Blue Origin completed its fourth human spaceflight and 20th overall flight for New Shepard. The astronaut manifest included: Marty Allen, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, Gary Lai, and Dr. George Nield.
“Congratulations to our astronauts on today’s mission above the Kármán Line,” said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard for Blue Origin. “We had the honor of safely flying this crew of six – each person with their own story of mentorship and passion for human spaceflight. We’re looking forward to many more flights this year, and we’re grateful to our astronaut customers for their trust in this amazing team.”
Actor and comedian Pete Davidson was originally scheduled to go on this trip but had to cancel his participation when the launch was delayed. In his place was Gary Lai, one of the first 20 employees to join Blue Origin and is currently chief architect, responsible for defining all next generation designs, upgrades, and new products for the New Shepard space tourism program. Lai has been with Blue Origin for 18 years and holds several patents related to the New Shepard rocket’s design, flew in Davidson’s place and was the sole non-paying customer on the flight.
Pratt & Whitney announced a memorandum of understanding with Air bp regarding various workstreams with respect to the application of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blends at up to 100 percent in Pratt & Whitney engine testing and research. The agreement reflects Pratt & Whitney’s commitment to supporting the aviation industry’s ambitious goal of reaching net zero CO2 emissions for air travel by 2050.
“The commercial aviation industry must use multiple approaches when it comes to addressing the challenges of sustainable aviation. One immediate opportunity is to radically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while we continue to improve engine efficiency,” said Graham Webb, Chief Sustainability Officer at Pratt & Whitney. “Neat SAF from a major integrated energy company that is highly focused on SAF initiatives enables the evaluation, testing and validation needed to ensure that our engines are fully capable of operating with 100 percent SAF.”
As part of the agreement, the parties will work collaboratively to explore the viable supply to Pratt & Whitney of SAF blends with up to 100 percent SAF for engine and propulsion systems testing through 2024. In addition, the two companies aim to collaborate on researching the performance of 100 percent SAF in propulsion systems to provide insights and data into fuel performance and emissions reductions.
“We are delighted to work with Pratt & Whitney to test SAF in U.S. engine testing facilities,” said Andreea Moyes, sustainability director, Air bp. “As we continue to develop new technologies and feedstocks, some of which may be unique to U.S. availability, it will be very useful for both companies to collaborate on testing and understanding fuel performance and, on working on increasing SAF utilization in engines up to 100%.”
Combined with continuous technological advancements in aircraft and engine efficiency, SAFs have a critical role to play towards decarbonizing air travel by reducing dependence on fossil-based fuels. Pratt & Whitney has been actively involved in SAF testing and certification for over a decade, and helped regulatory authorities establish the standards which today allow SAF to be used as “drop in” fuel, blended up to 50 percent with conventional kerosene fuel. Pratt & Whitney is working towards validating that its engines can operate with 100 percent SAF, and the company continues to collaborate closely with the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) and ASTM International towards that goal.
Pratt & Whitney is committed to ensuring that future generations of engines are ready to operate with 100 percent SAF, including the GTF Advantage engine. Since entering service in 2016, the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine family has saved operators more than 600 million gallons (two billion liters) of fuel and avoided more than six million metric tonnes of CO2. Besides enabling greater use of SAF, Pratt & Whitney is developing a range of technologies to drive further reductions in CO2 emissions from future aircraft designs, including more advanced gas turbine technologies, hybrid-electric systems, and hydrogen fuel technologies.
After extending the record for the longest single spaceflight in history by an American to 355 days, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Earth on Wednesday, March 30, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.
The trio departed the International Space Station at 3:21 a.m. EDT and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing at 7:28 a.m. (5:28 p.m. Kazakhstan time) southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.
“Mark’s mission is not only record-breaking, but also paving the way for future human explorers on the Moon, Mars, and beyond,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Our astronauts make incredible sacrifices in the name of science, exploration, and cutting-edge technology development, not least among them time away from loved ones. NASA and the nation are proud to welcome Mark home and grateful for his incredible contributions throughout his year-long stay on the International Space Station.”
