Page 11 - Aerotech News and Review, Feb 1, 2019 - Mission Update Edition

MOJAVE, from 10
were told Jan. 18 that more than 50 people were being laid off as a result of the streamlining strategy, according to two sources who aren’t employed by Stratolaunch but are familiar with the operation. The sources, speak- ing on condition of anonymity, told GeekWire that about 20 employees were staying on to work on the plane and prepare for the flight test.”
It is not clear at this time, however, how the layoffs will affect the com- pany’s timeline or business plan.
ASB Avionics
ASB Avionics has been serving the air transport, corporate, military and general aviation avionics industry since 1991, and has the experience, products, accreditation and facilities to meet and exceed customers’ needs for avionics repair, retrofits, fabrication installations and more.
The company provides custom en- gineering and installation of TCAS, Mode-S Transponder, GPS/FMS Equipment, Flat Panel Displays, EFIS, EGPWS, TAWS, Laser Navigation & Reference systems, Satcom systems, and many more. They represent of major avionics manufacturers such as Rockwell Collins, Honeywell, Go- odrich, Trimble Navigation, Universal Avionics, and many more.
ASB Avionics maintains a 39,000-square foot hangar facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port and their facility incorporates an engineer- ing department, state of the art fabri- cation and bench repair shops, a sheet metal shop, and customer representa- tive office space.
ASB Avionics services aircraft rang- ing from single engine general aviation to multi engine air transport aircraft.
ASB Avionics’ customer base ranges from large aircraft operators to corpo- rate and private aircraft owners
Flight Research Inc.
Since 1981, Flight Research Inc., has been a leading provider of training, services and support activities which advance the safety and capability of the aerospace industry.
Operating in three areas — training, flight test and support — the company has a 924,000-square foot facility at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Training: Flight Research provides upset training in all types of aircraft, spaceflight training for industry profes- sionals and tourists, and custom train- ing on request.
Flight test: Flight Research is an industry leader in professional flight testing since 1981. Services include full airframe testing, UAS testing and component testing.
Support: The Flight Research 145 Repair Station has experience with piston and turbine airframes, helicopter and fixed-wing category, and extensive experience with experimental aircraft.
Flight Test Aerospace
Flight Test Aerospace, Inc., founded in 1998, is a systems integrator provid- ing mission-critical aviation services for government and commercial cus- tomers at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
It offers aviation systems engineer- ing and aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul, and modifications, which in- clude designing, integrating and manu- facturing systems to initialize and drop radiosondes, receive data from radio- sondes, and retransmit data to ground control stations; developing and testing
payload packages for UAVs; and de- veloping tactical situation display for counter-drug operations and use with APS-144 radars.
The company also provides logistics and global supply chain management services for aircraft parts, vehicles, maintenance support packages, NVG equipment, tactical communications gear, petroleum, and oil and lubricants. In addition, it offers airlift operations in the areas of heavy lift, passenger transportation, cargo transportation, disaster relief, wreck salvaging, fire fighting, and search and rescue.
The company provides its solutions in the United States, Afghanistan, Pak- istan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Lithuania, and Mexico. The company has a strate- gic partnership with Prüst Holding B.V.
Interorbital Systems
Interorbital Systems is a rocket, satellite and spacecraft manufacturing company and launch-service provider founded in 1996 by Roderick and Ran- da Milliron.
Interorbital’s innovative modular launch vehicle, the NEPTUNE, is poised to provide the world’s lowest- cost access to space. Combined with IOS’ STEM products, the TubeSat and CubeSat Personal Satellite Kits, IOS is committed to providing reliable and af- fordable space-launch solutions.
Interorbital’s NEPTUNE series modular launch vehicles are built from one or more Common Propulsion Mod- ules, or CPMs, connected in parallel with optional tandem upper stages. Once a space mission’s requirements are specified, the launch vehicle can be custom-built for the mission by vary- ing the number of CPMs and tandem upper stages.
Since the Common Propulsion Modules have fewer systems than standard launch vehicles, they can be rapidly built on an an assembly line. Since the CPMs are all identical, the modular rockets can be assembled with efficient, standardized assembly techniques.
In June 2018, Interorbital Systems’ rocket team successfully completed a low-altitude flight-test of its orbital vehicle’s liquid upper-stage rocket en- gine. The engine was integrated into an IOS NEUTRINO sounding rocket. An improved main valve unit was in- stalled that increased the propellant flow, boosting the engine performance higher than was achieved during static ground tests. The rocket gener- ated 10 Gs on takeoff with a thrust of 900-pounds and a specific impulse of 248-seconds.
The test launch carried three com- mercial payloads: All were recovered with the rocket by parachute and came back alive and functioning. Boreal Space of NASA Ames Research Cen- ter flew its Wayfinder hosted payload technology that contained experiments from Stanford University’s Extreme Environments Lab, as well as a Gra- phene experiment from the University of Singapore.
Masten Space Systems
Masten Space Systems is a private company founded in 2004 by CTO Da- vid Masten. The company has 12 dedi- cated employees at its headquarters at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Masten’s focus on reusable rocket technology is driven by the goal of en- abling space transportation and reliable planetary landers for the Earth, Moon, Mars and beyond. “We are a passion-
ate company of inventors, creators and builders with goals that include landing our own vehicle on the moon in 2021,” said a company release.
Masten competed in the NASA and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize in 2009 with Xom- bie (model XA-0.1B). Xombie came away from the lunar lander challenge with an average landing accuracy of 6.3 inches qualifying it for Level One second prize of $150,000 on October 7th, 2009. The Xoie VTVL won the $1,000,000 Level Two prize of the Lu- nar Lander Challenge on Oct. 30, 2009 with an average landing accuracy of about 7.5 inches. Masten’s future ve- hicles have improved this performance and landing accuracy to provide EDL and testbed flight services to customers through NASA’s Flight Opportunities program.
In November 2018, the company an- nounced it had been awarded NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services IDIQ contract vehicle to deliver pay- loads to the lunar service. CLPS is a multi-award contract worth $2.6 billion over the duration of its 10 year per- formance period. The contract funds launch, landing, and lunar surface systems with first missions targeted as early as 2021.
“We are eager to apply our capabili- ty-driven approach refined over the last decade as we go to the lunar surface,” said Sean Mahoney, CEO of Masten Space Systems. “We are eager to work with NASA to enable new business models that will unlock the potential of the cislunar economy and enable humans to return to the moon.”
Masten’s XL-1 robotic lander con-
See MOJAVE, Page 13
Photograph by Tom Reynolds Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Test Pilot School, Jim “JB” Brown, delivers a MiG-21UM to the Mojave Air and Space Port Jan. 17, 2018. The supersonic jet was purchased
from Warbirds of Delaware in 2014; however, international sanctions against Russia delayed supplies needed to render the aircraft safe for flight.
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