All articles by Dan Thisdell – Page 29
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Malta signs ESA co-operation deal
Malta has signed a co-operation agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA), leaving only Bulgaria among EU member states with no formal ESA relationship, given that the Czech Republic and Romania recently became ESA members and accession talks are under way with Poland.
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SPACEFLIGHT: Partners look to enhance Vega
For evidence that winners have friends, look no further than Vega. As soon as Europe's new small launcher made its spectacularly successful maiden flight, Italian space agency head Enrico Saggese received a call from German counterpart Johann-Dietrich Woerner who, along with his congratulations, expressed enthusiasm that his agency, DL, might ...
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Success of Vega rocket flight boosts Avio profile
Of all the people with cause to be relieved at the resoundingly successful maiden flight two weeks ago of Europe's new rocket, Vega, few will be as relieved as Francesco Caio.
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TECHNOLOGY: Goshawks hold mathematical key to fast, safe UAV flight
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology hope to give new meaning to the concept of a speed limit by using the mathematical model of bird in flight to find out how fast an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can fly without hitting obstacles.
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Galileo signed off for fast-track constellation completion
Europe has formally put its Galileo satellite navigation project on track to provide a functional service during 2014 and near-global coverage in 2015 with the signing of contracts to build and launch eight more satellites.
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Final preparations under way for third ATV launch
Technicians at the European Space Agency's spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana have started integrating ESA's third Automated Transfer Vehicle robotic supply ship with the Ariane 5 ES rocket that will carry it to the International Space Station.
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Vega maiden launch goes to plan
The European Space Agency successfully launched its new small launcher, Vega, on 13 February with an apparently perfect flight from its space port in Kourou,...
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Supply chain weakness threatens airframer ramp-up - report
Ambitious plans by Airbus and Boeing to dramatically ramp up their airliner build rates to fill record order backlogs are risk of being derailed by supply chains that are unwilling or unable to invest adequately in production capacity.
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EADS opens dedicated cryogenic windtunnel for anti-icing studies
EADS Innovation Works is centralising its battle against icing with the opening of a compact, cryogenic windtunnel and associated laboratory facilities.
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Boeing brings 737-style assembly line to satellites business
Lessons learned from Boeing's 737 pulse-line final assembly system have helped the company speed production at its specialist satellite manufacturing plant in El Segundo, California.
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Plastic tubing system slashes weight of A350 cargo drainage system
One Airbus supplier has found a novel way of saving weight, by developing a thermoplastic tubing system to replace the traditional metal pipes used to move condensation water away from unheated cargo areas.
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Widebody deliveries bode well for cabins maker B/E
B/E Aerospace, the Florida-headquartered interiors maker and fasteners and consumables distributor, posted a 53% rise in full-year pre-tax profit to $323...
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Space, time and Vega's heavy burden
To avoid the prospect of losing a high-value commercial payload on a risky maiden flight, Vega's first mission - VV01 - will carry a basket of scientific spacecraft, including nine so-called "cubesats", the 1kg 10cmx10cm boxes that are increasingly popular with low-budget researches thankful for any lift to orbit.
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Fingers crossed and re-crossed as Vega moves toward maiden flight
Europe's space industry is embarking on a nervous few weeks of final preparation for the maiden flight of Vega, its all-new light rocket.
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Inexpensive process offers prospect of low-drag surface coatings
Research physicists at the UK's University of Surrey have developed what they claim is a simple, low-cost way to make textured coatings that could reduce the drag resistance of aircraft or ships
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High-power plasma thruster could replace chemical rockets for satellite and deep-space propulsion: Snecma
Snecma and French national scientific research agency CNRS have claimed a European first in successfully testing a 20kW electric plasma thruster for spacecraft.
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Ultrasound camera may be key to easy composites inspection
A two-dimensional bar code reader capable of seeing through paint may prove to be the foundation of a handheld three-dimensional ultrasound camera that it is hoped will vastly facilitate the non-destructive inspection of composite aerostructures.
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Year ahead a time of technical, financial challenges for European Space Agency
Europe's next push into space gets off to a slightly anxious start this year with a tight window for the maiden launch of the all-new light rocket, Vega.
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Vega maiden launch could slip into February
European Space Agency launch operator Arianespace plans a busy 2012, with seven Ariane 5 heavy-lift missions and three medium-lift Soyuz flights from ESA's...
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AgustaWestland takes Sea King work back from Vector
AgustaWestland's plant in Yeovil, Somerset, is to get some respite from job losses linked to UK defence spending cuts when, from April 2012, it takes over the maintenance of transmission, rotor and rotorhead components for Westland Sea King and Agusta Westland Lynx AH9 helicopters used by the UK Royal Navy ...