Apprenticeship Programs
Needed to Meet Florida Aerospace Workforce Demand (Source:
Orlando Business Journal)
The continued expansion of Florida's aerospace/defense industry is
threatened by a chronic shortage of qualified technical and engineering
workers. Companies are increasingly poaching workers from their
competitors, driving up wages and highlighting our workforce problems
to companies we are targeting for recruitment. Strategies to address
these issues include investments in education and training programs,
and efforts to attract talent from other states.
A regional partnership, including Brevard, Volusia and Flagler County
stakeholders, is proposing a European-style apprenticeship program to
train and certify technical workers in collaboration with local
colleges and space, aviation and defense industry employers. They are
seeking support from the state's new $85 million Job Growth Grant Fund.
Click here.
(11/15)
SSTL to build UrtheCast’s
UrtheDaily Constellation (Source: SSTI)
A signed contract for the Earth Observation satellites for the
UrtheDailyTM Constellation was announced today by Surrey Satellite
Technology Ltd (SSTL) and UrtheCast of Canada. The UrtheDailyTM
Constellation, planned for launch in 2020, will be capable of
scientific-grade quality, multispectral imagery, high-resolution,
targeted specifically at geoanalytics applications.
The UrtheDaily spacecraft are based on the SSTL-250 platform and will
be built by SSTL at its facilities in Guildford UK. The
spacecraft will deliver high-resolution imagery using spectral bands,
which have been specifically selected to match Landsat-8, Sentinel-2,
RapidEye and Deimos-1 bands to ease cross-calibration with trusted
references and to minimise the effects of atmospheric variations.
(11/14)
SNC’s Dream Chaser Takes
Step Forward to Commercial Cargo (Source:
SpacePolicyOnline)
The vehicle used on Saturday was the same one used in a series of
previous Dream Chase tests where it made captive carry or drop
tests. The company is still analyzing the data from the most
recent test, but SNC Corporate Vice President for Space Systems Mark
Sirangelo said today that everything is looking good and there are no
plans to fly this vehicle again.
Sirangelo compared the tests with this vehicle to those flown by NASA
in 1977 of the space shuttle orbiter Enterprise. Enterprise
also was not designed to fly in space, but only for atmospheric
tests. Like the Enterprise test flights, this one took place
at Edwards Air Force Base, CA and Sirangelo expressed gratitude to NASA
and the Air Force for their assistance. (11/13)
Japanese Space Industrial
Policy in Transition (Source: The Space Journal)
The lost years of the Japanese economic slump exerted a heavy pressure
on industry to become more competitive and profitable. Most Japanese
space companies are branches of larger corporate entities and, for many
years, commercial performance of the space branches were not overly
scrutinised because revenue from the other branches subsidised space
activities. However, the effects of the Japanese economic downturn of
the 1990s and onwards were felt in every branch of these large
corporate entities and they came under pressure to restructure.
Toshiba, one of the larger satellite manufacturers, sold its space
branch to NEC Corporation, and other smaller companies followed suit.
In this way, the private sector supported the political initiative of
establishing the ‘Basic Space Law’ of 2008, paving the way for a more
coordinated industrial policy for space. Japan has been shy of
announcing its industrial space policy for many years. As a late
starter, the initial objective for Japanese industry was to use public
funding to develop technological capabilities to meet international
standards.
However, the 1990 agreement between the United States and Japan for the
procurement of commercial satellites, which prohibits Japanese industry
to exclude competition with foreign competitors in the public
procurement process, was regarded as an obstacle for winning contracts
from the government. Since then, Japanese industry has focused on
research and development satellite programmes instead, as these were
not the focus of the US-Japan agreement. Click here.
(11/15)
Space Launch Plans Tour
the UK (Source: GOV.UK)
The UK Space Agency is touring the country with industry workshops and
public open evenings on LaunchUK – the campaign to enable small
satellite rocket launches and sub-orbital flights from UK spaceports.
The Government wants to make the UK a world-leading destination for
companies offering launch services. New legislation to regulate launch
is currently before Parliament and in early 2018 the UK Space Agency
will announce the outcome of its call for grant proposals to achieve
low cost access to space.
In total 26 proposals were submitted to the call, and the UK Space
Agency is currently considering grant applications to support the first
launches from UK soil. These initial missions from the UK will pave the
way for a commercial launch market, where multiple small satellite
launch vehicles and sub-orbital spaceplanes could pursue rising global
demand from a number of UK spaceports. (11/13)
'Harlech We Have a
Problem...' Blow for Wales Spaceport Plans (Source: Daily
Post)
Hopes that a North Wales site could be developed into the UK’s first
spaceport took a blow today following the release of an influential
report. The UK Space Agency study identified Shetland as the “ideal
location” for satellite launches in Britain, potentially offering a
huge injection of investment onto the island.
However Aerospace Wales, which produced a joint Space Strategy with the
Welsh Government in 2015, said the report was not make or break and
that the Llanbedr entry was pressing ahead. It was estimated that, if
successful, the spaceport, which is close to Shell Island , would
generate £4.2m of income and create around 170 jobs. (11/14)
Wier: Kenya A Great Site
for Spaceport in 'Artemis' (Source: Business Insider)
Kenya isn't the first country you'd think of to locate a spaceport for
launching people to and from the moon, but in "Artemis", a new sci-fi
novel by "The Martian" author Andy Weir, that is precisely the case.
