Pulsar-Based Spacecraft Navigation
System One Step Closer to Reality (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit
electromagnetic radiation at regular intervals. They are often dubbed
“lighthouses” of the universe as their emission is beamed, thus a pulse
of radiation is seen only each time the beam sweeps across
line-of-sight. A spacecraft navigation method based on X-ray signals
emitted from pulsars, known as XNAV, has recently taken a leap forward
thanks to a study conducted by UK scientists from the National Physical
Laboratory (NPL) and the University of Leicester. (8/15)
Honeywell Inks $300M Deal To Sell
Gov't Contracting Unit (Source: Law360)
Honeywell International Inc. said Friday that it has agreed to sell its
space, security, logistics and manpower services government contracting
unit to KBR Inc. for approximately $300 million. Honeywell Technology
Solutions Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell Aerospace,
with customers primarily consisting of U.S. government agencies.
Honeywell had determined that the unit “did not align” with the
company’s current portfolio and long-term strategic plans in aerospace.
(8/15)
San Diego Hits Lockheed Martin With
Hazardous Waste Suit (Source: Law360)
San Diego Unified Port District sued aerospace company Lockheed Martin
in California federal court on Thursday over chemical cleanup costs
near Harbor Island, California, saying the corporation's marine
terminal railway system contaminated the waters with mercury and other
hazardous waste. The Port District accuses Lockheed of breaching its
lease permit for certain areas in the East Basin by contaminating the
lands with dangerous substances. (8/12)
Spaceport America Announces Annual
Signature Event Series (Source: Spaceport America)
Spaceport America announced today the introduction of five annual
Spaceport America branded signature events. The signature event series
will begin with the annual Spaceport America Open House on Oct. 1,
2016. The Spaceport America Drone Summit is planned on Nov. 11-13. The
Spaceport America Mile, a standing one mile vehicle racing event to be
held from Mar. 10-12, 2017. A Spaceport America Relay Race is planned
from April 8-9, 2017. And the Spaceport America Cup university rocket
engineering competition will be held June 13-18, 2017. (8/15)
The Coming Satellite Revolution
(Source: Aviation Week)
When Mark Zuckerberg announced he wants to fill the sky with thousands
of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites to improve internet connectivity,
many traditional space players remembered when Bill Gates and others
invested in Teledesic, Iridium and other ventures in the 1990s only to
see them fail. Two and a half decades later, terrestrial communications
capabilities have dramatically improved, while geosynchronous orbit
(GEO) capabilities have improved but still remain a generation behind,
and LEO capabilities have remained a niche alternative.
The vision of the tech giants is clear—deliver ubiquitous, low-latency,
high-speed broadband and drive down the cost for data while expanding
bandwidth and thus the market. In a recent paper, Farooq Khan of
Samsung detailed how LEO constellations could rival the speeds of
ground-based systems and in certain regions become a linchpin in the
coming 5G wireless infrastructure. Click here.
(8/15)
Earth-Sized Planet Found Orbiting
Proxima Centauri (Source: AFP)
Scientists have reportedly discovered an Earth-sized planet orbiting
another star. A report in the German magazine Der Spiegel Friday
claimed that astronomers had discovered the planet orbiting Proxima
Centauri, the closest star to the sun. According to the report, the
European Southern Observatory (ESO) will announce the discovery later
this month, although ESO officials declined to comment on the report.
(8/14)
Ariane 6 On Track for 2020 Debut
(Source: Spaceflight Now)
Ariane 6 is on schedule for a first launch in 2020. Alain Charmeau,
chief executive of Airbus Safran launchers, said in an interview that
he was "extremely confident" that the vehicle, in its early stages of
development now, will be ready for a first launch as planned in 2020.
The vehicle's launch rate will ramp up to 11-12 launches per year by
2023, when the Ariane 5 will be retired. He said the vehicle should be
less expensive than the Ariane 5, allowing Arianespace to be
cost-competitive with SpaceX's Falcon 9. (8/15)
Space Florida Shares Plan for
Commercial Space Industry (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
If you haven't noticed, Florida's Space Coast is in a bit of a
competition with other states when it comes to getting commercial space
company deals. States such as Texas, Georgia, Virginia and North
Carolina are nipping at our heels to take commercial space launch
projects, said Space Florida's Dale Ketcham. "SpaceX a couple years ago
chose to establish a purely commercial launch site in Texas. That
sucked. That really pissed us off, and we’re still ticked, but it was
also a business kick," he told the crowd.
"Georgia is already on its environmental impact statement process to
establish a launch site, Virginia’s got a commercial launch site that
is working quite effectively, and North Carolina wants to get in this
game — they put a lot of money on the table to try to land Blue
Origin." And while Central Florida has a few commercial space projects
in its pipeline and plenty of SpaceX launches, Space Florida, the
state's aerospace economic development agency, is not taking any
chances in falling behind its competition.
Ketcham said the agency's plan involves beefing up the supply chain and
logistics capabilities to support and bring in new projects. He also
said making sure the talent pipeline is available and strong also is
part of the plan. Having a strong supply chain is a draw for commercial
space companies because being near a materials suppliers is quicker
access. And for the manufacturers and parts suppliers that are near
those companies, that means more business. Click here.
(8/15)
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