Aerospace and Defense Review : News

The CSF represents large companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, but the majority of its members are small and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies that are prone to the be impacted by the COVID- 19 pandemic The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF), an industry group representing 85 companies in the space sector, is working with congressional committees to ensure coronavirus stimulus legislation includes assistance for small and mid-size suppliers. The CSF represents large companies like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, but the majority of its members are small and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies that are prone to the be impacted by the COVID- 19 pandemic . According to CSF President Eric Stallmer, the smaller companies stand the risk of going out of business or their investments drying up due to the outbreak of the virus. “The large companies will weather the storm,” he said. “I’m worried about their suppliers. Those are going to need help.” Last week, the CSF sent a letter to the congressional leaders warning that the unfolding crisis threatens to inflict lasting harm to the space industry. The current emergency is unprecedented and has an impact on nearly every sector of the U.S. economy. As a result, it is not helpful for trade organizations to fight over what industries should deserve help from the government at the expense of others. “We recognize the number-one priority is the health of the nation,” said Stallmer. The space industry in the U.S. enjoys widespread support from Capitol Hill due to its significance in national security and for being a driving factor of economic growth. “Congressional staff and members that have been champions of the space industry reached out to us and asked what they can do to help,” said Stallmer. One of CSF's proposal includes the establishment of a USD 5 billion grant or low-interest loan program to help small and medium firms weather the storm over the next several months. Stallmer stated that it is difficult to pin down solutions with everything being very fluid with the virus still spreading and Congress writing legislation while events unfold. “We are asking for help so small companies can keep their employees through the crisis,” he said. “This is not the time for everyone to try to push their wish list.” See also:  Top Aerospace Tech Solution Companies ...Read more

The company stated that the Talon-A is a flexible, high-speed testbed built for offensive hypersonics, hypersonic defense, and hypersonic R&D Air launch company Stratolaunch has started developing a reusable hypersonic vehicle designed to be launched from the company’s giant aircraft. The company founded by late billionaire Paul Allen has named the vehicle Talon-A. The vehicle, powered by a liquid propellant rocket engine, will be launched from the company's aircraft and will be capable of flying up to speeds of Mach 5 to Mach 7 before gliding back to a runway landing. It will also be able to take off on its own from a runway under rocket power. [vendor_logo_first] The company stated that the Talon-A is a flexible, high-speed testbed built for offensive hypersonics, hypersonic defense, and hypersonic R&D. “Our hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for our government, the commercial sector, and academia," said Jean Floyd, chief executive of Stratolaunch. The company expects an initial operating capability for the vehicle in 2022. Stratolaunch plans to support multiple Talon-A missions on a single flight of its aircraft by 2023. The company believes they can place up to three Talon-A vehicles on a single aircraft. “This unique capability enables multiple hypersonic flight opportunities on a single day or the near-simultaneous launch of three Talon vehicles, which may support specific operational scenarios,” the company stated. The vehicle is designed to be 8.5 meters long with a wingspan of 3.4 meters and a total mass of about 2,720 kilograms at launch. The company, however, did not disclose details about the vehicle's propulsion system. Company spokesperson Art Pettigrue stated that the company planned to procure the engine from another company, which will be named at a later date. Stratolaunch refused to discuss the cost of developing the vehicle. "The company has been recapitalized by a private investor group with a long-term horizon that includes funding for its initial development," added Pettigrue. The announcement confirms Stratolaunch’s pivot from a launch services company to one that will provide high-speed flight test services . Allen founded Stratolaunch in 2011 to serve as an air-launch company, cycling through a series of different rocket designs before deciding to use the existing Pegasus XL rocket from Northrop Grumman. See also:  Top Aerospace Tech Solution Companies ...Read more

The kinetic ASAT test is fueling the drive for additional governance mechanisms to limit operations like weapons testing that create space debris on purpose. FREMONT CA:  The testing of kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, as well as the debris they generate, is currently gaining international attention and concern. This is partially because of Russia's  ASAT test, their extended use and dependency on space, and also due to the accelerating development, testing, and demonstration of kinetic ASAT capabilities. This testing is not only at the epicenter of the relationship between safety, sustainability, and security in space, but its consequences affect all users and uses of this domain. The current inability to curb such testing highlights ongoing gaps in outer space security governance. Kinetic anti-satellite weapons inflict physical damage or destruction on their targets. Direct-ascension weapons, which launch a missile or other projectile from Earth to intercept a satellite in orbit, are closely related to anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense systems; modified ABMs have been tested against space objects on diverse instances. Although kinetic ASAT capabilities have existed from the beginning of the space era, there is no evidence that they have ever been deployed in hostile action against another state's assets.Several kinetic ASAT experiments were undertaken by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, using a co-orbital weapon system that targeted objects in space from orbit. The United States, China, and Russia have demonstrated direct-ascent kinetic intercepts on their own defunct satellites. More recent activity includes China's use of a mid-range anti-ballistic missile to destroy the Feng Yun 1C meteorological satellite at an orbit altitude of 865 kilometers. The Secure World Foundation has published a list of 75 known ASAT experiments, including ground-based and co-orbital, with 17 of them hitting a target in space. While weapons testing in space has been happening for years, the increasing number of satellites and even humans in orbit increases the possibility of catastrophic collisions and other reverberation impacts from space debris. Space debris constitutes a significant, unrelenting, and indiscriminate threat to the sustainability of the space environment and the operational integrity of all spacecraft. Furthermore, the impact of each additional piece of debris is not linear; the Kessler Syndrome proposes that space debris could reach a critical mass, triggering a cascade effect that exponentially increases the likelihood of damaged or disabled working satellites. ...Read more