Weir's tale takes place during the 2080s at Artemis — humanity's first
and only lunar city.
"One of the biggest impediments to the commercial space industry right
now isn't technology, its policy," Weir said. "I've listened to the
things that commercial space companies have said ... and the consistent
thing that pretty much everybody says is, it is such a pain in the ass
to deal with the policies. That's always their biggest problem." Kenya,
however, doesn't really have such rules — which could make it the
perfect place to base an enormously expensive lunar-launch facility.
That's why in "Artemis", Weir routes all passengers and cargo to the
moon through the fictional Kenya Space Corporation. "So what I thought
was, there are market forces at play that people haven't tapped into
yet, and reducing policy could bring a space industry to your country,"
Weir said. "And so that's what Kenya did [in my book] — Kenya said
like, 'Hey we have two things that people want: we can set policy to be
as friendly as possible for a space industry, and we're on the
equator.'" (11/15)
China Plans to Reduce
Launch Prices, India Says We Can Do That Too (Source:
Hindustan Times)
China’s state-owned entity that develops and manufactures spacecraft is
ready to provide cheaper and faster rocket launches, with costs in the
range of $5,000 per kilogram. Reacting to China’s plans to drastically
reduce launch costs, an ISRO official said not only is the Indian
agency “competitive”, but it is working to reduce the cost of access to
space through new technology. The effort is to bring down launch costs
to “one-tenth” of what they are now, the official said. (11/14)
China Launches Fengyun-3D
Weather Satellite and Private Maritime Microsatellite
(Source: GB Times)
China successfully launched the Fengyun-3D weather satellite into a
polar orbit on Tuesday, along with the first satellite for private
Chinese company Head Aerospace. The Long March 4C rocket lifted off
from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, sending the Fengyun-3D towards a
circular Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of over 800 km. (11/14)
Alloy Holds Promise for
Aerospace (Source: Aerospace America)
NiTiHf is among a class of shape-memory alloys, SMAs, that materials
engineers think could give aircraft designers a slew of bold new
options. Training is achieved by bending the tubes to specific angles
under force, then heating and cooling them to train them to return to
that angle at a specific temperature. Engineers from NASA and Boeing
are teaching NiTiHf a new trick: To fold aircraft wingtips or sections
of wings up and down in flight. (11/16)
See Just How Powerful
NASA's New Rocket Will Be (Source: Orlando Business
Journal)
NASA released an animated video of its Space Launch System, showing off
the government agency's most powerful rocket that will return
astronauts to the Moon and eventually Mars. The Space Launch System
rocket, which will be equipped with four RS-25 engines creating 8
million pounds of thrust, will be NASA's workhorse vehicle for deep
space exploration. And, it is creating plenty of business opportunities
throughout Central Florida. Click here.
(11/15)
Boat Encroaches Range
Safety Zone, Delays Delta-2 Launch at California Spaceport (Source:
Space.com)
Range and technical issues scrubbed the launch this morning of a
weather satellite on a Delta 2. The countdown was stopped coming out of
the planned hold at T-4 minutes because of boats in restricted waters
off the coast from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, launch
site, as well as an issue with the first stage of the rocket. NASA has
rescheduled the launch for 4:47 a.m. Eastern Wednesday. The Delta 2 is
carrying the first Joint Polar Satellite System weather satellite.
(11/13)
Florida Today's Photo
Team Honored for Chronicling Shuttle Era (Source: Florida
Today)
Challenger’s smiling crew boarding the Astrovan before their disastrous
1986 launch. Discovery blasting off over packed beaches on Independence
Day in 2006. Endeavour winding through downtown Los Angeles on its way
to a museum retirement home in 2012.
The images are a sample of the powerful scenes FLORIDA TODAY
photographers chronicled during NASA’s 30-year space shuttle program,
journalism the National Space Club Florida Committee recognized Tuesday
for its service to the Space Coast and beyond.
“A Florida Today photographer was there to document every significant
moment that took place during those three decades of space shuttle
operations,” said Jim Banke, a space club board member and former
FLORIDA TODAY reporter, at a ceremony in Cape Canaveral. (11/14)
Building a Qualified
Workforce a Top Concern for Florida Chamber (Source:
Orlando Business Journal)
The Florida Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 14 unveiled its 2018
legislative agenda, with a focus on jobs, workforce development and
competitiveness. There are 221,000 jobs looking for people and 383,000
people looking for jobs, according to the chamber's news release, which
names building a qualified workforce as a top concern for job creators.
According to the 2018 agenda, the chamber will support efforts that
strengthen Florida’s role in space exploration by supporting public and
commercial space projects and investing in a skilled aerospace
workforce; build on tourism, agriculture and construction; support
small businesses and reforms that give them have access to resources
and support; and strengthening Florida’s position as a global trade
leader and increasing foreign direct investment. Click here.
(11/14)
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