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September 04, 2018

Airborne-Unmanned 09.04.18: Boeing's Navy Nod, Ford Drones, Uber Eats' UAVs

Also: Nearly 2,000 Waivers Granted, Drone Shuts Down Firefighters, Underwater UAV, Nevada Signs Autonomous Systems Letter

The U.S. Navy has awarded Boeing an $805 million contract to build the Navy’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft, the MQ-25 aerial refueler. Boeing, which was awarded the engineering and manufacturing development contract to provide four aircraft, will conduct its work on the MQ-25A Stingray in St. Louis, Missouri. “As a company, we made an investment in both our team and in an unmanned aircraft system that meets the U.S. Navy’s refueling requirements,” says Leanne Caret, president and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Ford employees are now using cameras mounted on drones to safely and efficiently inspect high-

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Maxar's SSL Selected By NASA For Space Habitat Reuse Study

Company Will Explore Commercial Satellite Assembly And Manufacturing In LEO

SSL, a Maxar Technologies company providing innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, has been selected by NASA to perform a study exploring the use of commercial habitats in space as satellite manufacturing facilities. In support of NASA's vision of a vibrant space economy, and expanded opportunities for American industry, SSL will study the feasibility of habitable space platforms for building commercial satellites and how they might unlock new capabilities and business paradigms.

Succeeds Richard R. Yuse, Who Will Retire At End Of Year

Raytheon Company Chairman and CEO Thomas A. Kennedy has announced the appointment of Roy Azevedo as president, Space and Airborne Systems, effective September 1, 2018. Azevedo, 57, has been elected a corporate officer and has been named to the Raytheon Corporate Leadership Team. He succeeds Richard R. Yuse, who informed the company of his intention to retire from Raytheon on December 31, 2018.

Larger Hall Thrusters Under Development For Future Space Exploration

Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed its early systems integration test for NASA’s Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) program, a next-generation propulsion capability that will further enable deep space missions. Under the AEPS contract, Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop and qualify a 13-kilowatt Hall thruster string for NASA, bolstering future exploration missions, as well as commercial space endeavors.

First To Do So In 50 Years

One of the candidates selected for the NASA's 2017 astronaut class has resigned from the program for "personal reasons" before qualifying for spaceflight.