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Defense and Space

Redwire Successfully Delivers Second Pair of iROSA Solar Arrays to Augment International Space Station Power Supply

Redwire | July 01, 2022

Redwire Corporation a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, announced today that it has successfully delivered the second pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays to Boeing, NASA’s prime contractor for space station operations. The on-time delivery follows acceptance testing consisting of multiple ambient functional deployments, vibration, and cold and hot temperature deployments. The solar arrays are currently undergoing flight package integration and are slated to launch on an upcoming commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

Redwire is under contract with Boeing to provide iROSA solar arrays for the ISS. Redwire is responsible for the design, analysis, manufacture, test and delivery of six new solar arrays that will augment the ISS’s power supply. The first two iROSA solar arrays were installed on the ISS in June 2021 and are operating as expected with nominal output.

“Redwire is proud to partner with Boeing to provide critical power generation technology supporting the International Space Station, which remains the crown jewel of global human spaceflight. These next two iROSA wings will provide a crucial power boost to support the vital work that is happening on station, while further demonstrating this innovative technology that will enable numerous public and private sector activities in low-Earth Orbit, on and around the Moon and beyond.”

Tom Campbell, Redwire’s Executive Vice President of Deployable Solutions

Using 30.7% efficient XTJ Prime solar cells from Boeing’s Spectrolab, each iROSA array is one of the most powerful ever manufactured and will provide more than 28 kilowatts of power. Combined, the six new arrays are designed to produce more than 120 kilowatts over 10 years and will substantially improve the overall power-generating capability of the ISS by 20 to 30 percent.

Redwire‘s Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) technology is compact, modular and scalable, making it ideal for use on the ISS and other spaceflight platforms. iROSA uses large, flexible solar arrays with composite booms that are rolled up for storage, launch and delivery. When installed, each iROSA unit unrolls without the need for motors or other equipment, giving iROSA an advantage over rigid solar arrays and other traditional technologies. The technology behind iROSA was first demonstrated on the ISS in June 2017.

Redwire is also producing various modular versions of ROSA for many government and commercial spaceflight applications, including the Power and Propulsion Element for NASA’s Gateway program. ROSA technology is currently enabling NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission, which launched in November 2021.

About Redwire
Redwire Corporation is a leader in space infrastructure for the next generation space economy, with valuable IP for solar power generation and in-space 3D printing and manufacturing. With decades of flight heritage combined with the agile and innovative culture of a commercial space platform, Redwire is uniquely positioned to assist its customers in solving the complex challenges of future space missions.

Spotlight

Uh Oh: The Airbus A321XLR's Gamechanging Range Looks Like It Will Be Reduced

The range of the Airbus A321XLR could be reduced up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) following an agreement between Airbus and European regulators on design safeguards needed to achieve certification. Let’s look at the details of this disappointing news in today’s video.

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Spotlight

Uh Oh: The Airbus A321XLR's Gamechanging Range Looks Like It Will Be Reduced

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Aerospace

Veryon Expedites Aircraft Return-to-Service With Launch of Work Center

Businesswire | August 02, 2023

Veryon, formerly known as ATP, a leading provider of information services and software solutions for the aviation industry, recently announced the launch of Work Center, a new offering available in its robust lineup of industry-leading solutions. As the only fully capable service center management solution designed for business aviation operators and management companies, Work Center allows aircraft operators to simplify the maintenance and return-to-service process with streamlined invoicing, reliable integrations and real-time airworthiness information — all in a unified platform. Aircraft operators can efficiently coordinate labor, parts and operational impact, resulting in smooth maintenance execution without any unnecessary delays or disruptions. “Work Center is unlike any other maintenance execution solution out there,” said Kent Pickard, vice president of product management for Veryon. “We built the platform from scratch, specifically for business aviation operators, with one goal in mind: maximizing aircraft uptime. While most service center offerings were designed for stand-alone MROs, Work Center is purpose-built for aircraft operators so they can focus more on improving their operations, growing their business and ensuring accurate department billing and streamlined aircraft return-to-service process.” This comprehensive solution optimizes aircraft availability through efficient logbook generation, detailed tracking of costs and labor, customizable workflows, pricing profiles and invoicing. Work Center is part of the Veryon Tracking platform, which combines maintenance tracking, flight operations, inventory management and technical publications in a single platform. Teams that are completing a significant amount of in-house maintenance, particularly Part 135 operators in the business jet charter and management industry, can experience significant improvement in operations with Work Center. "At Wing Aviation, Veryon Maintenance Tracking has been an integral part of our aircraft management workflow for many years,” said Jeremy Gee, chief executive officer of Wing Aviation. “We’re excited to participate in the growth of Work Center and look forward to leveraging it to efficiently manage our diverse charter fleet. Implementing Work Center has allowed us to consolidate our maintenance software into a single platform helping us to further simplify our processes, improve our clarity and continue the scalable growth of our business.” Veryon is offering a free 30-minute webinar that includes a comprehensive exploration of Work Center’s key features on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 1 p.m. ET. The webinar will highlight Work Center’s ability to streamline and simplify the process of returning aircraft to service. Register here. About Veryon Veryon is the leading provider of aviation software and information services, supporting more than 75,000 aircraft maintenance professionals and 7,500 customers worldwide. We help everyone from business aviation teams and MROs to airlines and OEMs get their aircraft more uptime. Challenges like unscheduled repairs, part availability, and excessive paperwork lead to too many aircraft spending too much time on the ground. And that leads to needless delays, endless back and forth, and lots of wasted dollars. The key to more uptime is having a better technology platform to manage everything from maintenance and operations to manuals and diagnostics. That’s why thousands of aircraft operators, 25% of the worldwide commercial fleet, and over 100 OEMs all rely on Veryon. And it’s why customers have been able to achieve an average 23% reduction in downtime cost. Veryon. Let’s get you more uptime.

