Aerospace and Defense Review : News

The global scare of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic seems to have a limited yet growing impact on the space industry as some companies and organizations are rethinking about organizing events The global scare of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic seems to have a limited yet growing impact on the space industry as some companies and organizations are rethinking about organizing events. Following a speech at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference, NASA Administration Jim Bridenstine stated that the agency was taking a day by day approach to address the disease, and the responses may vary from one field to another based on the location of the outbreaks. "We're taking it at this point day by day. We have ten centers across the nation, and every single one of them, as this continues to develop, is going to be affected differently," Bridenstine said. According to Bridenstine, NASA is following a tiered approach in handling with the coronavirus, starting with guidance and direction from government officials, tailoring that as needed for various centers. "More than everything, we need people to understand that we care about them individually and that there’s a lot of guidance out there as far as what needs to be done to minimize the risk of infection," he said. The agency's employees have been told to restrict their international travel only to what is necessary, although it has not put any restrictions on domestic travel. NASA hasn't announced any other restrictions on upcoming meetings or other activities. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency has enforced certain restrictions for the use of its centers. Anyone who has traveled from areas with significant coronavirus outbreaks including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Iran, and northern Italy need to have been out of certain regions of the agency for at least two weeks before they can enter an ESA facility. Currently, the agency's leaders are assessing whether upcoming meetings to be organized by the ESA should take place. "As soon as the virus reached Europe, we defined clear measures for ESA to minimize its spread," Jan Woerner, director general of ESA, stated in a blog post. “Due to the necessity for us to continue operating satellites, there are some limits to what we can do. Each and every one of us, though, must act responsibly to help counteract the coronavirus.” See Also :-  Top Healthcare Solution Companies   ...Read more

Astronomers have fought to preserve WFIRST, mentioning its standing as the top-ranked large astrophysics mission in the 2010 astrophysics decadal survey, and with the ability to perform research on topics ranging from dark energy to exoplanets NASA has approved a major astrophysics mission to go into the next phase of its development despite the administration seeking to cancel it once again. NASA announced that the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) had passed a review known as Key Decision Point C, which confirms development plans for the mission and allows it to move into full-scale hardware production and testing. The agency also sets a baseline cost and schedule commitment for the mission. The mission would cost $3.2 billion through its launch, a cost cap previously set by NASA. The cost, when including five years of science operations, as well as a coronagraph instrument, deemed a technology demonstration by NASA, increases to $3.934 billion. The Trump administration’s federal budget request for the 2021 fiscal year proposes terminating WFIRST entirely to allow for funds to move forward on the James Webb Space Telescope , a flagship mission that would study the early universe. “The Administration is not ready to proceed with another multi-billion-dollar space telescope until Webb has been successfully launched and deployed,” NASA said. This is not the first time that the administration cancelled WFIRST. NASA’s fiscal year 2019 and 2020 budget proposals sought no funding for the mission, citing a lack of appetite to pursue a flagship-class mission like WFIRST, given the delays and overruns for JWST. In both cases, Congress overruled the administration and provided funding for WFIRST, including $510.7 million in 2020.  “While WFIRST is on schedule and on budget for a Fall 2025 launch, we need to again ask Congress to restore the mission to the Federal Budget,” said David Spergel, an astrophysicist at Princeton University and the Flatiron Institute who co-chairs the WFIRST science team . See Also :-  Top Space Technology Companies   ...Read more

During the 1990s and 2000s, negligence in maintenance activities was one of the leading causes of aviation accidents. Studies reported that 42 percent of all airline accidents between 1994 and 2004 were caused due to maintenance related problems The commercial aircraft MRO (Manufacture, Repair. and Operations) market exceeded USD 78 billion in 2019 and is expected to demonstrate a 6 percent CAGR from 2020 to 2026. Proper maintenance and refurbishments of aircraft have become extremely important for aircraft to maintain their optimum performance and to comply with the strict regulatory norms. This has significantly boosted the market share for commercial aircraft MRO. The further advancement of technologies combined with the need to address wear and tear of components will only strengthen the market even more. During the 1990s and 2000s, negligence in maintenance activities was one of the leading causes of aviation accidents. Studies reported that 42 percent of all airline accidents between 1994 and 2004 were caused due to maintenance related problems. Since then, aviation norms have been stricter and more rigid. Airlines are now required to conduct an intensive maintenance and service inspection for every 100 hours of service. Along with maintenance, it is also important to continually update the installed avionics to ensure a smooth and hassle-free flight. Here are three trends that will set the tone for the future of the industry. [vendor_logo_first] Digitization Enhances MRO Efficiency High costs associated with the carrying out of MRO operations is one of the primary reasons that could hamper the growth of the commercial aircraft MRO market. In addition, high costs of spares and components combined with downtime losses during complex operations can also tally up to a significant amount in losses. The solution to these problems lies in innovative sensors and RFID technologies that can keep more efficient tabs on components and parts. Upgrading Systems and Software Models Modifications will be one of the fastest-growing segments in the commercial aircraft MRO market. This segment mainly includes paintings, avionics, and interiors, among others. Advancements in technology along with improvements in the software will play a significant role in enhancing the system performance, which in turn increases the market value. Focusing on flight safety and autonomous control will be a top trend in the coming years. Low-cost Carriers and Improved Travel Route Networking It is expected that narrow-bodied aircraft will dominate the next few years of the airline industry. The rising air passenger traffic owing to the proliferating tourism industry and improving spending capability is driving the segment growth. The increasing demand for low-cost carriers offering attractive air tickets at significantly lower prices further boosts the segment size. Also, manufacturers are continuously innovating and launching new models to meet the demands in the segment. See also:  Top Aerospace Tech Solution Companies ...Read more