Space

SIDNEY, N.Y., 9 Feb. 2012. Amphenol Aerospace, a provider of interconnect systems, has unveiled a series of rugged, micro-miniature connectors designed to maximize size, weight, and power (SWaP) in high-reliability, harsh environments, as well as to deliver power throughput and consistent coupling by incorporating more electrical connections in a compact form factor. The company’s new 2M Series are available in shell sizes from 5 to 23, weigh 72 percent less and is 52 percent smaller than standard MIL-DTL-38999 connectors, and are intermateable and intermountable with existing micro-miniature, high-density connectors typically used in aerospace and defense applications.

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS, 8 Feb. 2012. Systems designers and systems integrators have openly admitted to treating connectors as something of an afterthought in years past. Today, however, connectors are often a central focus and concern for engineers championing efficient, effective, and innovative electronic systems for aerospace and defense applications.

SPECIAL REPORT, 7 Feb. 2011. Despite budget cutbacks and a lack of support, U.S. military officials have pushed through upgrades and technology insertion for the nation's land- and sea-based atomic missiles, as well as for the nuclear arsenal's multi-layer command-and-control systems.

WASHINGTON, 6 Feb. 2012. NASA officials overseeing the Edison Small Satellite Demonstration Program have issued a broad agency announcement (BAA) seeking low-cost, flight demonstration proposals for small satellite technology. The solicitation is limited to demonstrations of communications systems for small satellites, proximity operations with small satellites, and propulsion systems for CubeSat-scale satellites. The goal is to increase the technical capabilities and range of uses for the emerging category of spacecraft.

HOUSTON, 4 Feb. 2012. NASA officials announced receipt of more than 6,300 applications from individuals desirous of becoming a NASA astronaut. The second highest number of applications ever received by the agency was logged between 15 Nov. 2011 and 27 Jan. 2012. NASA officials will select between nine and 15 people, following a thorough selection process that includes interviews and medical examinations, to become part of the 21st astronaut class.

MANASSAS, Va., 29 Jan. 2012. Officials of rad-hard electronics specialist BAE Systems Electronic Solutions in Manassas, Va., has received QML-V approval and qualification from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Land and Maritime division in Columbus, Ohio, for the BAE Systems RH1020B field programmable gate array (FPGA) for military and space applications such as satellites and strategic weapon systems that require radiation-hardened integrated circuits. The standard microcircuit drawing is SMD 5962R90965.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., 17 Jan. 2012. The Boeing Co. Space and Intelligence Systems (S&IS) segment in El Segundo, Calif., will build the ninth U.S. Air Force Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite under terms of a $376.5 million contract modification announced Friday from the Air Force Space and Missile Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. WGS satellites are the key elements of a high-capacity system to provide advanced communications capabilities for deployed U.S. military forces. The WGS constellation is the highest-capacity satellite communications system for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Each WGS satellite can route data at 2.1 to 3.6 gigabits per second.

LOS ANGELES AFB, Calif., 12 Jan. 2012. Navigation satellite designers at the Lockheed Martin Corp. Space Systems Co. in Newtown, Pa., outside Trenton will build the third and fourth Global Positioning System (GPS) III navigation and guidance satellites under terms of a $238.5 million contract awarded Wednesday by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., 11 Jan. 2012. NASA has contracted a.i. solutions Inc. of Lanham, Md., to provide integrated services for the preparation and launch of NASA's next generation of scientific and exploration spacecraft under the agency's Launch Services Program (LSP). The Expendable Launch Vehicle Integrated Support 2 (ELVIS 2) contract, valued at up to $138.1 million, features a two-month, phase-in period beginning Feb. 2012, followed by a one-and-a-half-year base period from April 1, 2012, through Sept. 30, 2013.

BLACKSBURG, Va., 8 Jan 2012. The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Fort Belvoir, Va., is issuing Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMDs) for more than 150 space-grade, radiation-hardened DC-DC power converter modules from power electronics specialist VPT Inc. in Blacksburg, Va. VPT’s rad-hard SV series DC-DC converters are manufactured to MIL-PRF-38534 Class K for space environments. These products are for space applications including low Earth orbit (LEO) systems, geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) systems, deep space probes, and other demanding applications.