Vande Hei’s extended mission will provide researchers the opportunity to observe the effects of long-duration spaceflight on humans as the agency plans to return to the Moon under the Artemis program and prepare for exploration of Mars.
Vande Hei launched April 9, 2021, alongside Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov. His second journey into space of 355 days is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, previously held at 340 days, and gives him a lifetime total of 523 days in space. Dubrov also remained onboard for 355 days on his first spaceflight.
Supporting NASA’s goals for future human landings on the Moon, Vande Hei completed approximately 5,680 orbits of the Earth and a journey of more than 150 million miles, roughly the equivalent of 312 trips to the Moon and back. He witnessed the arrival of 15 visiting spacecraft and new modules, and the departure of 14 visiting spacecraft.
Following post-landing medical checks, the crew will return to the recovery staging city in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, aboard Russian helicopters. Vande Hei will board a NASA plane bound for Cologne, Germany, for refueling prior to his return home. Shkaplerov and Dubrov will board a Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center aircraft to return to their home in Star City, Russia.
During his record mission, Vande Hei spent many hours on scientific activities aboard the space station, conducting everything from plant research to physical sciences studies.
With the undocking of the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft with Vande Hei, Shkaplerov, and Dubrov aboard, Expedition 67 officially began aboard the station. NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn recently took over as station commander, and is joined by NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Kayla Barron, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov.
Marshburn, Chari, Barron and Maurer will remain onboard until late April, when NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, as well as ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti launch to the station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission.
Rolls-Royce North America will invest $400 million in a major modernization of engine test facilities in Indiana, bringing total company investment in the United States to nearly $1.5 billion in the past decade.
New facilities in Indianapolis will upgrade full engine test capabilities, following a major modernization of advanced manufacturing at the campus. The Indianapolis facility will test engines for a variety of products, including the U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber fleet, after Rolls-Royce won a $2.6 billion contract last fall to manufacture 650 engines for the iconic aircraft.
The total Indianapolis campus modernization program began with a previous $600 million investment in new manufacturing facilities, upgraded equipment and advanced technology, which was completed in 2021. The additional $400 million investment in test facilities will further establish the Indianapolis site among the most advanced manufacturing campuses that Rolls-Royce operates anywhere in the world. Combined with a talented UAW workforce of 1,000 among more than 3,300 total employees, the Indianapolis site is highly efficient and competitive within the aerospace industry and other business areas in which the company operates.
Additionally, Rolls-Royce has invested over $100 million coast to coast across the U.S. since 2015, updating facilities in Massachusetts, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, South Carolina and California.
“We are thrilled to expand our modern test capabilities and footprint in Indianapolis. We’re developing state-of-the-art facilities that will enhance our recent modernization project and create value for our customers with highly efficient and advanced manufacturing capabilities, said Tom Bell, chairman and CEO, Rolls-Royce North America. “Rolls-Royce North America is growing, modernizing, and leading the way across the U.S.”
Phil Burkholder, Rolls-Royce Defense, executive vice president – Defense Global Assembly, Manufacturing & Test, said, “New testing facilities at our Indianapolis site will further enhance our Indiana advanced manufacturing operations. What we do here provides essential capability for the U.S. military and is also a vital part of the Indiana economy. We appreciate the public officials across federal, state and city governments who continue to support Rolls-Royce in the United States.”
The new Indianapolis test facilities will be built on the company’s Operations Campus near Tibbs Avenue and Raymond Street. The test cells, control rooms and other upgrades will be used to test the modern gas turbine engines manufactured on site, which power a variety of defense and commercial aircraft, ships and power systems in use around the world.
