China is Developing Reusable Satellites to Return 600 kg to Earth

China is developing a new type of recoverable satellite that is reusable and intends to use it for commercial purposes, according to China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a State-owned space giant in charge of the program.

The company said the new model will be designed to meet growing demand for space-based scientific experiments from a wide range of industries, including space science, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and energy. The first such satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2020, it said.

Zhao Huiguang, chief designer of recoverable satellites at the China Academy of Space Technology, said on Monday that researchers expect that 10 to 15 such satellites will be needed in the next decade by clients from home and abroad.

Zhao explained that the weightlessness inside the spacecraft will be beneficial to conducting many scientific experiments and recoverable satellites are the most suitable platform for such experiments.

Moreover, the research and development of new materials, electronic components and medicines have also benefitted from space-based experiments on such satellites, he said.

Compared with current recoverable satellites in China, the new type will feature reusability, better technology and stronger carrying capacity, Zhao said.

"Our current recoverable satellites are able to ferry 250 kilograms of scientific payloads back to Earth. The new model will be able to carry up to 600 kg," the designer said.

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Turkey Wants to Develop, Launch Indigenous Satellite by 2019

After having spent more than $1 billion on satellite programs, the Turks have decided that it is time to spend their resources on local industrial efforts.

They will, however, be prepared to buy foreign know-how in order to build the country’s first indigenous satellite. One senior procurement official said the target date to launch the first Turkish satellite is 2019.

“There may be delays … but the idea to build an overall Turkish satellite will not be reviewed,” the procurement official said.

He said that for the Turkish government the critical criteria to make the satellite was “software, design and platform.”

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Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR-1 Rocket Engine Passes Design Milestone

Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc., announced it completed a key design milestone for its AR1 rocket engine this week. AR1 is an American-made engine that is being developed as a direct replacement for the Russian-made RD-180 engines that currently power launches of the majority of national security satellites to orbit for the U.S. government.

“This is one of the most important design reviews the program will undergo during its development,” said Julie Van Kleeck, vice president of Advanced Space & Launch Programs at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “As the only company domestically producing large liquid rocket engines, we apply rigorous design reviews as part of our overall development program, minimizing risk and helping ensure that we will meet the delivery schedule on a program of such national significance as AR1.”

“United Launch Alliance and Aerojet Rocketdyne have enjoyed a long relationship that spans decades,” said United Launch Alliance President and CEO, Tory Bruno. “Aerojet Rocketdyne continues to be a valued supplier and is making excellent progress on the AR1 engine development.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s stringent design, model, test and review process is essential for an engine developed to launch our nation’s most important national security space assets. During this design review, each of the 18 components and subsystems on the AR1 engine were thoroughly analyzed to ensure that each works properly and that once integrated, will function together seamlessly. With this review successfully completed, the company will continue with AR1 development in preparation for full-scale engine testing in 2017, and delivery of a flight-qualified engine ready for certification by 2019.

To date, AR1 has undergone more than 155 staged-combustion tests, built and successfully hot-fire tested additively manufactured components, conducted turbomachinery and valve tests, and began procurements for long-lead items.

“Our experience and proven track record of delivering highly reliable large liquid rocket engines, like the RS-25 for NASA’s Space Launch System and the RS-68 for the Delta IV launch vehicle, protects U.S. national security,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and President Eileen Drake. “We have achieved every milestone in our AR1 schedule to be ready for 2019 – we have in place the production facilities, tools, equipment, supply base and, most importantly, highly skilled employees to manufacture the AR1 engine to meet the national security needs of our nation.”

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The British Vision of Warfare in 2035

Future British military operations will require more stand-off or remotely-operated weapons to counter a spread of advanced technologies among its enemies that will make today's conflicts appear "relatively simple" by comparison, according to a Ministry of Defence research paper.

“The proliferation of technology and advanced weapons systems will provide many more states with effective anti-access and area denial capabilities that will impact on operations in every environment," says the MoD in its Future Operating Environment 2035 document.

This will demand the "innovative use" of cyber, precision and stand-off weapons, it says, "as well as stealth, layered defence and automated systems".

