Tag: Boeing
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Intelsat satellite in service after overcoming engine trouble
Artist’s concept of the Intelsat 33e satellite in orbit. Credit: Boeing An Intelsat communications satellite launched last August entered service Sunday, about three months later than planned after a main engine problem forced engineers to position the craft in geostationary orbit using backup low-thrust rocket jets. The Intelsat 33e spacecraft ran into the engine glitch…
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Following Trump’s lead, Pentagon orders reviews of Air Force One, F-35 fighter jets
The current Air Force One planes were built more than a quarter-century ago. (White House Photo) President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, has ordered reviews of the multibillion-dollar programs to acquire new Air Force One jets and more F-35 fighter jets – two programs that sparked his boss’ ire in the run-up to his inauguration.…
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Touchscreen gloves? Zippered helmets? Boeing reboots the spacesuit for Starliner
Boeing’s Chris Ferguson, a former astronaut, models the Starliner spacesuit. (Boeing via YouTube) The spacesuit designed for astronauts riding Boeing’s Starliner space taxi makes a fashion statement for the 21st century, from its touchscreen-sensitive gloves to its color-coordinated shoes. And all of it in Boeing blue. The spacesuit made its public debut today during a…
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Boeing hints that it’ll unveil its Starliner spacesuits – and maybe who’ll wear them
A quick shot from a Boeing video shows a Starliner patch on a blue spacesuit. (Boeing Photo) Boeing’s Starliner space taxi won’t be carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for at least another year and a half, but we may soon find out what they’ll be wearing. We may even find out who the…
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NASA looks into buying more Russian Soyuz trips to orbit … through Boeing
A Russian Soyuz craft approaches the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA) NASA is considering a convoluted arrangement to reserve five more seats on Russian Soyuz capsules heading to and from the International Space Station, with the Boeing Co. as the middleman. The plan to reserve more trips to orbit would give NASA additional breathing room…
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Atlas 5 and Delta 4 achieve milestones in parallel on the same morning
The SBIRS GEO Flight 3 satellite will be launched next week. Credit: Lockheed Martin CAPE CANAVERAL — Critical operations were completed this morning by United Launch Alliance at Cape Canaveral to prepare two rockets for upcoming flights into space. At the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Complex 41, the U.S. military’s $1.2 billion SBIRS GEO…
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Multi-national contribution to U.S. military network delivered for launch
The next satellite for the U.S. military’s communications network, this one purchased by five international allies, has arrived in Florida for its launch in March atop a Delta 4 rocket. The ninth Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft has been delivered to Cape Canaveral from the Boeing factory in Los Angeles. @af_smc, @Boeing, @AirMobilityCmd & msn partners…
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Boeing and SpaceX win four more NASA orders for space taxis, with one big ‘if’
An artist’s conception shows a straight-on view of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner space taxi. (Boeing / NASA Photo) NASA has awarded four more contracts to Boeing and to SpaceX for space taxi trips to and from the International Space Station – dependent on certification that the spacecraft are safe. SpaceX is working on a crew-capable version of its…
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NASA confirms delay in commercial crew flights to 2018, pushing the envelope
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s crew-capable Dragon approaching a port on the International Space Station with a cargo Dragon in the foreground. (NASA Photo) NASA has confirmed that the commercial space taxis being developed by SpaceX and the Boeing Co. will start carrying astronauts to the International Space Station no earlier than 2018, and there’s…
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U.S. launches its highest capacity military communications satellite
CAPE CANAVERAL — An antenna-covered communications spacecraft that will bring more bandwidth and capacity to the U.S. military’s global information grid than any single satellite ever before was successfully launched Wednesday atop a Delta 4 rocket. United Launch Alliance delivered the Wideband Global SATCOM satellite No. 8 into space for the U.S. Air Force following…