Astronics Test Systems and National Instruments have rolled out a set of PXI-based technology platforms the companies jointly developed for aerospace and defense test programs. NI said Tuesday the PXIe-6943 digital test instrument, PXIe-3352 rubidium clock source and PXIe-1209 pulse pattern generator employ software compatible with current VXI testing equipment as well as legacy offerings from multiple instrument vendors. The PXIe-6943 tool is derived from Astronics’ T940 module that works to […] More

Astronics has received a 24-month, $5 million contract to supply night-vision lighting systems for the F-16 jets of an unnamed country through the U.S. foreign military sales program. The contract calls for Astronics to design and develop a complete lighting system that will work to help pilots fly F-16s with night-vision goggles, the company said Wednesday. Astronics added the system will incorporate exterior and […] More

A team of Northrop Grumman and Global Aerospace Corp. has received a contract from NASA to build a space vehicle that will work to explore Saturn’s Titan moon. GAC and Northrop’s aerospace systems business will collaborate on the development of the concept and prototype of the Titan Winged Aerobot vehicle through the space agency’s Phase I […] More

Steve Cook, director of corporate development and a vice president of Dynetics, has been named a fellow with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in recognition of his aerospace sector contributions. Cook was responsible for Dynetics’ launch programs, orbital spacecraft, analysis works, planetary exploration and nanotechnology research as the former director of space technologies, […] More

The Aerospace Corp. has promoted Scott Yeakel, formerly principal engineer at the nonprofit organization’s national systems group, to general manager of the group’s systems engineering and launch division. Yeakel will be responsible for the delivery of enterprise-level support services to the company’s clients in the National Reconnaissance Office, Aerospace said Tuesday. The two-decade U.S. Air […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies has finished the critical design review of an atmospheric pollution measurement tool that the company is developing for NASA under the agency’s Earth Venture Instrument program. NASA plans to integrate the Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution instrument into a commercial satellite to measure Earth’s ozone, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde concentrations over […] More

NASA has discovered the first exoplanet with a repurposed version of the Ball Aerospace-developed Kepler spacecraft. Lead researcher Andrew Vanderburg studied data collected by Kepler in February during a K2 mission test in which the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo’s HARPS-North spectrograph took measurements that confirmed the new find, Ball Aerospace said Thursday. “Kepler may well deliver the first […] More

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has picked Ball Aerospace & Technologies to develop optical and ground mount structures for a giant telescope that will be used to observe the sky from a Chilean mountain. Ball Aerospace and partner Arizona Optical Systems will produce, integrate and test the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope‘s refractive lenses and support […] More

Jim Halsell, Dynetics technical director for advanced space launch systems, will speak at the University of Florida on Wednesday to discuss various topics related to space exploration and engineering. Halsell, a former NASA astronaut and U.S. Air Force colonel, will also talk about his role at Dynetics, the company said Friday. The event will be […] More

Ball Aerospace & Technologies has delivered four phased array antennas for the Orion spacecraft to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and prime contractor Lockheed Martin, as preparations are underway ahead of Orion’s inaugural flight in September. The antennas are intended to help comprise of Orion’s voice, video and data communications systems and be installed on Orion’s exterior, […] More

Northrop Grumman‘s Astro Aerospace subsidiary has performed a critical design review of the AstroMesh radar antenna reflector being developed for a joint imaging satellite of NASA and India’s space agency. AstroMesh will serve as a deployable mesh reflector for the large aperture antenna of the NASA-Indian Space Research Organization Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, Northrop said Monday. The reflector […] More

Northrop Grumman‘s Astro Aerospace subsidiary has conducted a preliminary design review of L-band reflectors for two communications satellites that Airbus currently develops for Inmarsat. Astro Aerospace will work to mature the reflectors’ design before the Inmarsat-6 satellite program undergoes a critical design review later this year, Northrop said Wednesday. Inmarsat awarded Airbus’ defense and space business a […] More