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Space


November 2004 Space News

  • Lockheed Martin-Built GPS Satellite Declared Operational For Navigation Users Worldwide Lockheed Martin 30 Nov 2004 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]—built Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, launched successfully Nov. 6 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., has been declared fully operational for military and civilian navigation users around the globe.
  • Cablevision Awards Lockheed Martin Contract For Five A2100 Satellites Lockheed Martin 29 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a contract by Rainbow DBS Company LLC, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC), to build its next five geostationary telecommunications satellites. Designated Rainbow Ka-1 through Rainbow Ka-5, and situated at their final orbital locations of 62W, 71W, 77W, 119W, and 129W degrees, the satellites will provide direct broadcast services across the continental United States (CONUS). In addition, the most western satellites at 119W, and 129W degrees will provide service to Alaska and Hawaii. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
  • Iran, Russia resume talks on Zohreh Satellite IRNA 27 Nov 2004 -- Iranian and Russian officials will resume talks on the project concerning Zohreh Satellite as of Monday, it was announced here Saturday.
  • NASA Names Next International Space Station Crew Washington File 24 Nov 2004 -- NASA astronaut John Phillips and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev will be the next International Space Station (ISS) crew, according to a November 23 NASA press release.
  • Memorandum of Understanding for the Provision of a Satellite Communications Capability Signed NATO 23 Nov 2004 -- NATO completed on 22 November the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Governments of France, Italy and the United Kingdom for the provision of a satellite communications capability for fifteen years, commencing 1 January 2005. This new NATO satellite capability will primarily be used to provide the communications support of NATO's deployed forces.
  • ATK Technologies Help NASA's Swift in its Launch and Exploration of Gamma Ray Bursts ATK 22 Nov 2004 -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) solid propulsion and composite technologies supported Saturday’s successful launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket carrying NASA’s Swift observatory into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Swift, which includes four key ATK composite assemblies, will study gamma ray bursts ― the most powerful explosions in the universe.
  • Boeing Announces Sale of Electron Dynamic Devices, Inc. Boeing 22 Nov 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today the divestiture of Torrance, Calif.-based Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices, Inc. (EDD), a supplier of space and defense products, to L-3 Communications [NYSE: LLL] for an undisclosed amount.
  • Paradigm signs 15 year contract to provide Military Satellite Communications to NATO EADS 22 Nov 2004 -- Following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NATO, the UK, Italy and France for the provision of NATO’s satellite communications services from 2005 until 2019, Paradigm Secure Communications has today signed a contract to provide the UK share of NATO’s Space Segment requirements. The contract is valued at around £100m over the concession.
  • NASA Launches International Swift Satellite Washington File 22 Nov 2004 -- NASA's Swift satellite, launched November 20 aboard a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, is intended to pinpoint the location of distant, fleeting explosions that seem to signal the births of black holes.
  • Boeing Launches NASA Spacecraft that will Observe 'Black Hole' Formations Boeing 20 Nov 2004 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket delivered to orbit today a NASA spacecraft that will monitor the afterglow of explosions in space.
  • NASA X-43A rockets to Mach 9.8 at Edwards AFPN 19 Nov 2004 -- After postponing the mission because of a problem with the X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, NASA officials said they could not have hoped for a better flight than the one they had here Nov. 16.
  • INTERNATIONAL SPACE COOPERATION VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- Delegates from 18 spacefaring countries, the European Space Agency, and the European Commission held an unprecedented meeting in Washington this week to discuss ways of cooperating with the new space exploration program on which the United States is embarking. China was among the participants, even though political obstacles stand in the way of U.S.-Chinese space cooperation.
  • Boeing to Begin Testing of Experimental Rocket Engine Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- With an eye toward revolutionary new rocket engine systems, engineers from The Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power business unit of the Integrated Defense Systems of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] have begun final preparations for testing a futuristic engine at the Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi. The engine, dubbed the Integrated Powerhead Demonstration, or IPD, combines the very latest in rocket engine propulsion technologies. Following system checkout, an ambitious "hot-fire" testing program will begin in earnest in this January.
  • Boeing Teams with Alcatel to Deploy Innovative Satellite Communication Subsystems Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today the formation of a teaming partnership with Paris communications company Alcatel [NYSE: ALA ] to provide satellite communication subsystems for Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS). The agreement builds on a strategy aimed at supplying satellite customers with unsurpassed quality and value.
  • Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 Missiles Successfully Intercept Two Targets During Flight Test at White Sands Missile Range Lockheed Martin 18 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile successfully intercepted two missile targets today during Developmental Test/Operational Test-12 (DT/OT-12), the most complex flight test scenario to date for PAC-3. During the initial phase of the test, conducted at White Sands Missile Range, NM, six missiles were in the air simultaneously.
