the 21 Starlink satellites “that launched on a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:44 p.m. Eastern from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, carry a payload that the company said could provide connectivity for most 4G LTE devices when in range.” SpaceX plans to “start enabling texting from space this year in partnership with cellular operators, with voice and data connectivity coming in 2025, although the company still needs regulatory permission to provide the services commercially.” Initial direct-to-smartphone tests “would use cellular spectrum from SpaceX’s US mobile partner T-Mobile.” SpaceX has also “partnered with mobile operators in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX 1st Starlink to Cell Sat Launch, 10:44 p.m. ET, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
Akasa Air Close to 150-Plane Order from Boeing
Reuters reports that Akasa Air “is set to close an order for around 150 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody planes, two sources said, its latest bid to tap the travel boom in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market.” Contract negotiations “are ongoing and a deal is expected to be announced at Wings India, the country’s largest civil aviation event scheduled for Jan. 18-21.” Akasa “is India’s newest airline and has garnered market share of 4% since it started flying in 2022, against IndiGo’s 60% and Tata Group airlines’ combined 26%.”
Full Story (Reuters)
SpaceX Test Fires Starship Booster Rocket
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)
B-21 Raider Undergoing Flight Testing
Defense News reported that the “B-21 Raider took to the air for the first time in November, nearly a year after its public debut in California. In 2024, the U.S. Air Force’s next stealth bomber could take even greater steps.” The first B-21 Raider “flew to Edwards Air Force Base on Nov. 10. It is now undergoing flight testing, which also includes ground tests and taxiing.” The USAF has “confirmed at least six B-21s are in various stages of construction by Northrop Grumman or are undergoing tests. The program is now in the engineering and manufacturing development phase, the service said in November, and Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota is expected to receive its first Raider in the mid-2020s. The service plans to buy at least 100 B-21s, an advanced stealth bomber, to replace the aging B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers. It will provide the service with new abilities to conduct penetrating deep-strike missions, and the aircraft will be able to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.”
Full Story (Defense News)
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)
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket Successfully Launches
AP reports that Blue Origin successfully “launched a rocket carrying experiments on Tuesday, its first flight since engine trouble caused a crash more than a year ago.” The New Shepard rocket “soared from West Texas, lifting a capsule full of tests, many of which were aboard the failed Blue Origin launch in September 2022.” No one “was aboard that flight or this latest one.” This time, the capsule “made it to the fringes of space, exposing the experiments from NASA and others to a few minutes of weightlessness, before parachuting back down to the desert.” The rocket “landed first, after releasing the capsule.” It “reached an altitude of 66 miles (107 kilometers) during the 10-minute flight.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
More Info (AIAA Statement)
Video
Blue Origin New Shepard Mission Launch 19 Dec. 2023
(YouTube)
AIAA Statement on Design/Build/Launch Student Experiments Onboard Successful Blue Origin New Shepard Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2023 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:
“Congratulations to the Blue Origin team on today’s successful return to flight for their New Shepard rocket. AIAA recognizes the countless industry professionals who support New Shepard. We applaud AIAA Corporate Member Blue Origin for its perseverance in addressing the findings from the NS-23 mission mishap to achieve this successful mission today.
We are thrilled that two AIAA-sponsored student experiments were conducted during today’s New Shepard flight. The two experiments are winners of the Design/Build/Launch (DBL) competition sponsored by AIAA and Blue Origin:
- Improving Fluid Management Through A Novel Microgravity Slosh Mitigation Technique by Eleanor Sigrest, graduate and valedictorian of a dual program at Forest Park High School in Woodbridge, Virginia, and the Governor’s School at Innovation Park, Manassas, Virginia
- Acoustic Levitation Under Variable G by Puneeth Bheesetty, Anna Porter Puckett, and Jaden Shawyer, graduates ofGranby High School, Norfolk, Virginia
The DBL program is targeted to high school students, giving them an opportunity to develop creative research proposals for experimental payloads designed to study short-duration microgravity effects. The winners received $1,000 grants to prepare their work for flight onboard New Shepard.
We are excited to witness these students conducting their microgravity experiments and we can’t wait to hear more about their results. Their enthusiasm and passion inspire us as we anticipate their remarkable career journeys toward shaping the future of aerospace.”
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Video
Blue Origin New Shepard Mission Launch 19 Dec. 2023
(YouTube)
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)