SpaceX is targeting Monday, July 20 for Falcon 9’s launch of the ANASIS-II mission, which will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The primary launch window opens at 5:00 p.m. EDT, or 21:00 UTC, and closes at 8:55 p.m. EDT, or 00:55 UTC on July 21.Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched Crew Dragon to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board.
Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The ANASIS-II spacecraft will deploy about 32 minutes after liftoff. Per the customer’s request, live coverage will end shortly after first stage landing.You can watch the launch webcast here, starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.
The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] announced today major program deliveries across its commercial and defense operations for the second quarter of 2020.
“Our commercial airplane deliveries in the second quarter reflect the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers and our operations that included a shutdown of our commercial airplane production for several weeks. We have and will continue to work with our customers on specific timing and adjustment to deliveries,” said Greg Smith, Boeing executive vice president of Enterprise Operations, chief financial officer and interim leader of Communications. “We continue to closely monitor the commercial marketplace by staying very engaged with our customers around the globe to fully understand short term and long term requirements. All of this is informing current and future production rates and any further adjustments as needed to balance supply and demand going forward. The diversity of our portfolio including our government services, defense and space programs will continue to provide some stability as we navigate through the pandemic and rebuild stronger on the other side.”
Major program deliveries during the second quarter were as follows:
Niel Golightly resigned today as Senior Vice President of Communications at the Boeing Company. Boeing has initiated a search for his successor. In the interim, the communications function will report to Greg Smith, Executive Vice President of enterprise operations and chief financial officer until a permanent successor is named.
Niel’s decision to resign stems from an employee complaint that brought to the Company’s attention an article he wrote in 1987 while serving in the military, about whether women should serve in combat.
Boeing does not agree with the views expressed in the article, and it does not reflect Niel’s views today. “My article was a 29-year-old Cold War navy pilot’s misguided contribution to a debate that was live at the time. My argument was embarrassingly wrong and offensive. The dialogue that followed its publication 33 years ago quickly opened my eyes, indelibly changed my mind, and shaped the principles of fairness, inclusion, respect and diversity that have guided my professional life since. The article is not a reflection of who I am; but nonetheless I have decided that in the interest of the company I will step down,” said Golightly.
“Niel and I discussed at length the article and its implications for his role as the Company’s lead spokesman,” said David Calhoun, President and CEO. “I greatly respect Niel for stepping down in the interest of the company. I thank him for his contributions to the Boeing Company, which have been substantial even in a short time. Our Executive Council and I thank him and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Mr. Calhoun added, “I want to emphasize our Company’s unrelenting commitment to diversity and inclusion in all its dimensions, and to ensuring that all of our employees have an equal opportunity to contribute and excel.”
Morocco is the 17th country to acquire the Boeing AH-64 Apache through a contract for 24 of the helicopters that was recently signed.
Boeing has delivered nearly 2,500 Apache helicopters to 16 nations to date, including the U.S., Netherlands, Greece, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Deliveries to Morocco are expected to begin in 2024.
“This is another step forward in our long partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco,” said Jeff Shockey, vice president, Global Sales and Marketing, Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Government Services. “Worldwide demand for the Apache is growing and we are proud to provide this best-in-class capability to Morocco.”
The AH-64E Apache is the latest configuration of the attack helicopter. It is designed and equipped with an open systems architecture including the latest communications, navigation, sensor and weapon systems. It has an improved Modernized Target Acquisition Designation System that provides day, night and all-weather target information, as well as night vision navigation capability. In addition to classifying ground and air targets, the Fire Control Radar has been updated to operate in a maritime environment.
Boeing will build and deliver the new Moroccan Apaches under a contract with the U.S. Army through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process.
Boeing’s partnership with Morocco spans decades. The company is committed to developing Morocco’s supply chain and future workforce. Boeing is a partner of the MATIS Aerospace joint venture, which produces airplane wire bundles and harnesses. In 2016, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kingdom to create an ecosystem of aircraft equipment suppliers. Boeing also supports the country’s future workforce through partnerships with Education for Employment (EFE) Morocco and the INJAZ Al-Maghrib association.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonah Clark, a crew chief with the 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals a new model of the CV-22B Osprey Tilitrotor Aircraft at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The new model CV-22 was delivered to the 801st SOAMXS and will continue the 8th Special Operations Squadron’s mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille)
The Bell Boeing [NYSE:BA] V-22 team recently delivered its 400th aircraft, a CV-22 for U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.
The first production V-22 was delivered on May 24, 1999, and today deliveries occur under the Multi-year Procurement III contract valued at $5 billion. That contract runs through 2024 and includes variants for the Marines, Air Force, and Navy, as well as the first international customer, Japan.
“I want to thank everyone who has made the V-22 successful for their hard work and dedication to the women and men who operate the Osprey,” said Shane Openshaw, vice president of Tiltrotor Programs and deputy director of the Bell Boeing team. “We’re focused on building and supporting these incredible aircraft so our customers can complete their air, land and sea missions worldwide.”
