Tag Archives: Spacecraft

Exelis has delivered the cross-track infrared sounder to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for installation in the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 spacecraft. The sounder is designed to produce atmospheric temperature and moisture data for weather and climate prediction, Exelis said Friday. “This advanced hyperspectral technology is providing improvements to …

Lockheed Martin has launched an optical payload into space aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spacecraft to capture a single-view image of the Earth’s sunlit side. The Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera instrument is designed to help scientists monitor clouds and atmospheric particles in hemispheres in order to develop models for …

Larry Price, a deputy program manager at Lockheed Martin, said data from the December test flight of the Orion spacecraft helped validate the company’s spacecraft design and performance models, Florida Today reported Tuesday. James Dean writes Price offered details of the Exploration Flight Test-1 during a presentation at a National …

Northrop Grumman has incorporated a reflector system into NASA’s recently launched soil moisture mapping satellite in order to help the spacecraft collect data upon deployment. The AstroMesh-Lite reflector, developed by Northrop’s Astro Aerospace company, is designed for high frequency communications and radar applications, Northrop Grumman said Tuesday. “Ultra-lightweight technology is …

Lockheed Martin engineers have started to analyze data recorders and heat shield samples from the Orion capsule following its unmanned test flight and at-sea recovery on Monday. NASA and the U.S. Navy collaborated to retrieve Orion’s crew module from its landing site in the Pacific Ocean and bring the platform …

Boeing has completed a certification baseline review of NASA‘s human space transportation systems as part of a series of preparations for crewed missions to the International Space Station. NASA approved the review to validate the baseline design of the Crew Space Transportation-100 spacecraft, United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and related components, NASA said Dec. 1. …

The Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft is set for space launch on Dec. 4 to test its heat shield, parachutes, avionics and attitude control systems. The spacecraft arrived at NASA‘s Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, where it was lifted 200 feet onto a United Launch Alliance rocket, NASA said …

Lockheed Martin and NASA have moved another step closer to launching the Orion crew exploration vehicle following completion of production and assessment work on the spacecraft. The Lockheed-built Orion capsule will be integrated with a Delta IV heavy-lift rocket on a pad at NASA’s Space Launch Complex 37 in Florida …

Space Systems/Loral has launched a new satellite built for Intelsat into space for an initiative to provide distribution services in South America and the Caribbean regions. The Intelsat 30 satellite also achieved post-launch maneuvering in orbit after its launch on board Ariane 5 from the European Spaceport in the French Guiana, SSL said Friday. SSL designed the Intelsat 30 based …

Boeing has concluded the development and testing phase of a commercial crew transportation system the company built for NASA. The testing represents the final milestone for the the CST-100 spacecraft and Atlas V rocket under Boeing’s four-year agreement with NASA, the space agency said Friday. NASA intends for the spacecraft to transport crew members …

Boeing and SpaceX have been told by NASA to continue work under the agency’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program to help transport U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The agency said Thursday it instructed the companies to proceed despite a pending protest with the Government Accountability Office because a halt to work could “delay meeting critical crew …

A United Launch Alliance rocket has moved to a launch pad in Florida ahead of its December mission to carry the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft for an initial test flight. NASA secured the Delta IV heavy-lift rocket into a vertical launch position on Wednesday at the Space Launch Complex 37 …

NASA has launched the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory-built Balloon Observation Platform for Planetary Science into space in order to study solar system objects. The spacecraft took off from the Fort Sumner, New Mexico-based NASA Columbia Scientific Balloon Research Facility on Thursday and will work to detect organic elements on objects in the …

Phycisists at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed a computer model to predict how radio interference source in the atmosphere could affect communications. APL physicists designed the model to detect the movement of “space bubbles” after they form and predict the plasma bubble’s course by collecting data from satellite-based systems and using …

A satellite that Lockheed Martin designed and built for the U.S. government launched into space Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The CLIO satellite took off aboard a United Launch Alliance-built Atlas V launch vehicle, Lockheed said Tuesday. CLIO incorporates Lockheed’s A2100 satellite bus with solar arrays, propulsion system and core electronics.