  • Orbital Successfully Launches Target Rocket For Patriot Missile Defense System Test Orbital Sciences Corp. 18 Nov 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it recently carried out another successful launch of a missile defense-related target rocket for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The latest success for an Orbital-built missile occurred on Thursday, November 18 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Orbital launched this suborbital target vehicle for the Missile Defense Agency's Maneuvering Tactical Target Vehicle (MTTV) program. The MTTV rocket, which performed its mission as planned, was used as a target to test the Patriot missile defense system.
  • PATRIOT PAC-3 Successfully Engages Multiple Targets Raytheon 18 Nov 2004 -- Raytheon Company's Configuration 3 PATRIOT System successfully engaged two targets simultaneously today that were simulating incoming ballistic missiles during a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
  • NASA Scramjet Breaks Speed Record Washington File 17 Nov 2004 -- NASA's X-43A scramjet-powered research vehicle broke the air speed record November 16 and showed that an "air-breathing" engine can fly at nearly 10 times the speed of sound.
  • ATK and NASA Set The Pace With Record-breaking X-43A Hypersonic Flight ATK 16 Nov 2004 -- For the second time in eight months, ATK (NYSE: ATK) and NASA have set the world speed record for air-breathing powered flight with the X-43A Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (Scramjet)-powered aircraft. The X-43A demonstrated its unique capability after separating from a rocket booster and flying under scramjet power at the hypersonic speed of Mach 10 – approximately 7,000 miles per hour. Initial results indicate that the flight achieved good data and predicted performance.
  • Boeing Part of NASA Team to Develop Proposed Railway Space Observatory Boeing 16 Nov 2004 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] is part of a NASA-led team of university and industry partners developing a preliminary design for the Space Infrared Interferometric Telescope (SPIRIT), with components that will move along a structural beam in space like railway cars on a track.
  • Boeing Propulsion System Nails Critical Defense System Tests Boeing 16 Nov 2004 -- A new propulsion system built by The Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power business unit of the Integrated Defense Systems of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA ] has demonstrated its unique capabilities. Called a DACS -- for divert and attitude and control system -- this propulsion system will provide maneuvering capabilities for the Missile Defense Agency's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system, for which Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] is prime contractor.
  • Lockheed Martin Team Successfully Completes Key Design Milestone For Space-Based Infrared System High Program Lockheed Martin 16 Nov 2004 -- The Space Based Infrared System High (SBIRS High) team, led by Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT), today announced the successful completion of the system’s Signal Processing Assembly software critical design review (CDR) with payload provider Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC).
  • Orbital's Hyper-X Rocket Successfully Launches NASA's X-43A Scramjet To Mach 10 Orbital Sciences Corp. 16 Nov 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that its Hyper-X launch vehicle was successfully launched earlier today in a flight test that originated from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The Hyper-X launch vehicle uses a modified single-stage winged rocket, originally designed and flight-proven aboard Orbital’s Pegasus® space launch vehicle, to accelerate NASA’s X-43A air-breathing scramjet to approximately 10 times the speed of sound.
  • Raytheon Awarded Contract for Phase 1 of the Next-Generation Space-Based Augmentation System for Civil Navigation in India Raytheon 16 Nov 2004 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has signed a contract with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Satellite Center for the ground-based elements of the GPS (Global Positioning System) and GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) Technology Demonstration System (TDS). The contract, terms of which were not disclosed, was signed recently in Bangalore.
  • Space assets critical to winning war on terrorism AFPN 16 Nov 2004 -- Space-based assets are proving critical to winning the war on terrorism, according to the commander of Air Force Space Command.
  • U.S. AIR SPEED RECORD VOA 16 Nov 2004 -- A U.S. space agency jet has broken the air speed record for the second time this year. The unpiloted X-43A aircraft achieved nearly 10 times the speed of sound over the Pacific Ocean.
  • EUROPEAN MOON PROBE VOA 16 Nov 2004 -- European Space Agency officials say the continent's first Moon probe has arrived for a six-month geological survey. The orbiter has already completed its main goal -- to test a revolutionary type of spacecraft engine.
  • NASA Advances Water Recycling for Space Travel, Earth Use Washington File 15 Nov 2004 -- NASA is using several strategies to develop dependable ways to recycle water -- one of the most crucial provisions for astronauts in space.
