Tag: Plans

Astrobotic Announces Peregrine Reentry Plans

Aviation Week reports Astrobotic Technology said that it is “projecting its troubled Peregrine lunar lander will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean around 4 p.m. EST on Jan. 18, two days earlier than previous estimates.” Space News reports Astrobotic “said it had to perform a two-step process to put the spacecraft on that reentry trajectory. One involved a series of 23 short burns by the spacecraft’s main engines. Astrobotic first tested those main engines Jan. 13, confirming they worked. However, the company said at the time that, because of the oxidizer leak, the fuel-to-oxidizer ratio ‘is well outside of the normal operating range of the main engines making long controlled burns impossible.’” The company “said it also oriented the spacecraft so that the force from the leaking propellant would push the spacecraft towards the desired reentry zone over the South Pacific, ensuring that any debris that survives reentry will fall outside of populated regions.”
Full Story (Aviation Week); More Info (Space 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)

Boeing Plans to Set Record 737 Production Goal for July 2025

Reuters reports that two sources with knowledge of the matter say Boeing “plans to push production of its bestselling 737 narrowbody jet to a record of at least 57 per month by July 2025.” The sources said the plan was in Boeing’s “latest version of its master schedule for suppliers, which was reaffirmed by the planemaker in mid-September.”
Full Story (Reuters)

FAA Reveals Wing’s Drone Delivery Network Plans

Aviation Week reported that plans to “expand Wing’s drone delivery network throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area have been revealed in a draft environmental assessment released by the FAA for public comment.” The plans would “expand Wing’s operating bases, or ‘nests,’ from three to as many as 25 across the metroplex.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

USAF Ramps Up Drone Wingmen Plans

Defense News reports that the US Air Force “is ramping up plans for incorporating drone wingmen into its fleet, and envisions 1,000 of the so-called collaborative combat aircraft in service as it sketches out ideas.” USAF Secretary Frank Kendall said the service will request congressional funding in 2024 for the CCA program so it can map out operations, organization, and support for the new systems, including the Next Generation Air Dominance program of futuristic fighter aircraft.
Full Story (Defense News)

Japan Outlines NASA Gateway Plans

Aviation Week reported that Japan has outlined “its planned contributions to NASA’s Gateway lunar-orbiting station and become the first of the four major International Space Station (ISS) partners to join with the U.S. in committing to formally extending operations of the seven-person orbital laboratory for 2024-30.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

NASA Updates Commercial Space Station Plans

Space News reports that NASA has “released additional details about how it plans to use commercial space stations after the retirement of the International Space Station as some in industry seek to accelerate NASA’s support for them.” NASA published two white papers Feb. 13 “as part of a request for information (RFI) for its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations effort to support development of commercial stations.” The documents provide “new details about how NASA expects to work with companies operating those stations and the agency’s needs to conduct research there.” One white paper “lists NASA’s anticipated resource needs for those stations, including crew time, power and volume, broken out for each of the major agency programs anticipated to use commercial stations.” Companies had been “seeking more details about NASA requirements to assist in the planning of their stations.” Overall, including resources “expected to be reserved for a successor to the ISS National Laboratory, NASA expects to require 3,000 to 4,000 hours of crew time a year, which NASA expects to provide through having two astronauts on a commercial station.” The agency stated “that it is open to having private astronaut carry out some of the research activities.”
Full Story (Space News)

Airbus Expects Next Jet Will Be ‘Evolutionary Not Revolutionary’

Reuters reports, “Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said on Tuesday the planemaker’s next single-aisle jet would be ‘evolutionary rather than revolutionary’, but that this could include an open-rotor engine such as one being studied by supplier CFM. The head of the world’s largest planemaker was speaking at the start of an event aimed at focusing attention on ongoing innovation following the company’s decision last month to delay development of a radical hydrogen-powered regional aircraft.”
Full Story (Reuters)

Boeing to Test MQ-28 Ghost Bat Missile in Late 2025 or Early 2026

Aviation Week reports, “Boeing plans to fire an air-to-air missile from its MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed combat aircraft demonstrator late this year or early next, as part of an effort to accelerate the system’s development, says Steve Parker, acting head of BoeingDefense, Space and Security. Boeing has now flown 102 missions with the system it has designed and built in Australia. The system ‘is really maturing,’ Parker told reporters here at the Avalon Australian International Airshow.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Vertical Aerospace Announces Development of Long-Range Hybrid Air-Taxi Variant of its VX4

Reuters reports, “Vertical Aerospace said on Monday it is developing a long-range hybrid-electric variant of its air-taxi VX4, aiming to expand into commercial markets including defense and logistics. U.S.-listed shares of the British electric aircraft firm rose more than 6% before the bell.”
Full Story (Reuters)

 

Video

VX4 eVTOL Test Flight
Vertical Aerospace

Blue Origin Unveils Plans for Enabling Long-Term Human Presence on the Moon

SPACE reports, “Blue Origin has begun revealing how it plans to establish itself as a provider of hardware to enable long-term human stays on the moon. One newly unveiled key element is the “Transporter,” a vehicle that can be launched on a single Blue Origin New Glenn rocket into low Earth orbit. It will harvest leftover propellant from the booster’s second stage and then haul the hydrogen and oxygen to lunar orbit.”
Full Story (SPACE)