DIFCO initiated construction on America’s first electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) vertiport facility in Rock Island, Illinois. Officially named; The Corporal Jason G. Pautsch Vertiport, the site is located centrally within the four Quad Cities metropolitan area and will include corporate hangar facilities for lease, refueling services, an executive pilot lounge, prototype visual navigational aid beacon, and an area navigation (RNAV) instrumentation approach and departure egress. DIFCO partnered with rotorcraft aviation legends Hughes Aerospace and Five Alpha on the development in early 2021.
Jake Pautsch, DIFCO CEO, has announced the project to help familiarize the community with eVTOL and VTOL and the future resources available to them by anchoring a significant hospital’s aero-medical aviation division to the site.
“We are excited to be pioneering with our team,” Pautsch said. “The vertiport will supply QC metro medical patients with safer and faster high-end access to aero-medical transport. In addition to supporting traditional rotorcraft the state-of-the-art facility will support the rising, electric battery-powered eVTOL aircraft.” Pautsch also notes, “Numerous, one-of-a-kind components of the project are unheard of in this industry and will increase safety. In addition, use of advanced technology will manage power production demands that eVTOL aircraft require without drawing from traditional energy grid power. Evaluating the massive power demands of electric aircraft is a moral responsibility. We have integrated components to be renewably conscience.”
DIFCO is a historic & industrial preservation and specialty industrial real estate development firm with a Union Iron Works Division, possessing a unique value proposition and an established in-house legal department. Headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, the company’s focus is on serving municipal and federal sector clients and select criteria-based commercial clientele across the United States.
The Measuring Division of Kaman Precision Products has announced the availability of its improved ThreadChecker. This line of non-contact application-specific sensors provides rugged, reliable verification of thread presence or absence in nearly any electrically conductive material. The ThreadChecker is a teachable eddy current inspection tool, widely used for thread detection, material sorting, plating presence, and absence of heat treatment, as examples. Any physical property difference that relates to material conductivity is readily detected. These sensors are available from stock and ready to ship immediately.
The ThreadChecker is ideal for use in any automated inspection process. Consisting of a single electronics module compatible with any probe/material combination, the ThreadChecker can check threads regardless of part cleanliness, reducing the cost of implementation.
With Kaman’s proven eddy current technology at its core, the ThreadChecker is designed specifically for in-die use. It features four internal probes, ranging from 4 to 10 millimeters (mm) and two external probes, 6mm and 8mm. Available with a DIN rail mounting option, ThreadChecker is CE-compliant and features IP-67 rated probes and electronics.
The ThreadChecker is available with both switched and analog outputs. With the switched output option, the sensor is wired to a PLC or other controller, programmed to alarm when no thread is detected. As an alternative, users can monitor the analog voltage and program the PLC or other control device with limits suitable for the application.
Archer Aviation and Hexcel announced they have entered into a letter of intent covering a proposed relationship for the supply of high-performance carbon fiber material that would be used in the manufacturing of Archer’s production aircraft.
Under the proposed relationship terms, Hexcel would provide Archer with high-performance carbon fiber and resin systems, also known as prepreg, needed to fabricate composite parts for Archer’s production aircraft. Hexcel is an ideal composites partner, supplying lightweight carbon fiber and highly toughened resin systems that provide both strength and durability while reducing overall aircraft weight and enhancing aircraft safety. Hexcel composite materials also exhibit repeatable manufacturing and performance.
“When selecting a partner, our primary focus was on safety and quality. We were impressed by Hexcel’s track record in delivering high-performance prepreg materials for the commercial aerospace industry and their proactive approach to developing cutting-edge materials,” said Archer co-founder and co-CEO, Brett Adcock. “Hexcel’s deep aerospace experience and familiarity with FAA certification requirements will prove invaluable as Archer moves into its next phase of innovation and ushers in the future of sustainable transportation,” added Adam Goldstein, Archer co-founder and co-CEO.
Hexcel is a supplier of carbon fiber, honeycomb, and other composite materials for major aerospace and commercial aviation programs, as well as space, defense and industrial programs. Designed to reduce weight and energy consumption while increasing payload and flight range, lightweight Hexcel composite materials will ensure high-performance during flight and lasting durability.
“This is a terrific opportunity for Hexcel to join with an innovative leader such as Archer to bring eVTOL to market,” Nick Stanage, Hexcel chairman, CEO, and president, said. “By selecting our leading lightweight composites, Archer helps improve aerodynamics, safety and quality in their aircraft designs. We are excited to be part of helping them succeed in bringing this new technology to market.”
Rocket Lab USA, Inc (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab”), a leading launch and space systems company, has announced today that during its next Electron launch, a commercial rideshare mission currently scheduled in April 2022, the company will attempt a mid-air helicopter capture of the Electron launch vehicle for the first time.
