miércoles, 4 de julio de 2018

UK mulls sixth generation fighter project



One hundred years after the formation of the Royal Air Force – what kind of combat aircraft will it be flying over the next century? That is a key question that is set to be brought into sharp focus this month with the release of the UK’s Combat Air Strategy. Continue reading: https://www.aerosociety.com/news/uk-mulls-sixth-generation-fighter-project/

Airbus’ majority stake in C Series partnership with Bombardier and Investissement Québec comes into effect



press release




The closing of the previously announced C Series transaction between Airbus SAS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus SE (EPA: AIR), Bombardier Inc. (TSX: BBD.B) and Investissement Québec came into effect on July 1, 2018. Airbus now owns a 50.01% majority stake in C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership, while Bombardier and Investissement Québec own approximately 34% and 16% respectively. CSALP’s head office, primary assembly line and related functions are based in Mirabel, Québec. http://www.airbus.com/aircraft/passenger-aircraft/c-series-family.html

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Airbus and United Nations team up for universal access to space



press release




Access to space and payload operations through Bartolomeo

Provision of Earth observation data from Airbus-operated satellites

Capability building for Member States to enable use of space-based data


Vienna, 02/07/2018 – Airbus and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the UNISPACE+50 conference celebrating half a century of international cooperation in outer space.



The five-year renewable MoU aims to jointly build capabilities in developed and developing countries in microgravity experiments and its related benefits. Furthermore it aims to build capability in terms of usage of Earth observation data and support the missions of the UN, its specialist agencies and Member States.



Both partners will work together to support the Member States in accessing and using space by enabling access to the International Space Station (ISS). Bartolomeo, the new external hosting platform developed by Airbus, self-funded and operated in cooperation with the European Space Agency, enables cost and time-efficient access to space.



Airbus offers free payload space, giving UN Member States the opportunity to participate in an orbital space mission utilising the Bartolomeo platform attached to the European Columbus Module of the ISS.



Application areas include Earth observation, robotics, material science and astrophysics. Operated aboard the ISS in low Earth orbit, the Bartolomeo platform offers the ISS’ most unobstructed view of planet Earth and outer space.



“Operating a space mission on the Bartolomeo platform is a highly cost and time-efficient way of bringing a payload into space, and our all-in-one mission service makes it as easy as possible. Through our partnership with the UN we hope the benefits of space can be more accessible to the global community,” said Johannes von Thadden, Head of International and Space Institutions at Airbus during the signing ceremony.



Both partners will also provide consultancy to increase awareness of the opportunities from geoinformation and support the development of local capability with respect to exploiting Earth observation data. As part of this, data from SPOT, Pléiades, as well as from TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X satellites will be made available, together with training sessions, conferences and workshops.



Finally, Airbus and the UN will jointly support professional training via specific United Nations entities and specialist agencies as well as Member States, on the usage of Earth observation data for dedicated operational applications. These applications, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, such as the UN-SPIDER (SPace-based Information for Disaster management and Emergency Response) Charter would include, but not limited to, flood modelling, subsidence of urban areas in coastal regions, and forest degradation.

Airbus completes the integration of Cheops satellite



press release







ESA’s new exoplanet hunting satellite is on track for launch by the end of the year



Madrid, 03/07/2018 – Airbus has completed the integration of Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite), the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first small mission satellite that will carry out an exciting scientific mission, to define the properties of the planets orbiting nearby stars.



Cheops will study these planets using a Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope supplied by the University of Bern, in Switzerland. It was integrated last month at Airbus’ Madrid-Barajas site on the already-finished platform. Following successful integration the spacecraft will be sent to France, Switzerland and The Netherlands for a comprehensive test campaign on 9 July.



The campaign will include a complete set of functional and environmental tests to ensure that the spacecraft is fit for launch. The satellite will then return to Madrid for final functional tests and a final inspection before it is shipped to Kourou, French Guiana, for launch.



The satellite, which is implemented as a partnership between ESA and Switzerland, is on track for launch by the end of the year on a Soyuz rocket from Kourou. The Cheops mission will analyse, for at least three and a half years, the transit of exoplanets as they pass in front of their stars. It will operate from a Sun-synchronous orbit, at an altitude between 650 and 800 km.

USAF suspends light attack experiment [feedly]

The US Air Force decided to end the flying phase of its light attack experiment early, after the contest was suspended due to the fatal crash of a Sierra Nevada/Embraer A-29 Super Tucano on June 22.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/usaf-suspends-light-attack-experiment-449918/

 -- via my feedly newsfeed

Operaciones automáticas del RPAS TARSIS desde la playa



Nota de Prensa




AERTEC Solutions ha alcanzado un nuevo hito tecnológico con su plataforma aérea no tripulada de ala fija TARSIS 75. Este RPAS, construido en fibra de carbono, ha realizado una operación completa y automática en el paraje del Arenosillo, en la playa de Mazagón (Huelva), con lo que amplía su abanico de soluciones en pistas no convencionales.
TARSIS 75 es el primer RPAS en completar con éxito en Europa una operación completa y automática sobre arena de playa.

Gracias a la estrecha colaboración que AERTEC Solutions mantiene con el Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), en los primeros días de junio se llevó a cabo una serie de vuelos del TARSIS 75 en las instalaciones del Centro de Experimentación de El Arenosillo (CEDEA), uno de los mayores espacios aéreos segregados en Europa. Hasta la fecha no existe constancia tanto en España como en Europa que otros RPAS de características similares al TARSIS hayan conseguido completar con éxito una operación de estas características, completa y automática, en arena de playa. Tanto el despegue como la ejecución del vuelo y el aterrizaje se han efectuado de forma automática, con lo que este nuevo hito tecnológico viene a sumarse a las prestaciones de la plataforma aérea de ala fija desarrollada por AERTEC.

Este nuevo desarrollo de alta complejidad tecnológica permite ampliar el abanico de operaciones de observación y vigilancia en costa del TARSIS 75, dotándolo de una mayor flexibilidad. Control de inmigración, apoyo a emergencias, soporte a flotas pesqueras u operaciones de medio ambiente, destacan entre otras posibles aplicaciones. El TARSIS 75 es un avión no tripulado táctico ligero con altas prestaciones, diseñado con tecnología propia de AERTEC, preparado para transportar una carga de pago máxima de hasta 12 Kg y alcanzar una autonomía máxima de 12 horas.

Estas pruebas con el TARSIS 75 se han realizado a continuación de su participación en UNVEX SECURITY & DEFENSE, la cumbre europea de sistemas aéreos remotamente tripulados (RPAS) que ha tenido lugar en León del 29 al 31 de mayo. Precisamente en León se realizó también hace unos meses la primera campaña de evaluación operativa del TARSIS 75 dentro del Proyecto Rapaz, impulsado por la Dirección General de Armamento y Materiales (DGAM) del Ministerio de Defensa, que tiene el objetivo de evaluar distintos Sistemas Aéreos Pilotados de Forma Remota de menos de 150 kg, para futuras adquisiciones de las Fuerzas Armadas.

Desde AERTEC se persigue la activación de las siguientes campañas de operaciones con el Ministerio de Defensa dentro del programa RAPAZ. Ello permitiría a los sistemas TARSIS ser muy probados por los Ejércitos y aprovechar su amplia experiencia operativa para identificar posibles mejoras, que añadido a la capacidad de adaptación por parte de AERTEC Solutions como autoridad de diseño, permitirá el cumplimiento de la mayoría de los requisitos del usuario.