Tue, Dec 10, 2019

NASA Posts SpaceX In-Flight Abort Test Launch Date Update

Will Not Take Place Before January 4, 2020

NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Jan. 4, 2020, for a critical In-Flight Abort Test of the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, pending U.S. Air Force Eastern Range approval.

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Tue, Dec 10, 2019

Virgin Galactic Places Main Oxidizer Tank Into Its Next Spaceship

Vehicle A Step Closer Beginning Flight Testing

Virgin Galactic has completed a major milestone in the build of the next spaceship in its fleet. The team has placed the Main Oxidizer Tank (MOT) into the fuselage – moving this vehicle a step closer to beginning its flight test program.

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Tue, Dec 10, 2019

Airborne-Unmanned 12.10.19: EHang In-City Demo, ISO Standards, DroneStrike?

Also: Drone Aviation-ComSovereign, Public Safety UAS Training, Disaster Management, NCDOT Drone Program

EHang has announced its strategic partnership with property developer Heli Chuangxin Real Estate Co. to build out a UAM demonstration project in Guangzhou. This is a major milestone as EHang prepares for the launch of commercial operations of its much-anticipated autonomous flying taxis. Heli Chuangxin and EHang have committed themselves to building the world's first commercial in-city sightseeing UAM route. On November 30, two passenger-grade AAVs of the two-seater EHang 216 model performed simultaneous flight demos, vertically taking off from and landing at Heli Tiande Centre in Guangzhou on the Centre's opening day. The world’s first ISO approved drone standards have been announced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) following a 12-month period of consultation with drone professionals, academics, businesses and the general public. While no

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Tue, Dec 10, 2019

Astronaut Assistant CIMON-2 Is On Its Way To The ISS

Will Remain Aboard The Station For Up To Three Years

A new CIMON for the International Space Station (ISS): CIMON-2 (Crew Interactive MObile companioN) lifted off on its journey into space on December 5. This modified version of the astronaut assistant has been equipped for new tasks and was developed and built in Germany. Like its predecessor, CIMON-2 will be deployed in the Columbus European research module. CIMON is a free-flying, spherical technology demonstrator for human-machine interaction and features artificial intelligence.

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Mon, Dec 09, 2019

Airborne 12.09.19: DroneStrike... Or Not?, Rotax 2020 Fly-In, ICAS 2019

Mon, Dec 09, 2019

Aerojet Rocketdyne Huntsville Site Set For Large Solid Rocket Motor Production

Manufacturing To Commence Early In 2020

Aerojet Rocketdyne is ready to begin producing large solid rocket motor carbon fiber cases in the Rocket City following installation and calibration of a key machine at its new Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF).

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Mon, Dec 09, 2019

First Giant Planet Around White Dwarf Found

ESO Observations Indicate The Neptune-Like Exoplanet Is Evaporating

Researchers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope have, for the first time, found evidence of a giant planet associated with a white dwarf star. The planet orbits the hot white dwarf, the remnant of a Sun-like star, at close range, causing its atmosphere to be stripped away and form a disc of gas around the star. This unique system hints at what our own Solar System might look like in the distant future.

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