Sep
2
2010

NASA Selects Two Firms for Experimental Space Vehicle Test Flights

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) has awarded a total of approximately $475,000 to Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas and Masten Space Systems of Mojave, Calif. The awards will allow the two companies to perform test flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space.


Contributed by: aeroinnovate Comments: 5
By: David E. Steitz , NASA
Aug. 30, 2010
RELEASE : 10-203
 
NASA Selects Two Firms for Experimental Space Vehicle Test Flights
 
WASHINGTON — NASA’s Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) has awarded a total of approximately $475,000 to Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas and Masten Space Systems of Mojave, Calif. The awards will allow the two companies to perform test flights of their experimental vehicles near the edge of space.

The flights will demonstrate the capabilities of new vehicles to provide recoverable launch and testing of small payloads going to “near-space,” the region of Earth’s atmosphere between 65,000 and 350,000 feet. The CRuSR program fosters the development of commercial reusable transportation to near space. The overall goal of the program is regular, frequent and predictable access to near-space at a reasonable cost with easy recovery of intact payloads.

“These two awards are just the beginning of an innovative teaming relationship with industry to provide affordable access to the edge of space while evaluating the microgravity environment for future science and technology experiments,” said NASA Chief Technologist Bobb...Read More

Jul
26
2010

ORBITEC Earns Multiple NASA Opportunities for Propulsion and Life Support Space Technologies

The Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) has recently won two major support efforts with NASA in areas of propulsion and life support. ORBITEC led and primed a team of small businesses that won the opportunity to provide development support in propulsion systems (RTAPS) for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio.
Contributed by: aeroinnovate Comments: 1

The Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) has recently won two major support efforts with NASA in areas of propulsion and life support. ORBITEC led and primed a team of small businesses that won the opportunity to provide development support in propulsion systems (RTAPS) for the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio. ORBITEC’s entire team Briefed NASA with the vast capabilities it can bring to the space propulsion technology needs of NASA.  A series of priority development needs will be presented to be sourced to ORBITEC’s team and 4 other large company teams over the next 5 years totaling $50M.  ORBITEC has integrated a talented and experienced team of small businesses, universities, and a smaller group of large businesses, located in 12 states.

ORBITEC also just won, as part of the Wyle Laboratories team, another development support contract with NASA Johnson Space in Houston Texas called Crew, Robotics, Avionics, and Vehicle Equipment (CRAVE).  ORBITEC’s primary role is to provide solutions in the area of life support systems and crew related technologies including it interactive 3D information systems capabilities. Wyle is one of three companies receiving an award which, cumulatively, is expecte...Read More

Jul
20
2010

AeroInnovate Takes Flight Again, July 27

Aviation entrepreneurs and potential investors have a new place to be during one day of their visit to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, and it’s called AeroInnovate. AeroInnovate 2010 takes place on the second day of AirVenture on July 27, 2010 in EAA’s AirVenture Museum.
Contributed by: aeroinnovate Comments: 15

Aviation entrepreneurs and potential investors have a new place to be during one day of their visit to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA’s) annual AirVenture in Oshkosh, and it’s called AeroInnovate. AeroInnovate 2010 takes place on the second day of AirVenture on July 27, 2010 in EAA’s AirVenture Museum.

AirVenture, attended by 550,000 aerospace enthusiasts last year provided a perfect backdrop to the inaugural AeroInnovate 2009 attracting a highly select group of investors, industry leaders and entrepreneurs to network and learn. “AeroInnovate was created specifically for entrepreneurs and investors in the aviation and aerospace community,” AeroInnovate co-director Meridith Jaeger said. “We want it to be a platform for upcoming technologies and what’s going on in aviation and aerospace technology and we wa...Read More

Jul
9
2010

Solar Impulse makes first overnight flight by solar powered plane

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA, with CEO André Borschberg at its controls, landed successfully at 09:00 am of July 8 at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland after a flight of 26 hours fueled solely by solar power. After a disappointing weeklong delay, the plane took off at 6:51 am July 7. The plane then circled the Swiss [...]
Contributed by: DavidHegedus Comments: 3

Solar Impulse All Solar Aircraft

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA, with CEO André Borschberg at its controls, landed successfully at 09:00 am of July 8 at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland after a flight of 26 hours fueled solely by solar power.

After a disappointing weeklong delay, the plane took off at 6:51 am July 7. The plane then circled the Swiss Plateau and reached a maximum altitude of 28,500 (8700 m) at 16:40h. The prototype circled the base till sundown at 19:30, the 12,000 solar panels that cover the 210 foot (63.4 meter) expanse of its wing soaking up sunlight to fully charge its 880 pounds (400kg) of batteries.

With its four electric engines silently keeping it aloft, the aircraft then glided slowly through the night to a height of 4,900 feet (1,500 meters) by dawn. Following its predetermined ...Read More

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