Category: Space News (Page 4 of 9)

THEOS-2 satellite for Thailand successfully launched

October 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

The Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) THEOS-2 Earth observation satellite has been successfully launched on a Vega rocket from Kourou, Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) selected Airbus as partner for its next-generation national geo-information system in 2018.

THEOS-2 follows the Airbus-built THEOS-1 satellite launched in 2008, which still continues to deliver imagery well beyond its 10-year operational lifetime. In the frame of THEOS-2 programme, GISTDA’s geo-information system benefits from satellite imagery collected by the Airbus constellation of optical and radar Earth observation satellites such as Pléiades and TerraSAR-X.

The contract also includes a second Earth observation satellite – THEOS-2 SmallSAT – from Airbus’ subsidiary SSTL, combined with a comprehensive capacity building programme involving Thai engineers in the development of applications, ground segment and the SmallSAT spacecraft itself. THEOS-2 SmallSAT is based on SSTL’s CARBONITE series of Earth observation spacecraft and has been delivered to Thailand.

THEOS-2 satellite in anechoic chamber – Copyright Airbus

Saab unveils first airborne surveillance system for Poland

October 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Saab AB (Stockholm: SAABb) has presented the first Saab 340 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft to the customer during a ceremony in Linköping. The event took place in Linköping on 29 September, just two months after Poland placed an order for two AEW aircraft.

Guests from Sweden and Poland attended the event, which marked a milestone towards the rapidly proceeding delivery to Poland of the Saab 340 AEW equipped with the Erieye radar. The solution will provide Poland’s Armed Forces with a national asset to reinforce territorial integrity and national security.

The fast pace is a result of the efficient collaboration between Saab and the Polish Armed Forces and the fact that Saab has an ongoing production line for airborne early warning solutions. This includes dedicated personnel and in-house expertise to perform all kinds of tests and evaluations for the necessary approval of the systems.

Thaicom contracts Airbus for a OneSat flexible telecommunications satellite

September 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France, September 11, 2023 – Thaicom PCL (THCOM), a leading Asian satellite operator and space technology company, has selected Airbus Group SE (AIR) for its new generation software-defined high throughput satellite.

Airbus will provide one of its latest designed satellites – a fully reconfigurable OneSat. This Thaicom satellite will provide extended connectivity in Ku-band over the Asia-Pacific region for millions of users. Thaicom has launched and operated eight geostationary satellites. This is Thaicom’s first flexible satellite, allowing for more adaptability on coverage, frequency and capacity which is crucial in such a dynamic region.

Positioned in orbit at 119.5° East, this state-of-the art satellite will enable Thaicom to propose to other partner operators a share of its satellite’s payload capacity, lowering their costs and still ensuring they have separate control of their individual payload capacity and flexibility.

Airbus will design and manufacture the satellite, and also provide ground control segment components. Airbus plans to deliver the satellite in 2027.

Airbus OneSat can be fully reconfigured in orbit, capable of adjusting the coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly” to meet evolving mission scenarios. It builds on the heritage of Airbus’ ultra-reliable Eurostar geostationary telecommunication satellites and the company’s constellation expertise with OneWeb. Development of the OneSat programme is supported by ESA, as well as the French Space Agency (CNES), and the UK Space Agency.

Virgin Galactic announces window for third commercial space flight

August 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Galactic 03’ to Fly Three Virgin Galactic “Founder” Customers

Flight Window Opens September 8, 2023

Company’s Fourth Spaceflight in Four Months

Orange County, California, August 28, 2023 – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) today announced the ‘Galactic 03’ flight window will open on September 8, 2023, continuing a monthly cadence of spaceflights. This would be the Company’s fourth spaceflight in four months.

The three ‘Galactic 03’ crew members are the first of Virgin Galactic’s group of ‘Founder’ astronauts – the first customers whose forward-thinking vision and early ticket purchases helped make the dream of regular commercial spaceflights a reality.

The ‘Galactic 03’ crew bought their tickets as early as 2005 and, since then, have been an active part of the Company’s vibrant Future Astronaut community. This community – comprised of approximately 800 individuals representing over 60 different countries – enjoys access to distinctive experiences designed to inspire and to enrich their spaceflight experience.

