All aerospace news – Page 1770
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Cash snags mar DoD satellite plans
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The ambitions of the US Department of Defense (DoD) to renew its communications satellite constellations could be scuppered by funding challenges facing all its programmes. The first issue facing the DoD is whether it can afford to replace the Milstar II satellite which was launched ...
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United Space accepts shuttle delay costs
The Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture United Space Alliance, which operates the Space Shuttle fleet for NASA, is to pay "several million dollars" in penalties for delays to the flight schedule caused by wiring defects in the orbiters (Flight International, 29 September-5 October). The cost of the repairs to the Endeavour ...
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Worldwide launch flurry puts nine satellites into orbit
Tim Furniss/LONDON Six launches over seven days have resulted in the orbiting of nine satellites: four Globalstars, the Echostar V, Telstar 7, Ikonos 2, LM-1 and the Resurs F1M. The burst of activity started with a Starsem Soyuz launch from Baikonur on 22 September, which placed four Loral-built ...
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Orbimage and Ikonos moves warm up remote sensing fight
Competition in the commercial remote sensing satellite market will increase sharply because of the launch of the Ikonos satellite and moves by rival Orbimage to boost its market access. Orbimage and Radarsat International of Canada have signed an agreement which appoints Orbimage principal distributor of Radarsat 1 images in ...
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Space station may be turned over to commercial operator
NASA will consider turning the International Space Station (ISS) over to a commercial operator within five to 10 years to fund other exploration priorities, according to the space agency's administrator, Daniel Goldin. The proposal takes Nasa beyond its previously suggested plan to allow commercial companies to take up to a ...
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Westland proposes new Lynx bodies
GKN Westland is proposing to the UK Ministry of Defence a refuselage programme for about 100 British Army Lynx helicopters. The move is part of a wider programme to adapt the battlefield helicopter as a reconnaissance/observation machine to support army WAH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters when they enter service. Other ...
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Sony Trans Com sell-off near
Emma Kelly/SALT LAKE CITYAn unidentified avionics manufacturer, widely believed to be AlliedSignal, is conducting a due diligence review of Sony Trans Com with a view to buying the in-flight entertainment (IFE) supplier from Sony. Sony Trans Com declines to confirm the identity of the suitor, saying only that the company ...
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System 3000 launch
Matsushita is close to finalising a 40-aircraft launch order for its new System 3000 interactive in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. The System 3000, to be available from the second or third quarter of next year, will be an upgraded version of the System 2000E, the leading interactive IFE system installed on ...
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Rockwell to join audio/video/on-demand club from next year
Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems will test audio/video/on-demand (A/VOD) capability on its Total Entertainment System (TES) with an unidentified airline in the first quarter of next year. Rockwell is the last of the major in-flight entertainment (IFE) hardware suppliers to offer A/VOD functionality, which provides passengers with control over their ...
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Marching towards orbit
Thirty years after putting its first satellite into orbit, China will test fly the vehicle that will perform its maiden manned flight Tim Furniss/LONDON The People's Republic of China may celebrate its 50th anniversary this month with the launch of an unpiloted orbital test flight of a manned launcher, 30 ...
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Swissair crash: IFE system installation prompts FAA ban
The in-flight entertainment network (IFEN) system in the crashed Swissair flight 111 Boeing MD-11 was installed without consideration for the aircraft's electrical system design concept, an extensive examination by the US Federal Aviation Administration has revealed. Following the study, the FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) designed "to prevent ...
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Embraer ties up risk sharing agreements
Julian Moxon/PARIS Embraer has concluded agreements with risk sharing partners for the ERJ-170 and ERJ-190 regional jets, in addition to those with General Electric and Honeywell that cover engines and avionics, respectively. The company has also held an advisory board meeting with 20 airlines and risk sharing partners to ...
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Metric mix-up led to Mars Orbiter loss
Confusion over the use of imperial and metric units caused the loss of the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft in late September. The NASA spacecraft was lost just minutes after its orbital insertion engine was fired to place it in orbit around the planet. The failure on 23 ...
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Global Hawk downed by rogue abort signal
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELESNorthrop Grumman says the crash on 29 March of a Ryan Aeronautical RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was caused by an abort signal from another remotely operated vehicle which was being tested more than 250km (140nm) away. The signal accidentally triggered the Ryan UAV's flight termination ...
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Saab/BAe support investor's swoop for Walter
AndrewDoyle/MUNICH US investor Robert Fessler and Ryanair founder Tony Ryan are in final negotiations with the Czech Government to buy 94% of the troubled aero engine builder Walter. A deal is expected to be signed with a Czech company set up by the two men. The bid is ...
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Outflanked
Bombardier has blinked in the increasingly hostile battle for dominance of the regional aircraft market in the 21st century. For the first time since the Canadian company revolutionised regional air transport with the original 50-seat Canadair Regional Jet in 1992, it has lost the initiative and is in danger of ...
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Bristow order launches AB139
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Bell/Agusta Aerospace has clinched the first order for its $6 million AB139 from UK operator Bristow Helicopters, three months after the 12/15-seat aircraft was unveiled. The sale of two of the medium-twin-turbine helicopters to Redhill, Surrey-based Bristow, for offshore oil support operations, is the first of what ...
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Rockwell seeks $28 million damages from Hughes
Rockwell Collins has filed a lawsuit against Hughes Electronics for breach of contract over Rockwell's purchase of the former Hughes-Avicom International. The manufacturer is seeking damages of at least $28 million plus interest. Rockwell bought Hughes' in-flight entertainment division in late 1997 to form Rockwell Collins Passenger Systems. ...
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In-flight TV
LiveTV, the Sextant In-Flight Systems and Harris joint venture, has signed Alaska Airlines and Legend Airlines for its in-flight television service. Alaska will install the 24-channel satellite television entertainment system on one Boeing 737-400 next March, and decide on fleetwide equipage after a 90-day trial. Dallas Love Field-based business-class airline ...
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UAV radar
Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary Elta has developed a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with moving target indicator for unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The EL/M-2055 is based on the EL/M-2060P podded SAR for fighters, and weighs 50kg (112lb). The company says it produces images of almost photographic quality, and they are transmitted ...