All articles by Dan Thisdell – Page 6
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News
PARIS: Momentum building behind 3D printing
Airbus’s 3D printing technology business has teamed up with software house Dassault Systemes to streamline the process for designing and series manufacture of flight-approved metal parts – which could help bring printed structural components inside airliner cabins within a year.
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NewsPARIS: Europe pressing ahead with reusable rocket engine
Europe’s bid to slash the cost of access to space got another boost at Paris today in the form of a reusable rocket engine intended to cost just €1 million ($1.1 million) – compared to the €10 million cost of the disposable Vulcain2 that powers the Ariane 5 heavy lifter.
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PARIS: Arianespace orderbook stretches into the 50s
Europe’s light rocket programme has been given a Paris air show boost, with launch contracts announced for Vega and its in-development heavier iteration, Vega C.
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PARIS: Arianespace signs up new Vega payload
Arianespace has added to its launch manifest, by signing to fly an Italian Space Agency (ASI) payload on its Vega rocket from French Guiana next year.
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PARIS: Vega completes first rocket engine casing tests
Italian space propulsion specialist Avio turned up at Le Bourget with stars in its eyes – having completed testing of the first rocket engine casing destined for Europe’s Vega C light launcher.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Downsized rides for a new space age
Modern electronics have shrunk the size and price of satellites - but what about the rockets that launch them?
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NewsSolar Impulse veteran eyes business future in electric propulsion
Solar Impulse co-founder André Borschberg has set up a new company dedicated to developing electric propulsion for aviation
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News
AIX: For fire testing, Virtual is almost Reality
Why travel to Texas to watch your product go up in flames when it’s so much faster and cheaper to see it completely destroyed from the comfort and safety of your office? Andrew Feghall wondered exactly that – and so his company now offers its customers a virtual reality look ...
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News
AIX: WestJet gets Tabs on Skycast PED holder
For Skycast Solutions, online entertainment has been an exercise in downsizing – and that’s led to big news at AIX, in the form of a deal with Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet to trial its latest personal gadget holder.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Vega needn't thank its lucky stars
When launching rockets, failure is a disaster but success is absolute – and absolutely, delightful
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News
Leonardo sketches 'modular, multi-task' civil-military aircraft
ATR shareholder Leonardo intends to break the industry impasse on development of a 100-seat regional turboprop with a new programme to create a "modular and multi-task" aircraft that would also replace the Italian manufacturer's C-27J tactical airlifter.
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: Ariane 6 set for "buy European" push
In the matter of milestones, the end of March should mark a critical moment in Europe’s bid to ensure it retains competent, competitive and independent access to space. It is then – 27 March, specifically – that Airbus Safran Launchers expects to cross “maturity gate 6”, a set of specification ...
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: ESA goes boldly to new space paradigm
Never let it be said that the European Space Agency doesn't have impact – and that's not just for crashing into comets and Mars
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News
Europe commits to space station until 2024, underscores vision for space industry
The International Space Station will fly until 2024 with its full complement of partners, now that Europe has formally committed to stay on board the programme until its planned decommissioning.
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: UK 'punches above its weight' in space
For anybody with a longish memory it may seem to odd thing to say, but spaceflight is a high-profile affair in the UK. On the shoulder of astronaut Tim Peake’s blue European Space Agency jumpsuit is a Union Jack, prominent as the former Apache helicopter pilot tours the country to ...
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: FlightGlobal airliner census reveals fleet developments
A look at the latest FlightGlobal airliner census highlights some stars - like Boeing’s fast-growing 787 fleet
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: UK aerospace ponders Brexit unknowns
While politicians, citizens and business people digest the shock of the UK’s 23 June referendum vote to leave the EU, one word crops up repeatedly in any attempt to anticipate the implications: uncertainty.
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: GKN keeps playing it big
When considering GKN Aerospace, one does not get very far before concluding that the UK-headquartered Tier 1 is an acquisitive company – and that it is very good at acquisitions.
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News
FARNBOROUGH: Ground control to ISS - who's in charge up there?
As British astronaut Tim Peake gets his Earth legs back after his recent return from six months aboard the International Space Station, one of his European Space Agency astronaut corps colleagues is training for a second stint in orbit – which includes an unusual responsibility.
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News
FARNBOROUGH: In space, two years can take forever - or go by in a flash
In space, two years can take a very long time – or it can go by in a flash, depending on one’s perspective. As seen from the European Space Agency’s mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, the past couple of years have been elongated by many a nail-biting eternity as ...