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Week ending September 12, 1999
+++ Ariane flight 120 succeeds after delays +++ Next Shuttle flight delayed to mid-October +++ News in brief +++
Ariane flight 120 succeeds after delays
Flug 120 der Ariane hob am 4. September ab
Arianespace has successfully launched Korea Telecom's new Koreasat 3 telecommunications satellite on September 4. Liftoff from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana took place at 7:34 p.m. local time. Flight 120 was performed by an Ariane 42P, the Ariane 4 version with two solid-propellant strap-on boosters. This mission used the 88th out of 116 Ariane 4 launchers ordered to date from the European space industry, and marked the 46th successful launch in a row for Ariane 4. Koreasat 3 is Korea Telecom's third telecommunications satellite. Built by Lockheed Martin Communications Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, Koreasat 3 weighed 2,800 kg. (6,160 lb.) at liftoff, and is equipped with 30 Ku-band and 3 Ka-band transponders. Koreasat 3 will be positioned at 116 degrees East, allowing the leading Korean telecom operator to ensure the continuity and development of services throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The next launch, Arianespace Flight 121, is scheduled for September 24, 1999. An Ariane 44LP will place into orbit the Telstar 7 telecommunications satellite for operator Loral Skynet. Following Flight 120, Arianespace's order book now stands at 42 satellites to be launched.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Next Shuttle flight delayed to mid-October
Kein Space Shuttle-Flug vor Mitte Oktober
NASA's fleet of space shuttles, grounded for detailed inspections of the wiring, will not carry out further missions until mid-October at the earliest, the U.S. space agency has admitted. The inspections were ordered after a serious incident during the lift-off of shuttle Columbia in July, when power failures to two of the computers controlling Columbia's three main engines threatened a never-before attempted emergency abort. That led to electrical inspections on the entire shuttle fleet, and technicians have discovered enough problems, including faulty insulation and frayed wires, that mission managers have decided not to schedule any more flights until the work is complete. NASA said damage had been found inside each orbiter. So far, inspectors have found 38 electrical defects on shuttle Endeavour and 26 aboard shuttle Discovery. Comprehensive inspections of Columbia, the oldest shuttle in the fleet, and Atlantis, the youngest, will begin later this month, NASA said. NASA said many of the electrical defects were caused over the years as technicians performed their pre-launch and post-launch routines inside the shuttles, often stepping on wires or inadvertently nicking them. Other defects were caused by wires rubbing against metal surfaces. The space agency said it was revising service procedures in light of the discoveries and plans to schedule more electrical inspections in the future.
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NEWS IN BRIEF / KUZMELDUNGEN
Embraer hired some 500 foreign engineers to help in the development of the ERJ-170/190 series of regional jets in Sao Jose dos Campos. That project will be developed along with Parker Aerospace, General Electric Honeywell and Liebherr-Aero Technik, among other suppliers and partners. The new professionals that will work in the city helped grow the local economy: a Comfort Inn hotel, the first international hotel to be built in Sao Jose dos Campos, will start being erected this month.+++
In early September, AlliedSignal and Honeywell shareholders overwhelmingly approved the companies' proposed merger that would create one of the largest manufacturers of avionics. The deal, which is expected to close this fall, still faces regulatory approval. In Morristown, N.J., 98 percent of AlliedSignal shareholders cast their votes in favor of the aircraft-engine manufacturer acquiring Honeywell, which supplies cockpit instrumentation and navigational systems, for $15.3billion. At the Honeywell meeting in Minneapolis, 76 percent of the company's outstanding shares were voted in favor of the merger. The shares voted in favor represent 98percent of the votes cast on the proposal. Honeywell's chairman and chief executive officer, Michael Bonsignore, was upbeat over the vote outcome and optimistic that the plan would receive the necessary regulatory approval. "The integration planning process is moving swiftly forward and positions us to maximize the merger's cost savings while implementing world-class quality and strategic practices throughout the company," Bonsignore said. Company officials acknowledged that Honeywell may have to sell some assets before the transaction is approved.
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Along with other loby groups, the German Aerospace Industries Association is moving from Bonn to Berlin. Starting September 1, the BDLI will took up its wide ranging activities at its new head office on the famed Friedrichstrasse, in close proximity to key policy makers in both the legislative and executive branches of government. The BDLI will, however, maintain a branch office in Bonn in order to stay in close contact with those government agencies not making the move to Berlin. This office is currently situated on Konstantinstrasse in Bonn but will have relocated to the Haus der Luft- und Raumfahrt (Aerospace House) in neighboring Bad Godesberg by year's end. The mission of the head office is to communicate the economic, technological and research policy interests of BDLI's 108 member companies to the federal administration and members of parliament, as well as to the media and the interested public.
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Delta Air Lines and Tyrolean Airways, Austrian Airlines' regional carrier, have announced codeshare service to eight new European cities October 15, 1999. Delta said it will begin nonstop service with Tyrolean from Vienna to Bremen and Nuremberg, Germany; Graz, Klagenfurt, Linz and Salzburg, Austria; and Krakow and Katowice, Poland. Delta continues to take a series of strategic steps to improve its worldwide service by offering more frequent Delta service to more cities around the globe. Delta's alliance with its European partner Austrian facilitates this goal by allowing the airlines to coordinate schedules and marketing activities. Together, the airlines create an air transportation network of great quality and value which offers their passengers unparalleled access to global destinations.
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Two very successful firings of the Broach warhead, the Storm Shadow cruise missile lethal package, at the DERA Pendine range in South Wales during the summer, concluded a major two year risk reduction programm, Matra BAe Dynamics has announced.
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Four German researchers have received the "Körber Award" for their studies on high flying airship platforms, which could be used as relay platforms to supplant satellites. The 1.5 million DM price money will be used to undertake furhter research into this project. The team is led by Bernd Kröplin form the university of Stuttgart. Also, Michael Rehmert from Dornier Luftfahrt is tasked with propulsion questions, while per Lindstand of Sweden tackles envelope materials and John A. Pyle of the UK researches into atmospheric conditions. The airships should fly at 20000 m.
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Lockheed Martin has tested an AIRSAT 1 satellite communications system at supersonic speed with an F-16. This new capability would enable fighters to talk with anyone on the globe instantly.
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Speculation is mounting concerning a possible takeover of British Midland by another European airline. Among the possible bidders are Air France, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic and KLM.
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Saab has delivered the first pair of Pressurized Lateral Floor to Airbus's French partner Aerospatiale Matra. The units, which weigh approx. 400 kg each, are intended for the new A340-500/600 Airbus aircraft. The delivery is the first in a series of components for Airbus, and the total order value for the floorings is approx. USD 75 million. When Saab decided to terminate production of regional aircraft in December 1997, it was also decided to intensify efforts to become a partner ofmajor commercial aircraft manufacturers, and Saab has already received orders from both Boeing and Airbus. Saab will deliver assemblies as parts for engine nacelles, landing gear doors and floor structures. In total, Saab has received orders for Airbus components worth some USD 200 million, just over SEK 1.6 billion.
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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:
September 5, 1999
August 29, 1999
August 15, 1999
August 8, 1999
August 1, 1999
July 18, 1999
July 11, 1999
July 4, 1999
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Last updated September 8, 1999
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