Aerospace & Defence
Novel composites head to International Space Station
Materials developed by University of Bristol scientists and engineers will be blasted 250 miles from the Earth’s surface and affixed to the International Space Station (ISS). The novel composites will spend six months attached to the SESAME module of the ISS, orbiting the Earth some 3,000 times at speeds of 17,000 mph.
HUBER+SUHNER play key role in Spaceport America Cup
ARIS has been awarded third position in the most difficult competition category at Spaceport America Cup 2021. Having successfully built its first sounding rocket made to fit a hybrid-propellant engine, it was judged for its performance in real-life conditions against 14 other entries from universities across the world.
Women in space: Female engineers at the forefront of space exploration
You could be forgiven for assuming that the space industry is almost entirely male dominated because in the very early days of space exploration, that was mostly true. However, as early as 1963, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first of many women in space as part of the Vostok 6 mission. Exactly two decades later, in 1983, Sally Ride flew aboard the Space Shuttle STS-7, becoming the first American female in space. In fact, women...
Milrem Robotics demonstrates THeMIS Combat Support
Milrem Robotics has announced that it will demonstrate the THeMIS Combat Support unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) with partners Glenair and FN Herstal at the Sofins exhibition held in France from June 29th until July 1st.
Defence Leaders: Harnessing innovation for strategic advantage
The fifth panel of the DSEI Defence Leaders webinar series, Harnessing Innovation for Strategic Advantage, digs deep into exploring how the billions allocated to research and development in the Government’s 2021 Defence budget will push increased innovation through the defence technology pipeline.
SMAC shakes up aerospace test capabilities
Aerospace application specialist, SMAC has expanded its test capabilities with two new shakers to ensure all measurements are highly accurate and meet their customers' exacting standards. As a producer of customised parts for the protection of equipment used in harsh environments, such as high-altitudes and space, SMAC required a reliable vibration test solution that could model a new damper and validate its behaviour within a tight time frame.
Guided rocket recovery prepares for a soft landing
A student team from ETH Zurich is participating in the Swiss Space Initiative ARIS (Akademische Raumfahrt Initiative Schweiz). You might have already heard about us – last year the team wrote about their experiences using Tracealyzer in building a sounding rocket. This year, a subteam of eight people tackled another challenge: Guided recovery of a rocket after separation at apogee, which means having the system autonomously recove...
Autonomous capabilities for planetary rovers on the moon
Milrem Robotics has secured a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to start applying its autonomy capabilities towards planetary rovers. The current project, planned as the first in a series of projects, is for mapping the current state of the art of planetary rovers and for developing tools to increase planetary rover autonomy using methods Milrem Robotics is currently applying in its terrestrial ecosystem of products. The agreement was signed l...
Distributed propulsion aircraft come to market
Multiple thrusters are one thing in aircraft. In vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) they reduce the efficiency deficit with helicopters, providing unmatched redundancy and stability in wind. However, the term distributed propulsion (DP) primarily refers to a fundamentally new form of wing that intimately blends aerodynamics with thrust and zero emissions.
Planetary roller screw lands on Mars
Ewellix has developed and manufactured a planetary roller screw that recently landed on Mars as part of NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission. Ewellix engineers worked in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology to develop a roller screw component for the Perseverance Rover that would be robust enough to withstand the extreme conditions of outer space and Mars, which can...