BLACKSBURG, Va., 8 Jan 2012. The U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Fort Belvoir, Va., is issuing Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMDs) for more than 150 space-grade, radiation-hardened DC-DC power converter modules from power electronics specialist VPT Inc. in Blacksburg, Va. VPT’s rad-hard SV series DC-DC converters are manufactured to MIL-PRF-38534 Class K for space environments. These products are for space applications including low Earth orbit (LEO) systems, geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) systems, deep space probes, and other demanding applications.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 29 Nov. 2011. Avionics experts at Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. in Crawley, England, needed high-gain satellite communications (SATCOM) antennas for the airline's Boeing 747 cabin upgrade program, which will begin in 2012. They found their solution from Cobham plc Antenna Systems segment in Cape Town, South Africa. Virgin Atlantic will retrofit seven of its Boeing 747 jumbo passenger jets with the Cobham antenna, which will enable Inmarsat SwiftBroadband (SBB) SATCOM connectivity into the cockpit and cabin.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., 29 Nov. 2011. Engineers at Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) designed, developed, and delivered a protective aeroshell to encapsulate NASA’s Curiosity rover. The aeroshell, a blunt-nosed cone, protects Curiosity during from the intense heat and friction generated as the system descends through the atmosphere on its deep-space journey to Mars. Its heat shield is covered with tiles of phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA), which will be instrumental in protecting the Curiosity rover from the expected 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit temperature as the spacecraft descends through the Martian atmosphere on Aug. 5, 2012.

GREENBELT, Md., 22 Nov. 2011. The Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) from Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) onboard the NASA NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft has acquired its first image—marking a historic event. The high-resolution visible spectrum image shows a broad swath of Eastern North America from Canada’s Hudson Bay past Florida to the northern coast of Venezuela in sharp detail. VIIRS, a scanning radiometer, collects visible and infrared imagery as well as radiometric measurements of the land, atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans. The NOAA Satellite Operations Facility (NSOF) in Suitland, Md., processed the VIIRS data.

Avionics systems designers and systems integrators are faced with the challenge of size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. Commercial, business, and military aviation customers increasingly desire modern avionics—whether installing in new aircraft platforms, or retrofitting current fleets of airplanes. Read on for real-world applications of how organizations are tapping the latest avionics innovations to pack a wealth of robust electronics in small spaces while delivering sufficient power and electronics cooling.   

MINNEAPOLIS, 16 Nov., 2011. Honeywell (NYSE:HON) announced that it has been awarded a $21.7 million contract to provide Heathrow's new Terminal 2 with an integrated fire safety, public address and voice alarm system, along with advanced lighting controls and building management systems covering mechanical and electrical operations.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, Nov. 15, 2011. Emirates Airlines has selected a comprehensive package of Rockwell Collins avionics for 32 new Airbus A380 and 30 new Boeing 777 aircraft. Aircraft deliveries are in progress and will continue through 2015.

AVIONICS INTELLIGENCE REPORT, 15 Nov. 2011. Executive Editor Courtney E. Howard discusses industry-wide optimism in the realm of space avionics. NASA has announced numerous new opportunities in November alone. Among them are the Orion spacecraft, Mars Science Laboratory, and Juno spacecraft—all of which require capable, and oftentimes rugged and rad-hard, electronics components and systems. Optimism among avionics technology firms—including VPT, Crane Aerospace & Electronics, Radisys, Martek Power, EDT, and others—abounds.

GERMANTOWN, Md., 9 Nov. 2011. Hughes Network Systems LLC, provider of broadband satellite systems and services, will provide satellite communications for a government agency’s airborne solution for in-flight intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), including air segment, ground segment, and network management services. The Hughes airborne solution includes the advanced HX System, including the HX satellite Gateway, HX 200 satellite router, and Expert Network Management System (ExpertNMS), which provides advanced diagnostics and network monitoring capabilities.