Aerospace & Defence

A small piece of outer space recreated in a basement in Glasgow could help ensure that a key enabling technology for future space missions won’t lead to deadly ‘rifle bullets’ of space junk circling the Earth.

Keysight Technologies is collaborating with SPHEREA to offer customers improved testing capabilities in the aerospace and defence (A&D) sector.

Researchers from the University of St Andrews are trialling instruments to be used on the European Mars Rover.   The work, featured this evening on the BBC Sky at Night programme, is imaging and analysing one billion-year-old geological formations that are analogous to those on Mars to advance the science capabilities of the rover which is scheduled to launch in 2028. 

Natural resources company Interlune and industrial equipment manufacturer Vermeer Corporation unveiled the full-scale prototype of the Interlune excavator, a machine designed to ingest 100 metric tonnes of Moon dirt, or regolith, per hour and return it to the surface in a continuous motion. Interlune’s immediate focus is harvesting helium-3 from the Moon.

As the NewSpace industry grows, there is a rising trend toward using non-space-grade power solutions to accommodate reduced launch costs and timelines.

Dassault Systèmes and Airbus have extended their long-term strategic partnership, putting the 3DEXPERIENCE platform at the heart of lifecycle management of all new Airbus programmes for civil and military aircraft and helicopters.

Amazon’s satellite broadband initiative, Project Kuiper, reached a new milestone on 28th April with the successful launch of its first operational satellite mission, KA-01, aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.

The European Space Agency (ESA) prepares to launch its long-anticipated Earth Explorer mission, Biomass, on 29th April at 11:15 CEST, from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

RAF Leeming has undergone a major upgrade to its Intruder Detection System (IDS) and Infra Data Cable (Golden Ring) networks. Working closely with VIVO Facilities Management and specialist fibre subcontractor Advantex, CU Phosco delivered a comprehensive infrastructure solution, including extensive trenching, fibre optic installation, and electrical works.

Keysight Technologies has won a contract with NATO’s Naval Forces Sensor and Weapons Accuracy Check Sites (FORACS) to modernise its testing capabilities for critical radar and electronic support measures (ESM) systems.