  • Fabrication of James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Moves Forward; Northrop Grumman Teammate Axsys Technologies Opens New Facility Northrop Grumman 15 Nov 2004 -- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) moved a major step forward with the opening of a state-of-the-art facility in Cullman, Ala., that will machine the observatory's optical components.
  • U.S. AIR SPEED RECORD VOA 12 Nov 2004 -- The U.S. space agency NASA plans to launch an experimental aircraft Monday that it hopes will set a new world record for air speed.
  • Boeing Airborne Laser Lights Up Test Facility Boeing 12 Nov 2004 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] Airborne Laser (ABL) team fired a laser beam for the first time using the flight laser modules in the ABL System Integration Lab at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
  • Missile Defense Agency Successfully Fires Weapons-Class Laser Built by Northrop Grumman for Airborne Laser System Northrop Grumman 12 Nov 2004 -- The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has successfully test-fired the megawatt-class laser built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) for the Airborne Laser (ABL) system, marking the first time such a powerful directed energy weapon suitable for use in an airborne environment has been demonstrated.
  • TerraSAR-X - New Quality of Earth Observation EADS 11 Nov 2004 -- TerraSAR-X, the German all-weather satellite project, enters its decisive phase. At the Friedrichshafen-based space company EADS Astrium, the final spurt for the development team has now begun with the start-up of the integration activities. As of April 2006, from an altitude of approximately 500 kilometres, TerraSAR-X is scheduled to deliver Earth observation data of new quality for scientific and commercial applications. TerraSAR-X is the first German space project implemented in a public/private partnership. Cooperation partners are the German Aerospace Centre (DLR, Cologne) and EADS Astrium GmbH.
  • Northrop Grumman Guidance System Keeps MESSENGER On Course to Mercury Northrop Grumman 10 Nov 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) newest space navigation system is providing vital guidance and control information to NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft during its eight-year mission to Mercury, which began August 3 when it was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
  • ATK Awarded Additional Missile Defense Contract ATK 09 Nov 2004 -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) has received a contract that highlights its role as a provider of propulsion to the Missile Defense Agency’s Ground-based Missile Defense (GMD) program. In a competitive bid process, Lockheed Martin selected ATK to replace Pratt & Whitney as the provider of Orbus 1A rocket motors for its Boost Vehicle Plus interceptor missile. These motors are used for second and third-stage propulsion and will be produced at ATK’s facility in Elkton, Md. The win expands ATK’s upper stage product offerings beyond the company’s proven Star™ motor line.
  • Lockheed Martin Delivers Flight Structure For First Advanced EHF Military Communications Satellite Lockheed Martin 09 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced that it has delivered on-schedule the flight structure and key payload support equipment to Northrop Grumman for assembly of the first space vehicle in the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. AEHF satellites will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for warfighters in all services within the Department of Defense.
  • Lockheed Martin Selects ATK To Supply Solid Rocket Motor Sets For Missile Defense Program Lockheed Martin 09 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced it has selected ATK (NYSE: ATK) to provide stage two and three solid rocket motor sets for its Boost Vehicle-Plus (BV+) program – an element of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system managed by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
  • Northrop Grumman, Boeing Plan Space Exploration Team Northrop Grumman 09 Nov 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) have signed a memorandum of agreement that outlines the structure of a team that will compete for NASA's Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) and other elements of Project Constellation, a planned architecture of human and robotic space systems that will allow astronauts to travel to and explore the moon, Mars and beyond. The two companies expect to finalize the teaming agreement in the near future.
  • Raytheon Transitions GBS Satellite Broadcast Manager to Full Simulcast in Pacific Raytheon 09 Nov 2004 -- Raytheon Company's Global Broadcast Service Satellite Broadcast Manager in Wahiawa, Hawaii, transitioned to full simulcast operations in the Pacific on Oct. 12, 2004. This marks the full operation of the Enhanced Architecture System that supports legacy receive suites and next-generation Internet protocol receive suites for the Joint Service warfighters in the Pacific.
  • GPS satellite blasts off from Cape Canaveral AFPN 08 Nov 2004 -- A Delta II launch vehicle carried a Global Positioning System satellite nearly 11,000 miles above Earth from here Nov. 6.
  • ROBOT SPACE DOCKING VOA 08 Nov 2004 -- The U.S. space agency is planning to conduct its first completely automated rendezvous in space Tuesday. In a test of new technology, a spacecraft is scheduled to be launched to track and meet an orbiting satellite with no human intervention, a capability now enjoyed only by Russia.