The V-22 takes off, hovers, and lands like a helicopter yet flies long distances like a turboprop aircraft. The CV-22 variant performs special operations missions, including infiltration, extraction, and resupply, that conventional aircraft can’t. The Marine Corps variant, the MV-22B, provides the safe and reliable transportation of personnel, supplies, and equipment for combat assault, assault support, and fleet logistics. The Navy variant, the CMV-22B, is the replacement for the C-2A Greyhound for the carrier onboard delivery mission.
“It’s been over 20 years since the first production V-22 was delivered and we are proud to reach another milestone in our 400th delivery. V-22s continue to be in high demand, protecting our country and our allies around the world through combat operations, international training partnerships and humanitarian missions,” said Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “This platform’s impact can’t be overstated.”
The V-22 has been deployed in a variety of combat, special operations, and humanitarian roles since becoming operational in 2007. Having accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours, the V-22 is safe, survivable, and combat proven. Bell Boeing’s post-delivery support includes maintenance, modifications, supply chain expertise, data analysis and more than 160 field operations employees embedded at customer locations.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jonah Clark, a crew chief with the 801st Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, marshals a new model of the CV-22B Osprey Tilitrotor Aircraft at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The new model CV-22 was delivered to the 801st SOAMXS and will continue the 8th Special Operations Squadron’s mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille)
Currently traveling at some 105 million kilometres from Earth, the Airbus-built Solar Orbiter (SolO) is en route for an encounter to uncover the secrets of our closest star.
While humankind has been studying the Sun for hundreds of years, the research is limited because data was always collected from distances more or less equal to the star’s separation from Earth, according to Ian Walters, Airbus’ SolO Project Manager.
“Solar wind takes about two to four days to get from the Sun to Earth, and in that time, it transforms completely,” he explained. “We can better correlate what is seen with what is felt from the Sun if we can get up close. That’s the point of the Solar Orbiter mission…and it’s never been achieved before.”
Solar Orbiter was launched in February in a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Travelling closer to the Sun than its nearest planet – Mercury – SolO will make comprehensive measurements of the nascent solar wind.
Beating the heat
For the spacecraft and its 10 instruments to survive extreme temperatures of up to 600 deg. Centigrade, Airbus designed a protective heat shield with openings for SolO’s five telescopes to peek through during the trek.
According to Walters, the most critical heat protection technology is the Stand-off Radiator Assembly (SORA) – a set of radiators sitting on the spacecraft’s side that is always in shadow, enabling them to quickly transfer heat from the instruments into space. SORA’s thermal straps are made from pyrolytic graphite, which is five times more conductive than copper wire but flexible like paper.
To avoid any molecular contamination that could compromise imagery from the telescopes, Airbus also built Solar Orbiter to levels of cleanliness far exceeding any other spacecraft built in the UK to date. Every item on SolO has been heated to over 120 degrees to make sure no gases are emitted in the vacuum of space.
Predicting solar events
Data from Solar Orbiter can help make significant improvements to everyday life, particularly when it comes to predicting solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME) – the expulsions of plasma and its accompanying magnetic field from the sun, which can have a major impact on Earth.
“In 1859, one such episode took down the world’s telegraph network,” Walters said. “A similar event today would severely disrupt our power grids, mobile phone towers, navigation systems and many other critical technologies.”
He added: “If we could predict the CME was coming our way, we’d have about two days’ notice for emergency government committees to be activated and react, instead of the few minutes’ notice we receive today.”
Super Hornet to become the fourth Boeing platform for the flight demonstration team.
Boeing has modified Blue Angels since 2008 and delivered 23 aircraft to date.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has delivered the first Super Hornet test aircraft for the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angel flight demonstration squadron. The unpainted aircraft now enters the flight test and evaluation phase at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. Boeing expects to deliver a total of 11 aircraft for the squadron in 2020.
“The Super Hornet is an iconic representation of excellence in naval aviation,” said ret. Admiral Pat Walsh, vice president of U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Services for Boeing. Walsh flew with the Blue Angels from 1985 to 1987 as the Left Wingman (#3) and Slot Pilot (#4). “As Boeing continues to support the operational fleet of Navy Super Hornets, we are excited to see this platform enter a critical phase of its journey to joining the team.”
The flight demonstration squadron has flown Boeing or Boeing-heritage aircraft for more than 50 years, starting with the F-4J Phantom II in 1969, and then moving to the A-4F Skyhawk. The team currently operates the F/A-18A-D Hornet.
Boeing converts F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets into Blue Angels at the company’s Cecil Field facility in Jacksonville, Florida. Major modifications include the addition of an oil tank for the smoke-generation system, fuel systems that enable the aircraft to fly inverted for extended periods of time, civilian-compatible navigation equipment, cameras and adjustments for the aircraft’s center of gravity.
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.
WELLINGTON, June 5 (Reuters) – New Zealand said on Friday that it will purchase five C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin to replace its existing fleet.
“Along with the new fleet, the $1.521 billion project will deliver a full mission flight simulator and other supporting infrastructure,” Defence Minister Ron Mark said in a statement.
The first of the new Hercules will be delivered in 2024, with the full fleet operating from 2025, he said.
