Aerospace and Defense Review : News

Officials said that in presentations at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies, or AMOS, Conference here Sept. 17 that a United Nations resolution passed with overwhelming support last December could help establish momentum for further discussions on the development of space behavior norms. Diplomats and other experts see signs of progress at the United Nations in addressing space sustainability but warn that any sort of binding agreement may take years and years to emerge. Officials said that in presentations at the Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies, or AMOS, Conference here Sept. 17 that a United Nations resolution passed with overwhelming support last December could help establish momentum for further discussions on the development of space behavior norms. Resolution 75/36 invited countries to submit their perspectives on existing and potential threats as well as security risks to space systems and ideas for “norms, rules, and principles of responsible behavior” for safe space operations. Thirty countries, including China, Russia, and the US, have formally submitted reports.  “This is the first time that the US government put forward a substantial description on our views of responsible national security behavior in space,” stated Eric Desautels, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for emerging security challenges and defense policy, during a panel discussion at the conference. That included “strategic-level principles” regarding space behaviors that he said could be the basis for future work. The focus on behaviors was crucial, he stated. “The implementation of norms can reduce the possibility of misunderstanding and miscalculation between national security satellites operating in space. Moreover, the alternative of developing a legally binding arms control agreement would take longer to develop and verification is a significant challenge.” However, panelists acknowledged that translating those understandings of norms of behavior into a more binding document is still a long way off. Even seemingly uncontroversial proposals, such as a treaty prohibiting the testing of kinetic-energy antisatellite (ASAT) weapons from avoiding the production of additional debris, are difficult to implement. ...Read more

Delivering the right data means quickly collecting, analyzing, fusing, and sharing information. Battle networks must be able to fast-track the flow of useful information to enable troops to make effective and faster decisions. As data transforms all areas, including the battlefield, future battle networks are likely to rely more on space systems to ensure the network is adequately global, resilient, and responsive. Though a battle network’s resilience is crucial, it means little if the network is not responsive. This is because a key characteristic of warfare in a digital era is how dependent contemporary militaries, specifically weapon systems, are on data. But more than raw or unrefined data, weapon systems and troops need refined data that is easy to act upon. Providing the correct data means quickly collecting, analyzing, fusing, and sharing information. Battle networks must be able to expedite the flow of helpful information to enable troops to make better and faster decisions. Now, new space technologies—such as the internet from space, novel earth imagery, and AI—and lower implementation costs are essential elements of the emerging commercial space sector and future battle networks. Given the overlap between commercial and battle network requirements, commercial technology can supplement the military space sector in interesting ways. For instance, unlike a fighter aircraft or an aircraft carrier, which are purposely built for the military, many of the elements required in the space segment of a battle network could be commercial during peacetime but serve military purposes during periods of conflict. Just as the U.S. used commercial imagery and weather forecasting to enable combat operations during the Gulf War, commercial satellite communication, imagery, data processing, and other capabilities critical to the future battle network could be utilized as a service when the US military needs them. The military will likely require some military-specific space segment assets, but commercial capabilities can offer a highly efficient way of augmenting military systems to provide a future battle network with the ideal reach, resilience, and responsiveness. ...Read more

While these issues have always existed, new trends and developments are propelling the industry forward — and providing a slew of new factors for aerospace engineers to address. With the possibility of catastrophic effects, aircraft engineers must be sure that their products are safe, dependable, and capable of withstanding any situation. Aerospace electronics, unlike other industries, must withstand some of the world's harshest settings, withstand extreme weather conditions, and sustain frequent changes in temperature, airflow, and pressure. As a result, predicting how temperature and heat flow would affect a device's reliability becomes extremely difficult. While these issues have always existed, new trends and developments are propelling the industry forward — and providing a slew of new factors for aerospace engineers to address. Let's see some of the Thermal Challenges Higher power density Previously, aerospace engineers could quickly put all of the functionality they need into a single tiny chip that wasted between thirty and forty watts. However, as the demand for more functionality to be incorporated into smaller, more highly engineered devices has grown, thermal management has become difficult. These chips now dissipate up to one hundred watts, which is three times the prior power. However, combined with the usage of smaller and smaller components with increasing power density, these chips are more likely to have heat issues. Engineers in other sectors could use air cooling techniques to solve similar problems. Traditional air conditioning systems, such as fans, can become clogged with ice in high-altitude aeroplanes. Because natural convection or airflow cannot be helpful to dissipate heat away from vital components in electronics heading for space, thermal engineers must find innovative ways to dissipate heat away from critical components. Exposure to extreme environments Another issue is the severe circumstances that aerospace electronics frequently get subjected to, ranging from Alaska's deepest reaches to Saudi Arabia's hot and arid desert. Not to mention that these gadgets get subjected to things like high vibrations, with takeoff and landing exerting a significant mechanical strain on the equipment and internal electronics. At the same time, the aircraft industry is incorporating more commercial and industrial components. Unfortunately, many of these components don't rate to the required levels to function appropriately in the surroundings they're in. Given this trend, thermal engineers must fully evaluate their designs in a variety of environments. Using powerful thermal simulation software like 6SigmaET to run components through various parametric variations in a range of conditions is a critical step in testing device dependability. ...Read more