All articles by Dan Thisdell – Page 15
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News
Steering a rover from orbit? No problem now, says ESA
When astronauts finally one day arrive at an alien world, they might want to send a robot advance party down to check out the surface before committing themselves to landing – but controlling a rover from space is far from straightforward, as the orbiting driver would only have intermittent line ...
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News
Rosetta arrival marks "new chapter" in solar system exploration
The European Space Agency this week declared open a “new chapter in Solar System exploration” when its Rosetta spacecraft achieved the first-ever rendezvous with a comet.
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News
UK spaceport plans geared to boost small satellite business
The UK is laying the groundwork for a commercial space transport industry by opening a consultation on a site for a spaceport. And it is looking across the Atlantic for guidance on how to regulate the nascent business of ferrying passengers into space – with operations possible from 2018.
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News
Eight sites shortlisted for UK spaceport
In shortlisting possible locations for a spaceport, the UK Space Agency looked for “remote” places where the “uninvolved general public” would be at minimal risk from accidents, where operations within segregated airspace would be feasible, where a 3,000m (10,000ft)-plus runway could be accommodated and which were on the coast, where ...
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News
FARNBOROUGH: RAF Typhoons to get Storm Shadow
RAF Typhoons will from mid-2016 be armed with MBDA’s long-range bunker-busting Storm Shadow cruise missile, following a contract signing tomorrow to integrate the weapon with the service's fleet.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: UK-FAA axis looks to nail space tourism regulation
The UK is laying the groundwork for a commercial space transportation industry by opening a consultation on a site for a possible spaceport and looking across the Atlantic for guidance on how to regulate the nascent business of ferrying passengers to space.
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News
FARNBOROUGH: Surrey nanotech specialist claims world record for blackest coating
How black is black? Blacker than it used to be and very nearly as black as it can get, according to the UK materials scientists behind a carbon nanotube coating they claim absorbs a world record 99.96% of incident radiation.
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News
FARNBOROUGH: Avio Aero powering through first 'eventful' year under GE's wing
When Riccardo Procacci says it has been “an eventful year”, the Avio Aero boss knows of what he speaks.The Italy-based maker of jet engine components is just a couple weeks shy of its first year inside the GE Aviation business, which bought it on 1 August 2013 for $4.3 billion ...
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: Pratt & Whitney, Alcoa forge blades partnership
Pratt & Whitney and Alcoa have sealed a partnership that underpins the Pure Power PW1000G geared turbofan engine programme – by signing a 10-year, $1.1 billion deal for forged aluminium fan blades.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: Landing gear innovations support Ka-62
When Kamov’s Ka-62 multi-role helicopter gets flying later this year, it will be coming down to earth on an innovative set of main and tail landing gear. Russia’s Aviation Equipment says the gear is unique, with shock-absorber and retracting system integrated in one unit.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: Typhoon brews up radar storm
Eurofighter is wheeling out some heavy artillery for Farnborough, with the world premier on Tuesday of the new Captor-E active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar which it believes will power up its export sales campaign.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: UK spaceport "by 2018"
Hot on the heels of a triumphant week for home-grown satellite technology, the UK government is set to announce on Tuesday a plan to host the first-ever launches from UK soil – with the establishment of a spaceport by 2018.
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News
Angara maiden flight success heralds new era for Russian space launches
Russia’s space programme has taken what its stakeholders will hope is a giant leap to modernity with the successful maiden flight of the new Angara launcher, the eventual replacement of the accident-prone Proton-M.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: Alcoa's Firth Rixon move is the latest engine sector transformation
When GKN bought Volvo Aero in 2016 for £633 million ($1 billion), the UK-headquartered Tier 1 described the deal as transformational, a word it has gone on to use repeatedly to underscore the impact of an acquisition that, at a stroke, made the company one of the largest players in ...
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News
UK puts up £1m prize fund to boost satellite applications development
The UK government’s Technology Strategy Board is set to invest up to £1 million ($1.7 million) to support small UK businesses with R&D support for risky but innovative space projects.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: Forget orders - M&A is the measure of a robust industry
Farnborough watchers love to count orders, which is understandable; the event, after all, is an “air show” – a comparatively glamorous category of trade exhibitions at which aircraft (as opposed to, say, machine tools or agricultural equipment) are placed on display in hope of attracting buyers.
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NewsFARNBOROUGH: Comet's tail is big story of ESA's year
Comets probably aren’t the bad luck omens or even harbingers of doom that many early civilisations assumed – but, just to be sure, a very close eye is being kept on the snappily-named 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it hurtles towards the Sun.
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Analysis
ANALYSIS: UKSA's bold vision is to be the most modern of space agencies
With a wider focus than merely launchers and airlocks, the UK Space Agency is keen to cement its position as a progressive force in humanity's exploration of the cosmos
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News
Eurofighter prepares Tranche 3A model for AESA upgrade
Eurofighter’s push to bolster its export sales prospects with an upgrade to active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar has taken a step forward, with the diversion from final assembly of a Tranche 3A aircraft, which will be fitted with the new system.
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AnalysisANALYSIS: UK aerospace riding wave of new-era industrial policy
Things are looking up for the UK's aerospace industry, with government backing and new initiatives promising a new era of financial gain for all parties