Spacecraft News
- January 2024: Japan launched a spacecraft on the Moon to demonstrate precision landing technology and reinvigorate its space program. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the Moon's surface and re-established communication with Earth. By reducing the cost of launching, Japan aims to carry out more frequent missions in the future.
- November 2023: Sierra Space introduced its next “Dream Chaser” space shuttle. Dream Chaser can take seven astronauts into space. The spacecraft contracts with NASA to provide seven cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Dream Chaser is reusable up to 15 times and is in production in the Colorado Facility.
Related Space Industry News
- January 2024: Japan launched a spacecraft on the Moon to demonstrate precision landing technology and reinvigorate its space program. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) landed on the Moon's surface and re-established communication with Earth. By reducing the cost of launching, Japan aims to carry out more frequent missions in the future.
- November 2023: Sierra Space introduced its next “Dream Chaser” space shuttle. Dream Chaser can take seven astronauts into space. The spacecraft contracts with NASA to provide seven cargo delivery missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Dream Chaser is reusable up to 15 times and is in production in the Colorado Facility.
April 2023: TransAstra won a USD 0.85 million Phase 2 business innovation research contract from NASA to manufacture a bag to capture orbital debris. As per the phase 2 small research contract, TransAstra will build an inflatable capture bag to capture orbital debris and demonstrate to NASA how the bag, which is fitted with inflatable struts to open and close, would envelop a noncooperative object in space. In 2021, TransAstra built a small capture bag with NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts funding. The new phase 2 contract was awarded to support early-stage technology with potential commercial space applications.
March 2023: OffWorld expanded its business of space mining into Luxembourg. OffWorld aims to reinvent space mining by developing a new generation of AI-powered robots to withstand extreme conditions. The new OffWorld Luxembourg branch will likely conduct research into lunar regolith processing and the design and development of its AI-powered robotic workforce.
- February 2024: Haryana Police became the first Indian police force to employ tear gas drones. These drones, crafted by Haryana's Drone Imaging and Information Service, were instrumental in dispersing protesting farmers at the Shambhu Barrier on the Punjab-Haryana border.
- January 2024: Wrap Technologies, headquartered in Arizona, unveiled its BolaWrap product, underscoring its non-lethal design. Resembling a taser, this device uses a Kevlar cord to restrain and temporarily restrict an individual's movement.
June 2024: OMNI Air Taxi (OMNI), South America's leading operator of Leonardo AW139 helicopters, awarded a significant contract to Honeywell International Inc. The agreement entails the upgradation of OMNI's 31 AW139s with Honeywell’s state-of-the-art IntuVue RDR-7000 Weather Radar System.
June 2023: Indonesia enhanced its airspace surveillance capabilities by procuring 13 long-range military radars from THALES. Opting for THALES' Ground Master 400 Alpha (GM400a), boasting a 515-kilometer range, Indonesia highlighted its appeal for integrating artificial intelligence, a feature streamlining data management.
June 2024: Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a part of the SATS Group, bolstered its collaboration with American Airlines in Europe. This partnership was solidified through a fresh cargo handling contract in Copenhagen. The move aimed to facilitate American Airlines' new daily Boeing 787 flights, connecting Denmark to its transatlantic hub in Philadelphia. WFS's role in Europe already encompasses managing American Airlines' escalating cargo operations in key countries, including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
February 2024: Menzies Aviation inked a significant deal with Air Serbia. The agreement, marking Menzies' largest venture in Eastern Europe, kicked off in February 2024. As part of this deal, Menzies' local teams are set to oversee over 22,000 turns at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport in the inaugural year.
July 2023: Safran, a French aerospace and defense company, finalized a USD 1.8 billion cash deal to acquire a business division from Collins Aerospace. This division specializes in aircraft actuation and flight control products. The acquisition of Collins Aerospace's mechanical and hydraulic actuators positions Safran favorably for next-generation aircraft initiatives.
July 2022: South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace Co. Ltd partnered with Vertical Aerospace, a UK company specializing in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, to collaborate on designing, testing, and supplying electromechanical actuators for Vertical's VX4 electric aircraft. The joint initiative was a strategic move toward advancing zero-emission electric aircraft technology.
November 2023: Northrop Grumman Corporation completed thermal vacuum tests on the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM), a two-satellite constellation designed to deliver broadband communications to Northern Polar for the US Space Force and Space Norway.
February 2023: The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency awarded Maxar Technologies a five-year contract worth USD 192 million to provide commercial satellite imagery to the US allies. Maxar will also provide three-dimensional data services to the allies.
- May 2024: Deutsche Aircraft entered a strategic partnership with Airplane Painter to cater to the stripping and repainting needs of the D328 fleet. Both entities are dedicated to delivering a holistic and smooth one-stop resolution to operators for the D328 fleet concerning aircraft upkeep and painting requirements.
- July 2023: PPG announced a partnership with Satys, a French industrial group active in aircraft sealing, painting, and surface treatment, to provide electrocoating (e-coat) of original equipment manufacture (OEM) aircraft parts.
- January 2022: Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, a US-based manufacturer of high-quality exterior and interior paint and coating systems, launched the Aircraft Color Visualizer platform, an online 3D color visualizer tool that allows users to experiment with different color schemes for their aircraft. The Aircraft Color Visualizer is a fully interactive desktop tool that lets users design color schemes for six different types of aircraft. It includes kit planes, single and twin-turboprops, light and heavy-duty business jets, and helicopters.
May 2024: The International Flight Training Center (IFTC) awarded HAVELSAN a contract to deliver an Airbus A320 NEO/CEO Full-Flight Simulator (FFS) with three engine options.
March 2024: Exail was awarded a contract by Fosen High School in Norway to deliver a new B737 Flight and Maintenance Training Device to provide a realistic and immersive experience for its students undergoing B737 maintenance and flight training programs.
May 2024: The UK Army awarded L3Harris Technologies Inc. a USD 26 million contract to deliver 50 T4 EOD robots. The deliveries are expected to start by the end of 2024.
April 2023: Russia deployed four Marker UGVs to support its war efforts in Ukraine. Marker is an anti-tank robotic UGV developed by Androidnaya Tekhnika, a Russian robotics company, to provide reconnaissance and destroy enemy targets.
