Sun, Sep 25, 2016

Ariane 5 On Track For Next Month's Mission

Pace Of Pre-Flight Activities Increasing At Spaceport In French Guiana

Pre-flight activities for Arianespace’s upcoming Ariane 5 mission are ramping up at the Spaceport in French Guiana, with launcher and payload preparations advancing in parallel for the October 4 liftoff.

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Sat, Sep 24, 2016

NASA Extends Support Contract For IRIS Space Observatory

Lockheed Martin Will Continue Operations Under $19 Million Agreement

Delivering the most detailed images of the sun’s lower atmosphere ever recorded from space, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), built and operated by Lockheed Martin for NASA, has received more time to deliver groundbreaking space science. A recent $19.4 million contract extends Lockheed Martin’s support for the orbiting observatory through September 2018, with a further extension possible through September 2019.

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Fri, Sep 23, 2016

FAA Eyes New Role In Commercial Space Regulation

Would Take On Responsibility Of Keeping Satellites From Bumping Into One Another

The FAA may become the agency responsible for being the traffic cops of objects in orbit around the Earth, a role some in the agency have reportedly been eyeing for some time.

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Fri, Sep 23, 2016

Airborne 09.23.16: GA Pilot Sues SFO, Drone Legalities, EAA Hall Of Fame

Also: Zenith Open Hangar Days, KSMO Nonsense, Recalled Devices, Piper M600, 800th TBM, NASAO, Commercial Space

The pilot of the last piston airplane based at San Francisco International Airport has sued the airport, claiming he is being pressured to move his Cessna 182 to a new home base. Courthouse News Service reports that Robert Reinheimer says in his suit that his flight privileges were illegally suspended by then-airport director John Martin for alleged safety violations. Those allegations were determined to be unfounded by the FAA. However, it’s reported that Reinheimer was not notified by the airport that the charges had been dismissed by the agency, and Martin did not respond to his request to have his privileges reinstated. Legal wrangling in a drone shootdown incident may set a national precedent. A judge is expected to determine which court should hear the case involving a drone that was shot down in Kentucky. The owner of the drone is David Boggs, whose nei

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Fri, Sep 23, 2016

NASA iTech Fosters Technology Needed For Journey To Mars

Issues Call For White Papers That Address Challenges In Five Key Areas

NASA is seeking innovative technology for the agency’s future exploration missions in the solar system and beyond, including the Journey to Mars, from other U.S. government agencies, academia, the aerospace industry and the public through the new iTech initiative.

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