The “There and Back Again” mission, Rocket Lab’s 26th Electron launch, will lift off from Pad A at Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula within a 14-day launch window scheduled to commence on April 19, 2022 UTC. Electron will deploy 34 payloads from commercial operators Alba Orbital, Astrix Astronautics, Aurora Propulsion Technologies, E-Space, Unseenlabs, and Swarm Technologies via global launch services provider Spaceflight Inc. The launch is expected to bring the total number of satellites launched by Electron to 146.
For the first time, Rocket Lab will also attempt a mid-air capture of Electron’s first stage as it returns from space after launch, the next major step in the Company’s development program to make Electron a reusable rocket. Rocket Lab will be attempting the catch with a customized Sikorsky S-92, a large twin engine helicopter typically used in offshore oil & gas transport and search and rescue operations.
Catching a returning rocket stage mid-air as it returns from space is a highly complex operation that demands extreme precision. Several critical milestones must align perfectly to ensure a successful capture.
Recovery Mission Profile:
Approximately an hour prior to lift-off, Rocket Lab’s Sikorsky S-92 will move into position in the capture zone, approximately 150 nautical miles off New Zealand’s coast, to await launch.
At T+2:30 minutes after lift-off, Electron’s first and second stages will separate per a standard mission profile. Electron’s second stage will continue on to orbit for payload deployment and Electron’s first stage will begin its descent back to Earth reaching speeds of almost 8,300 km (5,150 miles) per hour. The stage will reach temperatures of around 2,400 degrees C (4,352 F) during its descent.
After deploying a drogue parachute at 13 km (8.3 miles) altitude, the main parachute will be extracted at around 6 km (3.7 miles) altitude to dramatically slow the stage to 10 metres per second, or 36 km (22.3 miles) per hour.
As the stage enters the capture zone, Rocket Lab’s helicopter will attempt to rendezvous with the returning stage and capture the parachute line via a hook.
Once the stage is captured and secured, the helicopter will transport it back to land where Rocket Lab will conduct a thorough analysis of the stage and assess its suitability for reflight.
“We’re excited to enter this next phase of the Electron recovery program,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck. “We’ve conducted many successful helicopter captures with replica stages, carried out extensive parachute tests, and successfully recovered Electron’s first stage from the ocean during our 16th, 20th, and 22nd missions. Now it’s time to put it all together for the first time and pluck Electron from the skies. Trying to catch a rocket as it falls back to Earth is no easy feat, we’re absolutely threading the needle here, but pushing the limits with such complex operations is in our DNA. We expect to learn a tremendous amount from the mission as we work toward the ultimate goal of making Electron the first reusable orbital small sat launcher and providing our customers with even more launch availability.”
Rocket Lab has previously conducted three successful ocean recovery missions where Electron returned to Earth under parachute and was recovered from the ocean. Analysis of those missions informed design modifications to Electron, enabling it to withstand the hard re-entry environment, and also helped to developed procedures for an eventual helicopter capture.
Unison Industries announced a long-term agreement with Blue Origin to design, manufacture, test and support ignition systems for Blue Origin’s BE-7, BE-3U and BE-4 engines.
The BE-4 engine, the world’s most powerful liquid oxygen/liquified natural gas engine, powers Blue Origin’s New Glenn and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch vehicles. Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle is powered by the BE-3U, and BE-7 powers the Blue Moon Lunar Lander.
“Unison supplies advanced performance solutions for nearly every engine and airframe program in the world,” Tom Hoferer, president of Unison Industries, said. “However, the benefits of Unison’s technology reach far beyond the aerospace market. Our large product portfolio, in particular our ignition systems, have been supporting both military and commercial space missions for decades. We look forward to working with Blue Origin to ensure mission readiness and help them to reach new frontiers in space travel.”
Olympus Corp. announced the completion of the separation of its Scientific Solutions business to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Evident Corp. Following the divestiture of its Imaging business, this move further signifies the company’s long-term strategy to cement its position as a major player in the medtech industry.
The proposed split was first announced in June 2021. As a newly-established wholly-owned subsidiary, Evident, headquartered in Japan, continues to operate independently under the Olympus umbrella. Olympus’ Scientific Solutions business encompassed the Olympus Industrial and Life Science businesses.
The company says the reorganization will give the Scientific Solutions business the autonomy and agility to respond quickly and more flexibly to the needs of Industrial and Life Science customers. “Evident, while continuing to provide best-in-class products, will expand its digital and cloud-based solutions to enhance the customer experience and to improve the overall workflow in the research and inspection fields,” said Yoshitake Saito, president and representative director of Evident. “We will shift from a business model centered on the sale of products, to one focused on solving customer issues and challenges. With this greater management autonomy, we will promote agile product development and open innovation, which we believe will increase the speed of product development.”
The company says its new name exemplifies its “unwavering commitment to continue providing high-quality products and technical expertise.” The company also says it is putting a renewed focus on customer collaboration and responsiveness to customer concerns.
You must be logged in to post a comment.