The pilots for ‘Galactic 03’ are VSS Unity Commander Nicola Pecile, VSS Unity Pilot Michael Masucci, and the Astronaut Instructor is Colin Bennett.

In the past twelve weeks, Virgin Galactic has introduced eleven new astronauts to the world. Following the ‘Galactic 03’ spaceflight, the customers on board would become Virgin Galactic astronauts 014, 015 and 016.

Lockheed Martin wins $765M deal for missile shield over Australia

August 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Canberra, Australia, August 29, 2023 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) welcomed today’s announcement by the Department of Defense on being selected as the strategic partner to steward AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1).

AIR6500-1 will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) that will form the ground-breaking architecture at the core of the ADF’s future Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capability. This first-of-its-kind system will provide greater situational awareness and defence against increasingly advanced air and missile threats, as well as give the ADF increased levels of interoperability with the United States and allied partners.

Since 2015, Lockheed Martin Australia has been highly dedicated to supporting ADF’s vision to transform into a fully integrated and IAMD capable force through AIR6500-1.

Lockheed Martin Australia has advanced a sovereign AIR6500-1 system solution that has been built from the ground up in Australia by Australians to safeguard Australia’s national security. To-date, Lockheed Martin Australia has:

Validated more than 130 Australian small to medium enterprises as potential partners.
Awarded contracts to more than 10 leading-edge companies such as Leidos Australia, Consunet, Consilium, C4I, Silentium, Penten, Lucid Consulting Engineering, and engaged with prime contractors, Raytheon and Boeing, during the risk reduction phase to develop an agile, integrated AIR6500 solution.
Committed AUD$74M to establish the nation’s future IAMD ecosystem to accelerate collaboration between academia, industry, Defence, and allied partners on IAMD capabilities. The IAMD ecosystem is expected to create more than 400 direct and 1,000 indirect local jobs.
Invested over AUD$100M into AIR6500.
Grown its sovereign workforce to over 200 Australian staff now dedicated to AIR6500.
Invested over AUD$10M to upgrade its Endeavour Centre to engage, explore, test, design and problem solve together with the ADF and industry through innovation, war gaming, exercises and more.

Artist's notional depiction of NGI in flight. Credit: Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin Next Generation Interceptor Completes All Design Reviews At Accelerated Pace

August 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Huntsville, Alabama, August 7, 2023 (PRNewswire) – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully validated designs for all elements of the nation’s Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

Through a series of successful and on-schedule Preliminary Design Reviews (PDRs) of all NGI major subsystems, the company demonstrated it has achieved design maturity and reduced risk for critical technologies. NGI is the future of the MDA’s Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) system to protect the U.S. homeland against intercontinental ballistic missile threats from rogue nations.

Lockheed Martin is demonstrating engineering work that has been performed in the integrated digital tool chain to drive faster decision making, enhance security, and enable rapid delivery and agility. This approach emphasizes affordability across the program lifecycle. Lockheed Martin’s NGI solution will increase warfighter capability, providing an improved defensive solution to address the complex battlespace now and in the future.

Lockheed Martin’s NGI program is on track for its next major review, the All Up Round PDR. During this next major review, MDA will assess if the program is ready to move forward in the acquisition process through Knowledge Point number one and ultimately on to the Critical Design Review. The first Lockheed Martin NGI is forecast for delivery to the warfighter as early as FY2027.

For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Achieves Significant First Quarter Increase in Orders and Profit

August 6, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Tokyo, Japan – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTC: MHVYF) announced that order intake rose 75.1% year over year to 1.6 billion Yen in the quarter ended June 30, 2023. Revenue rose 12.9%, resulting in profit from business activities (business profit) of 51.9 billion Yen, a 248.1% increase from the previous fiscal year, which represents a profit margin of 5.3%. Profit attributable to owners of parent (net income) was 53.1 billion Yen, an increase of 177.1% year-over-year, with a profit margin of 5.4%. EBITDA was 85.1 billion Yen, an 80.3% increase from Q1 FY2022, with an EBITDA margin of 8.7%, up 3.3 percentage points year-over-year.

Large orders growth in Energy Systems was driven by Gas Turbine Combined Cycle (GTCC), which continues to see strong demand for both new builds and after-sales services. Business profit in the segment increased by 27.0 billion Yen due to a reduction in one-time charges in the Thermal Power businesses as well as revenue growth and improved project margins.