“Operations conducted thus far will look relatively simple compared to some of those required in the future operating environment of 2035."

As technological advances make high-altitude airspace more accessible, this is “blurring further the distinction between air and space”. Although there is presently no agreement on how far airspace extends vertically, it is typically considered that it is as high as aircraft can fly. Future aircraft will be able to reach ever higher altitudes, adding "ambiguity" to these borders, it says, potentially provoking confrontation.

“These technologies may stretch our ability to police international airspace and defend our sovereign territory from the air,” it adds.

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China's Aerospace Sector is as Dependent on Ukrainian Jet Engines as on Russian

Recent discussions with Ukrainian technicians indicate that China's aero-engine industry continues to depend on Ukrainian technology almost as much as it does on Russian propulsion systems.

Impressions of the state of China's aero-engine programmes among staff of the Ivchenko-Progress design bureau in Zaporozhye, southeastern Ukraine, are that Chinese efforts remain stymied by technological bottlenecks, despite public announcements and displays of "indigenous" engine designs.

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McDonnell Douglas' "Big G:" the Failed Rival to the Space Shuttle

By 1967, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, which built the Gemini spacecraft earlier in the decade, had a contract to build several Gemini Bs for the Air Force as part of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. The Gemini B would be launched atop the MOL on a Titan IIIM rocket. The Gemini astronauts would leave their spacecraft through a hatch in the heat shield of their spacecraft and travel to the MOL through a tunnel.

Like all government contractors, McDonnell Douglas was looking to expand their customer base. The company had pitched civilian versions of MOL to NASA even though NASA was planning on using Apollo hardware as the basis of future space stations. In summer 1967, McDonnell Douglas proposed a new variant of its Gemini spacecraft known as the “Big Gemini,” or “Big G.” By December 1967, the company prepared a 100-page briefing booklet for NASA with “Big G” printed on the cover. The briefing booklet made the case for a new spacecraft for NASA even though NASA was not in the market for one.

The company briefing stated, “In the 1970–1980 period, it appears that at least a dozen launches will be required for logistic purposes.” Although the Apollo Command and Service Module could service the first planned orbital workshop, which was then expected to launch in 1970, McDonnell Douglas argued that an improved and more versatile cargo vehicle would be useful for the “Orbital Workshop No. 2,” which the company expected would be launched in 1971.

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US Warily Watching Rise of Chinese Space Program

A section of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2015 Report to Congress casts a weary eye on the rise of the Chinese space program.

“China’s rise as a major space power challenges decades of U.S. dominance in space—an arena in which the United States has substantial military, civilian, and commercial interests,” the report states.

Below are some key excerpts of the report’s section about China’s space program, including an overview, a description the program’s structure, conclusions and recommendations.

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How to Build a Reusable Solar Sail for Mars

Mass breakdown model of solar-photon sail shuttle: The case for Mars

Authors:

Vulpetti et al

Abstract:

The main aim of this paper is to set up a many-parameter model of mass breakdown to be applied to a reusable Earth–Mars–Earth solar-photon sail shuttle, and analyze the system behavior in two sub-problems: (1) the zero-payload shuttle, and (2) given the sailcraft sail loading and the gross payload mass, find the sail area of the shuttle. The solution to the subproblem-1 is of technological and programmatic importance. The general analysis of subproblem-2 is presented as a function of the sail side length, system mass, sail loading and thickness. In addition to the behaviors of the main system masses, useful information for future work on the sailcraft trajectory optimization is obtained via (a) a detailed mass model for the descent/ascent Martian Excursion Module, and (b) the fifty–fifty solution to the sailcraft sail loading breakdown equation. Of considerable importance is the evaluation of the minimum altitude for the rendezvous between the ascent rocket vehicle and the solar-photon sail propulsion module, a task performed via the Mars Climate Database 2014–2015. The analysis shows that such altitude is 300 km; below it, the atmospheric drag prevails over the solar-radiation thrust. By this value, an example of excursion module of 1500 kg in total mass is built, and the sailcraft sail loading and the return payload are calculated. Finally, the concept of launch opportunity-wide for a shuttle driven by solar-photon sail is introduced. The previous fifty–fifty solution may be a good initial guess for the trajectory optimization of this type of shuttle.