New Zealand will also start work in 2021 on upgrading its air mobility capability, when options will be considered for replacing the two Boeing 757 aircraft operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
Rolls-Royce is to supply complete MTU propulsion systems for five new Type 31 general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy. In total, the order comprises of 40 engines and generator sets to be used for main propulsion and on-board power generation, the MTU Callosum propulsion control and monitoring system, and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS).
Rolls-Royce liefert komplette MTU-Antriebssysteme für fünf neue Type-31-Mehrzweckfregatten der britischen Royal Navy. Der Auftrag umfasst insgesamt 40 MTU-Hauptantriebsmotoren und Bordstromaggregate, das Antriebssteuerungs- und Überwachungssystem MTU Callosum und die dazugehörige integrierte logistische Unterstützung (ILS).
Delivery scope: 20 main propulsion engines and 20 on-board generator sets, Callosum marine automation and integrated logistic support
MTU propulsion solutions from Rolls-Royce now feature in almost all current and future Royal Navy vessels
Each new Type 31 frigate of the Royal Navy will be powered by four MTU 20V 8000 M71 engines, each delivering over 8,000 kW.
Die neuen Type-31-Fregatten der britischen Royal Navy werden von je vier MTU-Motoren des Typs 20V 8000 M71 mit einer Leistung von über 8000 Kilowatt angetrieben.
Rolls-Royce is to supply complete MTU propulsion systems for five new Type 31 general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy. In total, the order comprises of 40 engines and generator sets to be used for main propulsion and on-board power generation, the MTU Callosum propulsion control and monitoring system, and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS). Each new frigate will be powered by four MTU 20V 8000 M71 engines, each delivering over 8,000 kW. On-board power will be provided on each vessel by four MTU generator sets based on 16V 2000 M41B units, each delivering in excess of 900 kW. In September 2021, Rolls-Royce will deliver the first shipset comprising four main propulsion engines and four generator sets to prime contractor Babcock International Group. Integrated Logistics Support for propulsion and onboard power systems will ensure efficient and cost-effective maintenance throughout their entire service life. It is expected that the MTU Callosum propulsion control and monitoring system will be officially added to the supply contract very shortly.
Sean Donaldson, Managing Director for Energy & Marine at Babcock International, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rolls-Royce with its MTU solutions as a supplier to our Type 31 Programme. Its engines and on-board generator sets are already proving their mettle in numerous comparable vessels worldwide.”
Knut Müller, Vice President Marine & Defense at Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems, said: “We’re very proud of the fact that Babcock International Group has opted for MTU propulsion and on-board power solutions on this highly significant project. MTU products now feature in almost all current and future projects of the Royal Navy. That is impressive proof of the trust our British partners place in us and of the reliability and flexibility of our products.”
The Royal Navy relies on Rolls-Royce propulsion solutions across its surface and submarine fleets. MTU Series 2000, 4000 and 8000 units will feature in future in most Royal Navy warships – in destroyers (Type 45), all frigate classes (Type 23, 26, 31) and submarines (Astute class).
Rolls-Royce is to supply complete MTU propulsion systems for five new Type 31 general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy. In total, the order comprises of 40 engines and generator sets to be used for main propulsion and on-board power generation, the MTU Callosum propulsion control and monitoring system, and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS).
Rolls-Royce liefert komplette MTU-Antriebssysteme für fünf neue Type-31-Mehrzweckfregatten der britischen Royal Navy. Der Auftrag umfasst insgesamt 40 MTU-Hauptantriebsmotoren und Bordstromaggregate, das Antriebssteuerungs- und Überwachungssystem MTU Callosum und die dazugehörige integrierte logistische Unterstützung (ILS).
The Boeing [NYSE: BA]-built X-37B autonomous spaceplane today launched on top of a uniquely configured United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
Boeing is the prime contractor for the X-37B spaceplane and facilitates the integration of all experiments into the vehicle ensuring they receive the correct power, thermal and data services required. Boeing also works to identify future reusable platform experiment opportunities on each mission.
The X-37B’s sixth mission is the first to use a service module with additional payload capability to support a variety of experiments for multiple government partners. The mission will deploy FalconSAT-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory, to conduct experiments on orbit. Further, two NASA experiments will study the impact of radiation and other space effects on certain materials and seeds used to grow food. Another experiment by the Naval Research Laboratory will transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could then be transmitted to the ground. In addition, the mission will test reusable space vehicle technologies.
The X-37B first launched in April 2010. Originally designed for missions of 270 days duration, the X-37B has set endurance records during each of its five previous flights. Most recently, X-37B spent 780 days on orbit before returning to Earth in October 2019.
“The X-37B has shifted the paradigm and redefined efficiency in space development, said Jim Chilton, Boeing Space and Launch senior vice president. “The rapid technology advancements enabled by the program will benefit the entire space community and influence the next generation of spacecraft design.”
The X-37B program is a partnership between the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the United States Space Force. Boeing program management, engineering, test and mission support functions for the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) program are conducted at Boeing sites in Southern California and Florida.
