Retuers reports, “Global airlines on Monday raised their profit forecast for 2024 and projected industry wide revenues just shy of $1 trillion as a record number of travellers board flights. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it expected the worldwide industry to generate $30.5 billion of profit this year, higher than an upwardly revised $27.4 billion in 2023 as carriers keep a lid on underlying labour costs despite recent strikes.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Tag: Upgrade
Northrop Grumman to Upgrade its Cygnus Cargo Vehicle
Space News reports, “Northrop Grumman is planning upgrades to its Cygnus cargo vehicle, such as increased payload capacity, to support both the International Space Station and future commercial space stations.” According to Rick Mastracchio, director of strategy and business development at Northrop Grumman Space Systems, “We’re trying to prepare and think way ahead on how do we start updating the vehicle, making sure we have a spacecraft that will be flying 10 years from now, 20 years from now.” Currently, the Cygnus “can carry about 3,750 kilograms of pressurized cargo to the station,” whereas the upgrade will see the vehicle carrying 5,000 kilograms.
Full Story (Space News)
NASA Astronauts Complete ISS Solar Power System Upgrade
Aviation Week reports that two NASA astronauts “installed a sixth and final planned ISS Roll Out Solar Array (iROSA) on the long solar power truss of the International Space Station (ISS) during a June 15 spacewalk.” Astronauts Woody Hoburg and Steve Bowen performed the procedure during a five-and-a-half-hour excursion.
Full Story (Aviation Week)
SpaceX Working to Upgrade Cape Canaveral Launch Pad
Space News reports that while SpaceX is preparing to launch the Crew-5 mission with NASA, the company is “also starting work to host cargo and crew launches from Space Launch Complex 40 at neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.” SpaceX VP for Build and Flight Reliability Bill Gerstenmaier said, “We’ve already started the work to begin the preparations for pad 40. We’ve ordered some hardware, put some contracts into place.” Space News adds, “The effort to build up a crew and cargo capability at SLC-40 is driven by SpaceX’s work to host Starship launches at LC-39A. With that vehicle yet to make its first orbital launch attempt, NASA raised concerns that a Starship launch failure at LC-39A could damage the existing launch infrastructure there and affect NASA’s ability to send cargo and crews to the ISS.”
Full Story (Space News)