Iran Wants to Procure Russian Satellites

Iran intends to cooperate with Russia in the area of aerospace after economic sanctions are lifted, to include satellites, weather satellites, and remote sensing devices, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Thursday.

"Iran is interested in our plans [new federal aerospace program], they want to find their place in the market of remote sensing devices. They want their own weather satellites, satellites and remote sensing devices," Rogozin told Rossiya-24 television.

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Lockheed, MDA, Thales Alenia Unveil Jupiter Deep Space Tug, Cargo Ship

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Airbus Spaceplane Drop Test Video

Airbus Conducts Spaceplane Drop Test

"In the WT* Are They Thinking" Category: Kazakhstan to Test & Evaluate General Atomics Predator XP Drone

Kazakhstan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with US unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer General Atomics, paving the way for in-country evaluation of the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) Predator XP.

A General Atomics spokesperson told IHS Jane's on 27 May that General Atomics Systems Integration, a subsidiary responsible for defence and aerospace services, had signed the MoU with Kazakhstan's state-owned defence industrial firm Kazakhstan Engineering (KE) to allow the firm to lease the Predator XP for testing and evaluation in Kazakhstan.

A timetable for the testing and evaluation period was not available.

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MALE2020: a European Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance UAV to Compete with American, Israeli Offerings

Airbus Defence and Space (DS), Dassault, and Alenia Aermacchi have announced plans to co-operate on the development of a new medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), it was announced on 19 May.

The announcement, which was made to coincide with the beginning of the ILA Berlin Airshow, said that the three companies had delivered a proposal defining their collective offering, dubbed MALE2020, to the ministries of defence for Germany, France, and Italy.

According to a joint statement, this proposal involves a definition phase in which the three companies will define the requirements for the European unmanned aircraft system (UAS) with their respective armed forces and European industry. This, they said, should reduce the programme risk and keep costs down.

The statement did not disclose a timeline for this definition phase, but added that upon its completion the nations would follow with a commitment to further development with the goal of a fieldable system by 2020.

Although this effort is being touted as an opportunity to develop a European MALE UAS solution to rival those manufactured by the United States and Israel, it is actually the third major European programme currently under way alongside the Franco-British Future Combat Air System and the Dassault-led Neuron. Both of those programmes feature strong involvement from BAE Systems and Saab respectively, and it is interesting that neither has been listed in the statement as being among "the three most relevant European aeronautical companies" for inclusion in this latest venture. Neither company had responded to a request for comment by the time IHS Jane's went to press.

No technical details pertaining to the new platform have been released, but there is a fair chance that it may be based on the Airbus DS (formerly EADS) Talarion MALE UAV. The jet-powered Talarion was displayed at the ILA2012 Airshow in Berlin with the words European UAS stencilled prominently on its nose, after having been supposedly axed only some months previously due to a lack of customer interest.

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The Direction of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Chairman R K Tyagi has said that the country should come out clearly on futuristic projects like Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft and Multirole Transport Aircraft to prioritise strategic and geopolitical goals.

In an interview to Express, Tyagi said the company is contemplating a two-pronged approach — strategic and operational.

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US Sanctions Having Impact on Russian Launch Industry, Might Benefit American & Chinese Launchers

In response to Russia’s involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, the United States has tightened its export controls, and this has seriously hurt important Russian space projects. US authorities are apparently denying export licenses that allow European and other foreign communications satellites containing US components to be launched into space by Russian rockets. This decision has effectively pushed the Russian Federation out of the highly prestigious (though limited) international space launch market. In 2014, the country’s space agency, Roscosmos, was planning 38 space launches, with 10 of them contracted to carry foreign payloads. Commercial space launches of foreign satellites have been bringing Russia some $700–800 million a year. This additional income is important both economically and psychologically—a symbolic vestige of Russia still being a high-tech powerhouse. If Russia is pushed out of the commercial satellite launch marketplace by US sanctions, even temporarily, it would be difficult to ever come back fully, as cheaper Chinese and private US space launchers pick up its market share.