Aviation Technology

Sidus Space Acquires Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) Company, Exo-Space

Sidus Space | August 23, 2023

Sidus Space a satellite manufacturing and space services company, announces its strategic acquisition of Exo-Space, a cutting-edge California-based firm specializing in Edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) software and hardware for space applications. This transaction signals Sidus's determination to tap into the growing AI sector and expand its offerings in the Earth and Space Observations services market. Pursuant to the terms of the acquisition agreement Sidus has acquired Exo-Space's assets in a combination of cash, stock options, and performance bonus incentives in alignment with Sidus’ growth into an AI-enabled space services company. Exo-Space brings a current revenue stream of commercial and government contracts extending through 2025, as well as a pipeline of potential clients. The deal is projected to have a positive impact on Sidus's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA). “This accretive acquisition expands our talent, technology, and total addressable market. Along with sales contracts and existing AI technology, the transaction includes the acquisition of Exo-Space’s collective experience in AI and machine learning.” said Carol Craig, Founder and CEO of Sidus Space. “This transaction provides the opportunity for us to enhance our presence in the Earth and Space Observations markets by providing actionable solutions for our customers' needs as opposed to just raw data. The integration of Exo-Space EdgeAI technology with Sidus’ sensors provides significant value and transformative potential across various domains.” Exo-Space occupies a unique niche in the realm of U.S. owned Edge AI computing, concentrating on both software and hardware solutions for space assets that utilize faster processing speeds. Exo-Space’s current operations complement Sidus’ established U.S. DoD/Intelligence relationships. Jared Novick, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Special Projects, added, “Exo-Space’s combination of space hardened hardware and resilient software made this an attractive acquisition in creation of value to both our customers and shareholders.” He also added, “The concept of offering customers a special "rideshare" opportunity with a software platform to upload, change, and improve analytics of payloads onboard is a forward-thinking and innovative approach. This idea aligns with the increasing demand for flexibility and customization in satellite missions and data collection.” Sidus believes the acquisition of Exo-Space will seamlessly integrate stand-alone AI and machine learning products into Sidus' business lines, with the ability to market the hardware for third-party purchase. A distinguishing feature of Exo-Space's solution is its adaptability, designed to smoothly integrate the latest processor advancements. Proprietary hardware-agnostic software allows this flexibility. The synergy between Sidus’ satellite constellation, Edge Computing, and AI platform is expected to deliver substantial enhancements in leveraging space-based data. Jeremy Allam, Chief Executive Officer of Exo-Space, commented, “By joining the Sidus team and integrating our AI capabilities into LizzieSat, we can now better deliver the benefits of space-based AI to more customers and on a shorter timeline than was previously possible.” Sidus believes this strategic acquisition solidifies Sidus Space's position as a frontrunner in the space technology sector, poised to leverage AI advancements to revolutionize the acquisition and utilization of space-derived data. Sidus has issued non-qualified stock option awards to purchase an aggregate of 3,955,212 shares of Class A common stock to certain former employees of Exo-Space. The stock options were granted as inducements material to the new employees becoming employees of Sidus in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The options have an exercise price of $0.16 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Sidus’ Class A common stock on August 21, 2023. Each option will vest over a 4-year period, subject to the employee’s continued employment with Sidus on such vesting dates. Notwithstanding the foregoing vesting conditions, no portion of the options shall be exercisable prior to the second (2nd) anniversary of the date of grant. About Sidus Space Sidus Space is a Space Data-as-a-Service satellite company focused on mission-critical hardware manufacturing; multi-disciplinary engineering services; satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations; and in-orbit support. The Company is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it operates from a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing, assembly, integration, and testing facility focused on vertically integrated Space-as-a-Service solutions including end-to-end satellite support. Sidus Space has a mission of Bringing Space Down to Earth™ and a vision of enabling space flight heritage status for new technologies while delivering data and predictive analytics to domestic and global customers. Any corporation, industry, or vertical can start their journey off-planet with Sidus Space’s rapidly scalable, low-cost satellite services, space-based solutions, and testing alternatives. More than just a “Satellite-as-a-Service” provider, Sidus Space is a trusted Mission Partner–from concept to Low Earth Orbit and beyond. Sidus Space is ISO 9001:2015, AS9100 Rev. D certified, and ITAR registered.

