Aerojet Looking to Restart Production of NK-33 Engine Space News
Aerojet is in talks with Russian propulsion firms to restart production of the Soviet-era NK-33 rocket engine that the Sacramento, Calif.-based propulsion company is modernizing for use on Orbital Sciences’ Taurus 2 medium-lift rocket.
Aerojet’s vice president of space systems, Julie Van Kleeck, said Aug. 27 that the two companies are weighing the benefits of restarting production of the 1960s engine in Russia, initiating a new line in the United States, or possibly doing both.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will present the following awards, recognizing key contributions to space science and technology, at a noon awards luncheon on September 16 as part of the AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference & Exposition, September 14, at the Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, Calif.
Latest on the Station fire from the Los Angeles Times as of 3:43 p.m. PDT on Monday:
A voracious five-day-old wildfire that has churned through more than 105,000 acres of mountainous brush across northern Los Angeles County showed little sign of slowing down this afternoon as it threatened 12,000 homes in suburban tracts and desert communities, along with a historic observatory and major array of television and radio transmission towers.
ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair is all set to become the first non-American to head the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA).
The formal announcement was made today by IAA secretary general J M Contant during an international conference on low cost planetary mission here.
“Its a great honour. All these years Americans chaired the post, first time a non-American, that too an Indian, is elected is a matter of great honour,” Nair told PTI after the announcement.
A new paper by Bristol Spaceplane’s David Ashford entitled ‘The Aviation Approach to Space Transportation‘ has been published this month in the August 2009 of the Aeronautical Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
NASA has selected 16 small business projects to address important research and technology needs. The awards are part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
The SBIR program selected 12 proposals for negotiation of phase II contracts, with a total value of approximately $7.2 million. The awards went to 12 small, high technology firms in nine states.
White Label Space has announced its newest Partner, AOES Group BV (AOES). AOES is a well-established supplier of specialist engineering services to the European Space Agency (ESA) with a long track record dating back to 1980. AOES will contribute to White Label Space’s no-name space mission to land on the Moon, which will provide massive media exposure and sponsorship opportunities for the world’s biggest brands.
Bristol Spaceplane's HPD engine test in the Mojave.
BRISTOL AEROSPACE PRESS UPDATE
Bristol Spaceplanes has carried out a strapdown test firing of the HPD (Hydrogen Peroxide Demonstrator) sounding rocket that will be used to test in flight a development version of the Ascender rocket engine.
The test was entirely successful. The engine is based on UK heritage technology and the production version uses hydrogen peroxide and kerosene as the propellants. The test engine is a development version that uses hydrogen peroxide only. The exhaust products are steam and oxygen, which is why there is no flame. A nose cone and fin will be added before the HPD rocket will be launched.
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