2009 DELIVERY TARGET FOR A380 CUT AGAIN
Reshuffling of Singapore Airlines' A380 delivery schedule means that Airbus will not meet its revised target of 14 deliveries of the type this year. Airbus brought its 2009 production target down to 18 in January, and cut it again to 14 in May as customers sought to reduce capacity. However, one of these aircraft, which sources indicate is for SIA, will now be deferred "by a few weeks", pushing it into 2010. Airbus currently maintains its plan to deliver over 20 A380s in 2010.
NASA 'TOO HASTY' WITH CONSTELLATION APPROVAL
The US Government Accountability Office says NASA should not have completed preliminary design reviews of its return to the Moon Constellation programme'sOrion crew exploration vehicle and Ares I launcher because it did not have the data to meet planned delivery dates with confidence. Constellation has already slipped its first crew flight from September 2014 to March 2015 and has 192 identified risks that will cost $2.4 billion or more to resolve.
BA LAUNCHES TRANSATLANTIC A318 SERVICES
British Airways inaugurated all-business class Airbus A318 services between London City airport and New York Kennedy on 29 September. The airline's two A318s are fitted with 32 lie-flat business class seats as well as OnAir's system to allow in-flight transmission of email and text messages.
'LAST TOURIST' BLASTS OFF FORSPACESTATION
Canadian born Guy Laliberte has become the seventh, and possibly last, fare-paying passenger to fly to the International Space Station. Space Adventures organised his flight aboard Soyuz TMA-16 but, with the ISS now accommodating a six-person crew, will not be able to fly another customer unless it succeeds with plans for an all-private Soyuz TMA flight in 2013.
EUROPEAN SATELLITE AUGMENTATION BEGINS
The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service is now operational and will augment the US military's Navstar GPS civil service until the European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system is operating.
BAE SYSTEMS TO FACE FRAUD OFFICE CHARGES
The UK Serious Fraud Office is to prosecute BAE Systems for corruption in Africa and eastern Europe. BAE says it "will deal with any issues raised in those proceedings at the appropriate time and, if necessary, in court".
SOVIET MOON CANDIDATE PAVEL POPOVICH DIES
Former cosmonaut Pavel Ramanovich Popovich died on 30 September, aged 78. He was the eighth man in space and the fourth cosmonaut in orbit, eventually spending 19 days in space. He was selected for a circumlunar mission that never flew.
Source: Flight International
