aerospace18.14 min read
SR-71 Blackbird Vanishes from NASA Display Amid Hypersonic X-Plane Push
14 days ago•Source: Aviation Week
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4.555 min•14 days ago
SR-71 Blackbird Vanishes from Edwards Base Amid NASA X-Plane Revival
A retired SR-71 Blackbird has disappeared from public display at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. The aircraft, which was the last of its kind to fly, vanished from satellite imagery in May. This disappearance coincides with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman’s recent unveiling of a new high-speed experimental aircraft silhouette, fueling speculation about a return-to-flight program or a new hypersonic testbed.
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"NASA's X-59: A Patriotic Paint Job for the Quiet Supersonic Jet"
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FAA Concludes Blue Origin Mishap Investigation, Demands Corrective Actions
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Sierra Space Secures $300 Million Investment from Japanese Consortium, Valued at $5 Billion
Sierra Space, the subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation, is finalizing a nearly $300 million funding round led by Japanese investors MUFG, Kanematsu, and Tokio Marine, valuing the space company at around $5 billion. The funds will support the development of Sierra's Dream Chaser spaceplane, designed to deliver cargo and eventually crew to low Earth orbit. The first launch of Dream Chaser is planned for ULA's second Vulcan mission, with Sierra also working on a private space station project.
Polaris Spaceplanes Successfully Completes MIRA-Light Prototype Flight Tests
Polaris Spaceplanes has successfully completed a 15-flight test campaign of its MIRA-Light prototype vehicle, demonstrating its aerodynamics and flight control systems. The German aerospace company plans to use the data collected to develop a larger MIRA vehicle equipped with an actual linear aerospike engine. These prototypes are precursors to the company's ultimate demonstration model, NOVA, which is expected to begin flying in 2024. Polaris Spaceplanes aims to culminate these prototypes into its multipurpose, hypersonic transport vehicle, AURORA, capable of transporting payloads to suborbital velocities and orbit.
GE Unveils Latest Hypersonic Propulsion Project
GE Aerospace is developing a new type of hypersonic vehicle or missile that combines rotating detonation engine (RDE) combustors for a turbine engine with a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet. The RDE component aims to offer a more efficient approach to a turbine-based combined cycle propulsion system than traditional turbine engines. The project is being supported by DARPA, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Missile Defense Agency. GE recently acquired Innoveering LLC, a small company that specialized in advanced hypersonic propulsion technology.
Stratolaunch acquires Virgin Orbit's assets amidst bankruptcy sale.
Stratolaunch has received approval to acquire Virgin Orbit's modified Boeing 747, expanding its air-launch fleet and increasing its in-flight test capacity for hypersonic testing. The additional aircraft will be repurposed as a launch platform for Stratolaunch's Talon-A reusable hypersonic testbeds and is expected to be fully operational in 2024. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by July 31, 2023.
Virgin Galactic Sets Launch Date for Unity 25 Flight in May 2023
Virgin Galactic has announced that the launch window for its upcoming spaceflight, Unity 25, will open on May 25, 2023. The mission specialists will begin astronaut training on May 22, 2023. Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company that is developing a spaceflight system to offer customers a transformative experience.
"Revolutionizing Space: Relativity's Innovative Approach"
Relativity Space, a California-based aerospace startup, is using 3D printing, robotics, and machine learning to manufacture cheaper and quicker-to-manufacture rockets for future missions to the moon and Mars. The company recently launched its first 3D-printed rocket and is continuing to test its technology. Relativity Space aims to challenge Elon Musk's SpaceX and is among a number of commercial entrants testing rockets that can carry payloads to orbit and ultimately complete missions. The company has secured $1.3 billion in funding and is valued at $4.2 billion.
NASA's X-59 Supersonic Aircraft Receives Tail for Quesst Mission
NASA's X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft, designed to fly faster than the speed of sound without producing a loud, disruptive sonic boom, has undergone final installation of its lower empennage, or tail assembly. The X-59 will fly over communities around the United States to demonstrate this technology, but first, NASA will need to validate the X-plane’s acoustic signature, using a ground recording system. The Quesst mission has two goals: design and build NASA’s X-59 research aircraft with technology that reduces the loudness of a sonic boom to a gentle thump to people on the ground, and fly the X-59 over several U.S. communities to gather data on human responses to the sound generated during supersonic flight and deliver that data set to U.S. and international regulators.
"21-year-old helicopter pilot lands happiness in backyards."
NASA announced the crew for its 2024 lunar voyage, the Artemis II expedition, which marks the first manned moon mission in over five decades. Victor J. Glover will become the first Black astronaut to visit the moon. The crew has made NASA history, with the first woman, Christina Hammock Koch, and first Black astronaut, Victor J. Glover, assigned to lunar orbit. Glover has been appointed the pilot of the mission.