Air Transport

Western Michigan University Selects Cirrus Aircraft for Training Fleet

PRnewswire | July 13, 2023

Cirrus Aircraft today announced that Western Michigan University has purchased thirty-two (32) TRAC SR Series aircraft as it prepares to expand its College of Aviation. As a long-time collegiate partner, Western Michigan University has leveraged Cirrus Aircraft's technology and sophistication for advanced student flight training. "We are honored to support one of the largest collegiate aviation schools in the United States with a new fleet of TRAC SR Series aircraft," said David Moser, Vice President of Fleet and Special Mission Sales for Cirrus Aircraft. "The TRAC SR Series features an advanced safety and technology suite that continues to optimize how students learn to fly. We look forward to supporting our collegiate partners by providing a platform to train world-class pilots as they become the next generation of aviators." "As we expand our College of Aviation, the TRAC SR aircraft becomes an invaluable asset for our students to obtain the transferable skills necessary as a pilot," said Dr. Raymond Thompson, Western Michigan University. "The TRAC aircraft offers a technologically advanced training platform that ultimately provides them with a competitive advantage in the workforce." Designed as the ultimate ab-initio flight training platform, the technologically advanced TRAC SR Series boasts an impressive list of features and capabilities that complement the SR20 aircraft's stable flight characteristics. The integrated Garmin® flight deck includes two large flight displays, a Flight Management System (FMS) keypad controller, an Electronic Stability and Protection system as well as integrated engine indication and crew alerting/warning systems – all features found on today's advanced airliners. The interior was designed to meet the unique needs of a high-utilization training environment, replacing the luxury materials found in the SR Series with a durable all-weather floor liner and easy to clean wear-resistant seats. The spacious cabin provides an optimal workspace to learn and train, with more space than typical training aircraft, rear seats for additional students or observers and optional air conditioning for comfort in all seasons. The TRAC Series includes the TRAC20, TRAC22, and TRAC22T. Additionally, the TRAC Series features a durable all-composite airframe structure with the signature Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®), making the TRAC Series one of the safest and most versatile training airplanes available today. The TRAC Series is further enhanced by a wide array of interactive, tailored flight training content through Cirrus Approach™, including online courses, engaging videos and the award-winning iFOM (interactive Flight Operations Manual) for convenient learning anywhere in the world. About Cirrus Aircraft Cirrus Aircraft is the recognized global leader in personal aviation and the maker of the best-selling SR Series piston aircraft and the Vision Jet®, the world's first single-engine Personal Jet™, and the recipient of the Robert J. Collier Trophy. Founded in 1984, the company has redefined aviation performance, comfort and safety with innovations like the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®) – the first FAA-certified whole-airframe parachute safety system included as standard equipment on an aircraft. To date, worldwide flight time on Cirrus aircraft has passed 15 million hours, and 250 people have returned home safely to their families as a result of the inclusion of CAPS as a standard feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The company has seven locations in the United States, including Duluth, Minnesota; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Greater Dallas, Texas; Greater Phoenix, Arizona; Greater Orlando, Florida; Knoxville, Tennessee and Benton Harbor, Michigan. About Western Michigan University's College of Aviation Western Michigan University's College of Aviation, FLYING Magazine's No. 2 ranked aviation college, offers the only comprehensive aviation program at a public university in the state of Michigan. With nearly 1,200 undergraduate students, it is one of the largest aviation programs in the nation. Backed by more than 80 years of aviation experience, education and excellent industry reputation, WMU's College of Aviation is a powerful force in the future of aviation training.