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SpaceX Plans Multiple Tests for Rocket Reusability

While Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and NASA monitored the Falcon 9 second stage as it powered a Dragon cargo spacecraft on the third cargo resupply (CRS-3) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) from Kennedy Space Center on April 18, another group of launch specialists was looking elsewhere. They were tracking the descent of the first stage to a controlled, gentle splashdown and demonstration of what they hope will clear the way for routine powered-booster recoveries on land.

The test was another step toward SpaceX's aim of fundamentally reducing launch costs by employing completely reusable rocket boosters that can be quickly refueled for another flight without rebuild or refurbishment. To achieve this target, which could see the first test flight of a reused booster as early as 2015, the company plans to guide a discarded first stage to a powered landing at a yet-to-be-determined site along the Florida coastline this year.

While SpaceX remains coy about the exact fate of the modified Falcon 9 first stage, the overall results appear to be encouraging despite the apparent breakup of the booster after it landed in heavy seas. Additional encouragement comes from the successful first vertical launch and recovery test flight of the Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) development unit 1 at SpaceX's rocket facility in McGregor, Texas, the day before the CRS-3 flight.

“We are starting to connect the dots,” says SpaceX CEO and chief designer Elon Musk, who confirmed on Twitter shortly after launch that the “landing in Atlantic was good.” The “dots” Musk refers to range from development and testing of specific guidance, navigation, control and landing technology using dedicated test vehicles such as the F9R Dev 1 and a scaled predecessor called the Grasshopper, to key tests of reusable technology during actual launches. However, Musk cautions that all the dots need to be joined before SpaceX can claim success: “To be reusable, it must be both rapid and complete, like an aircraft or a car.” Having to replace parts or refurbish stages between flights will defeat the object of saving costs. “The only thing that changes is reloading propellant and expendables, and the vehicle is designed for that,” he adds.

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Google Beats Facebook to Buy Drone Maker Titan Aerospace

The technology company announced Monday that it has acquired Titan Aerospace, a start-up founded in 2012 that makes high-altitude, solar-powered drones.

The purchase is part of the new push in Silicon Valley to find ways of delivering Internet service to underserved areas, particularly in the developing world.

"Titan Aerospace and Google share a profound optimism about the potential for technology to improve the world," Google said. "It's still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation."

The companies didn't respond to requests for comment on the terms of the deal.

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Facebook had been rumored to be trying to buy Titan back in the beginning of March.

FACEBOOK (!!!) to buy Drone Maker Titan Aerospace

Since we did the first story about the capabilities that Titan Aerospace offers — drones capable of flying for five years at 65,000 feet — we feel compelled to write about their reported purchase by Facebook.

That’s right: not SpaceX or Northrop Grumman or Orbital. Facebook. The story is being covered in the financial and tech press, with TechCrunch having broken the news. The start-up will reportedly be bought for $60 million (NOT billion) to help provide Internet access to Africa and other underserved locations.

TechCrunch says Titan “would start by building 11,000 of these unmanned aerial vehicles,” specifically the Solara 60 model.

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Pentagon Increasing Budget for Prototyping, Especially for Space and Cyber

The Pentagon official who oversees the defense industrial base told Wall Street investors this morning that the upcoming defense budget will include funding for weapons prototypes. And Elena Broitman, deputy assistant defense secretary for manufacturing and industrial base policy (DASD industrial base to most Pentagon wonks), cautioned that the absence of lawmakers with military experience and the public’s “war weariness” may emperil passage of robust defense budgets.

Broitman, told the annual Cowen aerospace and defense conference here that a recent meeting of the Deputies Management Action Group (the deputy defense secretary’s strategic group that makes the big budget decisions) approved moving money from large programs to several smaller prototyping efforts.

“We are doubling down on prototype programs,” Broitman told the audience of roughly 175 aerospace industry investors. Where did the money come from for this effort? “We need to put money from some big programs to smaller programs or we we’re going to have some holes,” she said after describing the top-level decision to put money into prototypes. She wouldn’t describe the specific winners and losers because of the impending release (March 4) of the defense budget. But she also noted that space and cyber security are “major, major concerns.” It wasn’t entirely clear if she was speaking broadly of the budget at that point or about prototyping.

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