NASA selects SpaceX to launch ocean research satellite

NASA has selected SpaceX of Hawthorne, Calif., to provide launch services for the agency’s PACE mission. PACE stands for Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem.

The PACE mission represents the nation’s next great investment in understanding and protecting our home planet. The mission will provide global ocean color, cloud, and aerosol data that will provide unprecedented insights into oceanographic and atmospheric responses to Earth’s changing climate. PACE will help scientists investigate the diversity of organisms fueling marine food webs and the U.S. economy, and deliver advanced data products to reduce uncertainties in global climate models and improve our interdisciplinary understanding of the Earth system.

The total cost for NASA to launch PACE is approximately $80.4 million, which includes the launch service and other mission related costs. The PACE mission currently is targeted to launch in December 2022 on a Falcon 9 Full Thrust rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The PACE mission is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Temporary flight restriction planned for rocket launch from Virginia

Drone operators are being urged to exercise caution if using their aircraft to view the Antares rocket launch and avoid flying over the public and NASA Wallops Flight Facility property in Virginia on Sunday.

Drones, also called unmanned aerial systems, should stay clear of Wallops Flight Facility, the marsh areas between Wallops Island and the mainland and the Atlantic Ocean east of Wallops Island. A Temporary Flight Restriction and other Special Use Airspace will be activated by the Federal Aviation Administration.  Fines and penalties are applicable and will be enforced, NASA said in a notice posted on their website.

“There will be several thousand people in the area viewing the launch,” the agency said. “Public safety is paramount and drones should not be flown over crowds. The Wallops Range is committed to making sure that the viewing public is safe and that drones do not pose a threat to the success and safety of launch operations.”

The Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch at 5:39 p.m. EST from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the mid-Atlantic region and possibly the East Coast of the United States.

This will be Northrop Grumman’s 13th commercial resupply services mission to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies and equipment to the International Space Station.

Most popular posts January 2020

1.) Boeing plans 737 MAX aircraft return to service in mid-2020 - The Boeing Company informed customers and suppliers last month that they are currently estimating the ungrounding of the 737 MAX will begin during mid-2020. [Full story] 

2.) Airbus 330-200, newest addition to National Airlines aircraft fleet - Florida-based National Airlines announced in January they have added an Airbus 330-200 as its newest addition to its fleet, joining Boeing 747-400 Freighter and Boeing 757-200 aircraft. [Full story] 

3.) United Airlines starts DC/NYC shuttle service with Bombardier CRJ-550 jets - United Airlines has started a new hourly shuttle service between Washington's Reagan National Airport and New York/Newark Liberty International Airport. [Full story] 

4.) FBI Gulfstream jet up for sale - The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to sell a military C-37A, acquired and converted by the FBI in 2001 to an N registered aircraft, according to contract documents released in January. [Full story]

5.) Yates Electrospace ready to unveil wide-body GD-2000 cargo delivery drone - Yates Electrospace Corp. (YEC) announced last month they have completed the design and specifications of a wide-body version of its successful GD-2000 cargo delivery drone. [Full story]

Yates Electrospace ready to unveil wide-body GD-2000 cargo delivery drone

Yates Electrospace Corp. (YEC) announced Monday they have completed the design and specifications of a wide-body version of its successful GD-2000 cargo delivery drone. The company will unveil the drone in July during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.

Developed by YEC based on real-time demand from U.S. and allied foreign government special operators including the U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the new wide-body is 60 percent larger than the standard Silent Arrow GD-2000, with a 140cu/ft cargo bay that accommodates five times more life-saving supplies, medicines and tactical cargo.

"The YEC engineering team used current flight data from the inaugural GD-2000 product line along with extensive computational fluid dynamics analysis to optimize the aerodynamics and glide ratio of this rather massive cargo delivery platform," said Chip Yates, YEC's founder and CEO, in a company press release. "With two launch customers on hand, our accelerated schedule delivers development units by the end of March 2020 and 10 flight test units throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2020.”

A full scale flight-ready Silent Arrow GD-2000 cargo delivery drone was unveiled in September at the Defense & Security Equipment International show in London.

Designed for immediate air response and emergency relief, Silent Arrow's tightly integrated packaging with its unique spring-deployed wing system transported inside the fuselage, high standoff distance and low cost has received enthusiastic reception from both the tactical resupply and the humanitarian / disaster relief markets. Silent Arrow is designed for fixed-wing and rotorcraft deployment of critically needed supplies, cargo and fuel under austere operating conditions and timelines.

FBI Gulfstream jet up for sale

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intends to sell a military C-37A, acquired and converted by the FBI in 2001 to an N registered aircraft, according to contract documents released Friday.

The sale is being managed by the FBI Special Flight Operations Unit (SFOU). “SFOU is seeking information as to typical fees schedule for similar sales, market trends and conditions, respondees’ experience with similar sales activities and marketing plan to ensure highest return on the sale of this asset,” the agency said in a Request For Information (RFI) document.

The FBI is conduct market research for information and planning purposes to determine the existing market capability of businesses to provide broker services for the sale.

Firms that wish to respond to the RFI should contact the FBI by Feb. 18.

UK Military Flight Training System expands with order of four H145 helicopters

Airbus Helicopters in the United Kingdom (UK) is to provide four additional H145 helicopters as part of an expansion of the UK Military Flight Training System (UKMFTS).

The new helicopters will join the existing fleet of 29 H135s and three H145s, known respectively as Juno and Jupiter in UKMFTS service. They will be delivered this year.

The aircraft are used to train all UK military helicopter pilots and rear crew.

The H145 helicopter family has completed more than 5.5 million flight hours worldwide with more than 1,300 aircraft in the global fleet.

Airbus 330-200, newest addition to National Airlines aircraft fleet

Florida-based National Airlines announced Wednesday they have added an Airbus 330-200 as its newest addition to its fleet, joining Boeing 747-400 Freighter and Boeing 757-200 aircraft. This aircraft has been delivered with its N819CA registration in National's striking livery. The Airbus 330-200 commences its international charter missions in May of this year. The current two-class configuration provides 288 seats. National Airlines will be adding an additional A330 by June of this this year and additional aircraft in the future.

National Airlines, a subsidiary of National Air Cargo Holdings, Inc., operates intercontinental cargo and passenger charters for both government and commercial customers.

"National has plans to introduce two additional Airbus 330 family aircraft into its fleet by early 2021,” said Chris Alf, chairman of National Air Cargo Holdings, in a company press release. “Fleet improvements are continuously evaluated, and the demand for the passenger business drove us to the decision to acquire the Airbus 330-200, based on its proven history of providing the highest level of safety and performance."