Additionally, Rolls-Royce is investing in test capability in West Lafayette, Indiana, following on an announcement from 2021 that Rolls-Royce would grow its presence at the Discovery Park District at Purdue. That includes upgrading the company’s electronic engine controls business and adding high-altitude, hybrid electrical and hypersonics test capabilities. The new projects will form a significant, large-scale testing campus at the Discovery Park District, where Rolls-Royce already has an electronic controls facility and conducts advanced engine testing at Purdue’s Zucrow Propulsion Labs.
The five-year test modernization program at the two Indiana sites is in line with the group’s ongoing investment plans.
Rolls-Royce has signed an agreement with Air bp to try to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions for gas turbine tests carried out at three sites and support one of the organization’s sustainability commitments.
It ensures that all of the aviation fuel supplied for engine testing at Rolls-Royce facilities in Derby and Bristol, UK and Dahlewitz, Germany will be a 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend.
The company says the SAF is derived primarily from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oils and will be blended with traditional aviation jet fuel by Air bp. Deliveries will begin this summer and the 10% neat SAF element will total around three million liters a year.
In addition, Air bp will provide the fuel for the very first run of the Rolls-Royce UltraFan demonstrator engine, which will be carried out entirely on 100% SAF later this year. UltraFan will deliver new levels of aviation sustainability in terms of improved fuel burn efficiency and 100% SAF capability. The demonstrator will be the largest aero engine in the world.
“This agreement delivers on a commitment we made that the fuel for testing and development is a 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel blend by 2023,” Chris Cholerton, president – Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said. “We want to encourage the use of SAF throughout the aviation industry and this agreement is an example of the firm commitments fuel producers require to support their continued production investment. I will be proud and excited to see the UltraFan on our state-of-the-art testbed running for the first time on 100% SAF, creating a new chapter in engineering excellence and sustainable aviation history.”
Andreea Moyes, sustainability director, Air bp, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Rolls-Royce to achieve their sustainability goals. As bp transitions to an integrated energy company, we are leveraging our expertise in the sourcing of renewable feedstocks, SAF production, logistics and end customer supply. Our ambition is to be the decarbonisation partner in the aviation industry and we are working at pace to promote SAF availability, accessibility and affordability to support global aviation in realising its low carbon ambitions.”
The three Rolls-Royce testing centres of excellence cover engines for different aerospace sectors – Derby, civil aviation; Bristol, defence, and Dahlewitz, near Berlin, business aviation. Engines from the Trent, EJ 200 and Pearl families are routinely tested before delivery to customers, while product improvement tests are also regularly conducted.
Rolls-Royce has previously committed to ensuring all of its Trent and Business Aviation engines are compatible with 100% SAF by 2023. All Trent and Business Aviation engines are already certified and ready to operate on a 50% SAF blend with traditional fossil-based aviation jet fuel.
According to SITA, within weeks of implementing their SITA Airport Management product, London Luton Airport (LLA) is reaping the benefits of streamlining the way it manages its day-to-day operations. SITA says their technology has helped the airport reduce the time and cost required to manage and plan routine operations such as aircraft bus schedules and weekly aircraft stand planning.
London Luton Airport
Automating the seven-day aircraft stand capacity planning, for example, has reduced the time required for this task by 80%. This is achieved by automating the process, taking in numerous data variables such as aircraft arrival and departure time, available gates, and aircraft type. Similarly, enabling bus drivers to input time records directly into the airport management system using an iPad – rather than relying on radio communications and spreadsheets – has reduced the time needed to record these bus movements by 90%.
“These small but significant improvements mean that our planning is more efficient and proactive, we can deploy our people where we need them most and reduce the overall cost of our operations,” Kamal Patel, head of IT of LLA, said. “This, in turn, has a positive impact for the passenger, through a smoother passenger experience.”
Sergio Colella, SITA President for Europe, said: “Over the past two years we have seen airports and airlines increasingly focus on digitizing their operations and it is paying dividends. As we were able to do with LLA, by digitalizing key processes across the airport, we are able to simplify key tasks, better allocate resources and make more informed decisions across all stakeholders – airlines, ground handlers, and government agencies.”
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