In Plants & Infrastructure Systems, revenue increased by 33.8 billion Yen due to contributions from Metals Machinery and Engineering, while business profit improved by 5.0 billion resulting from increased revenue in Metals Machinery as well as positive developments in Engineering and Machinery Systems’ project mix.

In Logistics, Thermal & Drive Systems, successful passthrough of cost inflation to sales prices mainly in Logistics Systems and Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) led to 14.3% increases in order intake and revenue, respectively. Cost passthroughs in these businesses also helped to raise the segment’s business profit by 15.3 billion Yen.

Most notable this quarter is the striking growth in Aircraft, Defense & Space order intake, specifically in Defense & Space, which saw orders rise by 584.1 billion Yen. This is due to large orders for missile defense systems from Japan’s Ministry of Defense as the country seeks to improve its capabilities in this area.

Voyager Space and Airbus Announce Joint Venture to Build and Operate Starlab

August 2, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

DENVER – 02 August, 2023 – Voyager Space, a global leader in space exploration, and Airbus (OTC: EADSY) Defence and Space, the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe, today announced an agreement paving the way for a transatlantic joint venture to develop, build, and operate Starlab, a commercial space station planned to succeed the International Space Station. The US-led joint venture will bring together world-class leaders in the space domain, while further uniting American and European interests in space exploration.

Voyager was awarded a $160 million Space Act Agreement (SAA) from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in December 2021 via Nanoracks, part of Voyager’s exploration segment. Part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, this SAA sets the foundation to create Starlab, a continuously crewed, free-flying space station to serve NASA and a global customer base of space agencies and researchers.

The program’s mission is to maintain continued human presence and American leadership in low-Earth orbit (LEO). Today’s announcement builds on an agreement made public in January 2023, where Voyager selected Airbus to provide technical design support and expertise for Starlab.

In addition to the US entity, Starlab will have a European joint venture subsidiary to directly serve the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member state space agencies.

NASA and Boeing unveiled the new X-66A livery at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. (Image: Boeing)

U.S. Airlines to Support NASA-Boeing Sustainable Flight Demonstrator Project

July 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

OSHKOSH, Wis., July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and NASA will collaborate with U.S. airlines to advise the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) project and development of the X-66A research aircraft. As part of a new sustainability coalition, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines will provide input on operational efficiencies, maintenance, handling characteristics and airport compatibility.

NASA and Boeing also unveiled the new X-66A livery today at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

The X-66A will test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) airframe configuration and will be built from a modified MD-90 aircraft at a Boeing facility in Palmdale, Calif. It is NASA’s first X-plane focused on helping achieve its goal of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions.

When combined with expected advancements in propulsion systems, materials and systems architecture, a single-aisle airplane with a TTBW configuration could reduce fuel consumption and emissions up to 30% relative to today’s domestic fleet of airplanes.

The U.S. airlines will offer feedback throughout the project, including:

Design: Airline participants will share feedback on sustainable operations and airport compatibility. While the X-66A will have a wingspan of 145 feet, the TTBW design could be used by airplanes of different sizes and missions and may benefit from folding wing tips to accommodate existing airport infrastructure.
Simulation and lab testing: Airline pilots will have a chance to experience the X-66A through a flight simulator and assess the vehicle’s handling characteristics.
Flight testing: Airline operations and maintenance teams will assess the X-66A as modifications are made to the airplane. Flight testing is slated for 2028 and 2029 out of NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

Lockheed Martin Reports Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

July 19, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

BETHESDA, Maryland, July 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ – Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] today reported second quarter 2023 net sales of $16.7 billion, compared to $15.4 billion in the second quarter of 2022. Net earnings in the second quarter of 2023 were $1.7 billion, or $6.63 per share, compared to $309 million, or $1.16 per share, in the second quarter of 2022. Cash from operations was $1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2023, compared to $1.3 billion in the second quarter of 2022. Free cash flow was $771 million in the second quarter of 2023, compared to $1.0 billion in the second quarter of 2022.

Click the link below to read the entire press release!

Lockheed-Martin-Reports-Second-Quarter-2023-Financial-Results

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