  • ATK Rocket Motors and Composites Help Launch Global Positioning Satellite Aboard Boeing Delta II Rocket ATK 08 Nov 2004 -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) solid propulsion and composite technologies supported Saturday’s successful launch of a Boeing Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The launch successfully placed into orbit the 13th Class IIR satellite for the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS IIR-13) constellation. All 25 of the current GPS satellites were launched with the help of ATK rocket motors.
  • Boeing Delta II Adds Another GPS Satellite to Air Force Constellation Boeing 06 Nov 2004 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket successfully deployed a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite to orbit today for the U.S. Air Force, marking the 61st consecutive successful mission flown aboard the Delta II.
  • U.S. Air Force Successfully Launches Upgraded GPS Satellite Built By Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin 06 Nov 2004 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]—built Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite was successfully launched today by the U.S. Air Force from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. This was the 12th successful launch of the new-generation GPS IIR spacecraft.
  • Boeing Delta II Launch of Air Force GPS Satellite Scrubbed Boeing 05 Nov 2004 -- Today's launch attempt of a U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite, GPS IIR-13, aboard a Boeing [NYSE: BA] Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., was scrubbed.
  • Boeing Delta IV Launch Date Set As Spacecraft Mated With Rocket Boeing 05 Nov 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that the first launch of the Delta IV rocket remains on schedule for November 16 following satisfactory progress in the resolution of issues related to the RL10B-2 upper-stage engine on the vehicle.
  • World: Spacecraft Begins To Unravel Mysteries Of Saturn's Moon RFE/RL 05 Nov 2004 -- Titan -- the enigmatic, cloud-shrouded moon of the planet Saturn -- is still largely a mystery despite a successful recent approach by the "Cassini-Huygens" spacecraft. The U.S.-European vessel made some discoveries, sending back photos, radar images, and measurements. But more studies are needed to understand the exact nature of the moon's surface, where no lakes or seas of hydrocarbons have been spotted. Scientists are puzzled, but still hope to find a "primordial soup of life" similar to what may have existed on Earth. They say it could help explain the origins of life. The spacecraft is due to pass by Titan again in December, sending home further data. In January 2005, the vessel is expected to release a European-built probe onto Titan's mysterious surface.
  • Northrop Grumman Navigation Aid Supplies Information to Help Stabilize Aura Satellite Northrop Grumman 04 Nov 2004 -- A key navigation aid from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is supplying attitude reference, or satellite orientation, information critical to NASA's Aura Earth Observing System (EOS) satellite and to a key scientific instrument aboard it. Precise satellite orientation information will facilitate Aura's mission to answer questions about changes in the Earth's environment and climate changes.
  • International Space Station Crews Learn to Live, Work in Space Washington File 03 Nov 2004 -- The four years during which humans have continuously staffed the International Space Station have provided exceptional opportunities to discover what it takes to live and work in space, according to a November 2 NASA press release.
  • Lockheed Martin Delivers Airborne Laser Flight Turret Assembly Lockheed Martin 03 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) today announced it has delivered the Airborne Laser (ABL) Flight Turret Assembly (FTA) to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. for integration into the aircraft. This event follows Lockheed Martin’s delivery of its ABL Beam Transfer Assembly and Multi-Beam Illuminator earlier in the year.
  • Lockheed Martin Team To Build Mobile User Objective System Using Latest Cellular Technology Lockheed Martin 02 Nov 2004 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]—led team will employ third-generation (3G) commercial cellular technology to build the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), an advanced narrowband tactical satellite communications system that will provide significantly improved and assured communications for U.S. warfighters, the company announced today at MILCOM 2004 in Monterey.
  • Boeing Completes SBSS Pathfinder Integrated Baseline Review Boeing 01 Nov 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today that in partnership with Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, the Mission Area Prime Integration Contractor, it has successfully completed the Integrated Baseline Review (IBR) for the Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) system. This is a significant program milestone that precedes the Preliminary Design Review (PDR).
  • FAA and Raytheon Agree to a $204 Million FAA Contract Modification to Provide Full LPV Performance for the Wide Area Augmentation System Raytheon 01 Nov 2004 -- The Federal Aviation Administration and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) have completed negotiations on a contract modification for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) to deploy what is termed "Full Lateral Precision with Vertical Guidance (LPV) Performance."
  • International Mission to Study Black Hole, Gamma Ray Link Washington File 01 Nov 2004 -- NASA's Swift mission, an international collaboration, is dedicated to studying the connection between black holes and gamma-ray bursts (GRB), the most distant and powerful explosions known.
  • NASA Sets May-June 2005 for Shuttle's Return to Space Washington File 01 Nov 2004 -- After an extensive review, NASA is planning its Return to Flight space shuttle mission, STS-114, for a launch window that opens in May 2005.



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