AIR TRANSPORT
PRnewswire | May 15, 2023
Stratolaunch LLC announces it has successfully completed a separation release test of the Talon-A separation test vehicle, TA-0. The flight was the eleventh for the company's launch platform Roc and the second time the team has conducted flight operations in Vandenberg Space Force Base's Western Range off California's central coast.
The flight, which lasted a total of 4 hours and 8 minutes, performed risk reduction by demonstrating the Talon-A launch system can cleanly and safely separate hypersonic vehicles from Roc's center-wing pylon. The test also confirmed telemetry between the vehicles and Vandenberg Space Force Base's communication assets, assuring that back-up telemetry data collection will occur during future hypersonic flight tests.
With this landmark test complete, the team will progress toward its first hypersonic flight of the TA-1 expendable testbed in late summer of 2023.
"Today's test was exceptional," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Chief Executive Officer and President for Stratolaunch. "It was exhilarating to see TA-0 release safely away from Roc, and I commend our team and partners. Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight."
"We also thank the Western Range, Vandenberg Space Force Base, for their continued support of our test operations. They have provided us with multiple flight opportunities and have been a great partner adapting to our various schedule requests as we adjusted our release window. We look forward to working together during our future operations pursuing hypersonic flight," he said.
About Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch's mission is to advance high-speed technology through innovative design, manufacturing, and operation of world-class aerospace vehicles. Stratolaunch designs, manufactures, and launches aerospace vehicles and technologies to fulfill several important national needs, including the need for reliable, routine access to space and the need to significantly advance the nation’s ability to design and operate hypersonic vehicles.
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AIR TRANSPORT
Businesswire | May 18, 2023
Reliable Robotics, a leader in safety-enhancing aircraft automation systems, provided a demonstration during the recent Golden Phoenix readiness exercise at Travis Air Force Base (AFB). This exercise demonstrated capabilities that will help the United States Air Force (USAF) modernize and project safe, rapid, global mobility. During the flight, Reliable’s remotely operated aircraft system was engaged for an end-to-end automated mission including auto-taxi, auto-takeoff, climbout and auto-landing with an onboard test pilot.
"This signifies a historic milestone as an aircraft, under the guidance of Air Mobility Command airmen, autonomously taxied, took off, and landed at an AMC base for the first time," said Maj. Wesley Williams, Travis AFB Phoenix Spark Innovation Lab. "Today marked a truly historic day for the Air Force. This is how we win.”
Reliable’s remotely operated aircraft system includes high precision navigation, sophisticated flight planning capabilities and robust flight controls. The system Reliable is developing and certifying will enable continuous autopilot engagement through all phases of flight and support remote piloting across multiple types of aircraft. Last year, the certification basis for Reliable’s advanced navigation and autoflight system was accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Commercial innovation can increase the Air Force’s ability to generate air power, more frequently and over longer distances, providing our Airmen greater options in leading critical missions around the world,” said Col. Derek Salmi, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander. “It was inspiring to watch the autonomous flight demonstration… partnerships between industry and Airmen offer endless possibilities.”
Reliable’s solution allows the Air Force to benefit from state of the art, commercial technology at fractional costs. This technology will provide increased aircraft availability, more options in deploying aircraft in crewed, uncrewed or “pilot +1” configurations while requiring fewer deployed Air Force personnel in high-risk regions. Remote piloting enables safe and efficient aircraft operation in all flying environments, strengthening the Air Force’s mission to supply forward operations around the clock, and around the globe.
Reliable Robotics is currently working with the Air Force under a Phase III Small Business Innovative Research contract to demonstrate flight performance and safety of remotely piloted aircraft in dynamic operating environments. Reliable also received a recent award from the Air Force to explore the automation of large, multi-engine jets.
About Reliable Robotics
Reliable Robotics launched in 2017 to bring safe, certified automation systems to commercial aviation. The company’s system enables remote operation of any aircraft type. Reliable’s vision is to transform the way we move goods and people around the planet with safer, more convenient and more affordable air transportation. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, CA and has a distributed global workforce.
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AIR TRANSPORT
PRnewswire | May 19, 2023
Ursa Space Systems, a leader in satellite intelligence, and Umbra, a leader in advanced space radar technology, today jointly announced that they are partnering to bring advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) analytics to a global market through Ursa's suite of subscription and custom intelligence products.
The two companies first teamed up to serve customers in late 2022 when Umbra initially began offering high-resolution SAR imagery for commercial use, and Ursa signed on as its first commercial customer.
Umbra data has played an integral role in several of Ursa's core global monitoring capabilities, including global oil storage assessment and vessel detection. Ursa is also using Umbra's data to provide their customers with flood analytics — which are critically important to provide situational awareness for emergency responders on the ground. Flood data is also being used by Ursa customers to speed up the insurance claim process for those impacted by severe weather events.
"Umbra's high-resolution data allows for more accurate analysis, and by offering data with a wide range of processing levels, they enable development and evaluation of advanced analytics and techniques that wouldn't otherwise be possible," said Eric Cote, Director of Geospatial Partnerships, Ursa Space Systems.
Ursa cited data quality, API maturity and documentation, and open licensing as primary reasons why they chose to partner with Umbra. The data provided by Umbra adds additional capacity to Ursa's Virtual Constellation, the world's largest database of satellite imagery from the most-trusted SAR, optical, and Radio Frequency data vendors around the globe. Ursa also credits Umbra's Compensated Phase History Data (CPHD) for providing an even more raw form of the data than is typically provided by other vendors, giving Ursa the ability to develop novel derived products through ongoing research and development efforts.
Umbra satellites are equipped with a powerful SAR payload, capable of seeing both day and night and through all weather conditions. The satellites enjoy an uncommonly large field of regard, which enables them to collect an unprecedented volume of images over densely clustered targets in high-demand areas.
"Ursa has been on the forefront of multi-INT products; their platform and insights are incredible," said Gabe Dominocielo, Umbra's co-founder and president. "Ursa is truly a mission partner for us."
Umbra is supporting a growing number of inspiring and innovative organizations monitoring the Earth in unprecedented fidelity. Umbra's data can identify and monitor surface-level changes globally and be used for a variety of efforts including remote wildlife habitat protection, pollution and plastic waste tracking, oil spill detection, military intelligence gathering, live flooding estimation during storms and more.
Ursa Space leverages the world's most comprehensive and progressive virtual constellation from multiple commercial sources and advanced data fusion capabilities, providing insights into physical changes on Earth. Ursa's platform orchestrates satellite imagery and analytic services at scale, to rapidly deliver to customers insights when needed.
About Umbra
Umbra is a technology company that offers intelligence data as a service to commercial and government customers. Our cutting-edge products help customers solve complex business and security challenges. Umbra is a U.S.-owned and operated company headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, and has a presence in Austin, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
About Ursa Space
Ursa Space is a global satellite intelligence infrastructure company that provides business and government decision-makers access to on-demand analytic solutions. Through our radar satellite network and data fusion expertise, Ursa Space detects real-time changes in the physical world to expand transparency. Our subscription and custom services enable you to access satellite imagery and analytic results with no geographic, political, or weather-related limitations.
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