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)
Tag: Passes
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Passes First of 10 Asteroids on Trip to Jupiter
AP reports that on Wednesday, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft “encountered the first of 10 asteroids on its long journey to Jupiter.” The spacecraft “swooped past the pint-sized Dinkinesh, about 300 million miles (480 million kilometers) away in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars.” It was “a quick hello,” according to NASA, “with the spacecraft zooming by at 10,000 mph (16,000 kph).” Lucy came “within 270 miles (435 kilometers) of Dinkinesh, testing its instruments in a dry run for the bigger and more alluring asteroids ahead.” Dinkinesh is “just a half-mile (1 kilometer) across, quite possibly the smallest of the space rocks on Lucy’s tour.” Lucy’s main targets “are the so-called Trojans, swarms of unexplored asteroids out near Jupiter that are considered to be time capsules from the dawn of the solar system.” The spacecraft “will swing past eight Trojans believed to be up to 10 to 100 times bigger than Dinkinesh.” It’s due to “zip past the final two asteroids in 2033.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X Engine Passes 2,000 Hour Milestone
Aviation International News reports that Rolls-Royce’s Pearl 10X engine “has now passed the 2,000-hour milestone in ground-testing.” Rated at “more than 18,000 pounds of thrust, the engine met its thrust objectives on its first run and testing has run smoothly to date.” The first flight trials engine “has been delivered from Rolls-Royce’s Dahlewitz factory near Berlin to L3Harris in Waco, Texas, for installation on the company’s Boeing 747 testbed, with a first flight expected before the end of the year.” Flight trials will be “conducted at the Rolls-Royce’s test site in Tucson, Arizona.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Video
Rolls-Royce’s Most Powerful Pearl 10X Engine Getting Ready for First Flight
(Global Update; YouTube)
Gulfstream G650 Passes 10 Year Milestone of Service
Aviation International News reports that Gulfstream Aerospace yesterday “celebrated the 10th anniversary of the service entry of its ultra-long-range G650.” Since that time, “the Rolls-Royce BR725-powered jet has set more than 120 speed records and more than 500 of these aircraft – including the longer-range G650ER variant introduced in 2014 – have been delivered.” The G650 first flew “in 2009 and received FAA certification on Sept. 7, 2012, and EASA validation on Dec. 21, 2012.” Gulfstream won “the National Aeronautic Association’s 2014 Robert J. Collier Trophy for the G650 for ‘significant technological advancements in aircraft performance, cabin comfort, and safety.’”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
FCC Passes New Satellite Deorbiting Rule
CNN reports the Federal Communications Commission passed a new rule which forces unused satellites to be deorbited after five years of their mission ending. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “Twenty-five years is a long time. There is no reason to wait that long anymore, especially in low-Earth orbit.” Rosenworcel said over half of the satellites sent into orbit are now considered space junk. A released FCC document from earlier in September said, “At risk is more than the $279 billion-a-year satellite and launch industries and the jobs that depend on them. Left unchecked, orbital debris could block all of these benefits and reduce opportunities across nearly every sector of our economy.”
Full Story (CNN)