Posts Tagged ‘Federal Aviation Administration’

NMSU photo

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

WRITER: Dennis Zaklan, 575-646-9417, dzaklan@psl.nmsu.edu

From May 2-4, New Mexico State University’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Test Center supported AAI Corporation’s Shadow 200 Tactical UAS in conducting flights over the skies of Hatch, N.M. These were four-dimensional flight tests in support of efforts by the Federal Aviation Administration Tech Center to further UAS flights in the National Airspace System.

NMSU’s UAS FTC is the only FAA-approved FTC in the nation. The FAA and NMSU developed the center to provide a place for manufacturers, government agencies and other developers or operators to safely test fly, demonstrate and train their UAS.

During these flight tests, the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Program Office had several representatives on-site to observe and review the NMSU procedures and view the chase plane operations to assist them with moving forward on developing safe procedures that will enable UAS more access to the NAS in the future. The chase plane provides the UAS pilot-in-command with eyes in the sky, enabling the UAS to see and avoid other aircraft during flight away from the launch/recover location.

Three specific types of flights were reflected. The first was the checkout flight for the system to ensure the entire system was functioning properly before any test flights could occur. The second type was performing the link-up between the chase plane and the unmanned aircraft. The actual link-up went extremely well because of the outstanding procedures discussed by the UAS FTC operations staff and the AAI flight team. All parties were amazed at how smoothly it went, which is a tribute to very well developed procedures and the aviation experience on both teams. The two teams meshed very well, and this enabled the 4DT test flights and demonstration to be performed safely within the NAS.

The 4DT test and demonstration flights are part of a step-by-step process to develop and validate that UAS’ will be able to fly with manned aircraft in the future and have the ability to perform avoidance maneuvers for safety of flight. These tests being performed by the AAI Shadow TUAV, with software developed by General Electric Company on board the UA and in the ground control station, proved that the UA could perform maneuvers when receiving input from another source. The 4DT demonstration was conducted shortly after noon on May 4, with several of the flight cards that had been flown earlier as part of the testing. Representatives from the FAA Tech Center, the UAPO and Hatch Mayor Judd Nordyke viewed the demonstration.

The test flights proved the viability of the UAS FTC with AAI Corporation, one of the largest UAS manufacturers in the U.S. Discussions are ongoing to further the relationship and perform additional UAS flights in the UAS FTC’s 15,000 square miles of FAA-approved airspace.

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

WRITER: Mark Cramer, 575-646-1957, mwcramer@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Kathryn Hansen, 575-646-5406, Hansen@nmsu.ed

Photo courtesy of UAS TAAC

The annual UAS TAAC (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Technical Analysis and Applications Center) Conference, arranged and sponsored by New Mexico State University, takes place Dec. 7-9 at the Tamaya Hyatt Regency in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. Between 400 and 500 guests are expected to attend, mainly from federal agencies, aviation user groups, universities and private industry.

“We have received national recognition as the best small UAS conference in the country,” said Steve Hottman, head of the department of 21st Century Aerospace at New Mexico State University’s Physical Science Laboratory, home of the TAAC.

NMSU’s first UAS TAAC conference, held 12 years ago as one of the first in the U.S, focused primarily on the civil use of unmanned aircraft systems. A lot has changed since then, and the TAAC has adjusted the conference accordingly.

“The application of UAS has grown tremendously since 1998, particularly in the defense sector,” Hottman said. “We have kept up with this growth and made sure that the conference continues to be a valuable forum for the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies, as well as aerospace entrepreneurs. We are offering an eclectic composition of attendees and topics in both classified and open venues.”

While TAAC 2010 remains an intimate affair, the conference has grown significantly over the years; it attracts attendees from all regions of the U.S. and from numerous government and private organizations. New Mexico UAS stakeholders are well represented at the event, including the national laboratories, military organizations, universities and private industry. This year the conference again will take place at the Tamaya Hyatt Regency resort in Santa Ana Pueblo, north of Albuquerque.

“We try to bring in national leadership for the conference, with the goal of working as a group to move forward to make UAS applications and developments more accessible,” Hottman said. “It’s an idea exchange and a place to discuss research and development.”

The conference begins Dec. 7 with a keynote address from Dyke Weatherington, deputy director of Unmanned Warfare in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, followed by Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert P. “Bob” Otto, director of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities with the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at USAF headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The Dec. 8 session kicks off with remarks from U.S. Air Force Gen. Will Fraser, commander, Air Combat Command. Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael C. Kostelnik (ret.), assistant commissioner with the Office of Customs and Border Patrol in U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will join Gen. Fraser. The day will include a small UAS demonstration.

The Dec. 9 session takes place at a classified facility and is open to U.S. citizens with a minimal secret security clearance only. A complete agenda for the three-day event may be found at http://psl.nmsu.edu/uav/conferences/2010/agenda.php.

To register for the conference or for more information, visit http://psl.nmsu.edu/uav/conferences/2010/index.php. General session registration is $700, and registration for the classified session is $250. The registration deadline is Nov. 25.

The NMSU UAS team emphasizes research, development, test and evaluation activities to address a broad range of requirements and capabilities, including UAS development (platforms, communications, command and control) and evaluations of flight hardware technology such as airframes, engines, communications systems, flight control systems and payload. NMSU has unique capabilities in critical operational elements such as planning, airspace coordination and integration, standard processes and procedures, concepts of operations, human factors and training. The university is home to the only FAA-approved UAS testing space in the nation, with 15,000 square miles of airspace in which to operate.

The Arrowhead Center, NMSU’s economic development center, also plays a key role in the UAS TAAC Conference. The center is working to develop opportunities for aerospace businesses in southern New Mexico and beyond, partly in concert with the nearby Spaceport America, located near Truth or Consequences, N.M. The explosive growth and development of UAS, and the FAA-approved testing space, makes the area ideal for aerospace business and research firms, which also will be discussed at the conference.

Release courtesy of Spaceport America

LAS CRUCES, NM – Spaceport America has received its first federal grant from a newly funded spaceport infrastructure program at the Federal Aviation Administration.

The funding, $43,000 from the FAA matched with $4,300 from Virgin Galactic, will allow for the acquisition of an Automated Weather Observation System III (AWOS III).

This important project will be made possible through the Federal Aviation Administration’s FAA/AST Commercial Space Transportation Grant Program.

New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) Executive Director Rick Homans said, “This announcement highlights the increasing attention that the federal government is paying to the commercial spaceflight industry and to Spaceport America. While the grant amount may be small, the symbolism is much greater and we look forward to seeing this grant program increase and expand in the years to come.”

The value of the FAA/AST grant combined with Galactic Venture’s matching money is estimated at about $47,300. The balance of the cost of the AWOS, $86,000, will be paid by the NMSA.

The project is crucial to the safe and efficient operation of the spaceport. The AWOS III will provide timely and accurate meteorological information relevant to aircraft and spacecraft operations at Spaceport America. This will provide full AWOS capability to the spaceport, including visibility information and cloud data.

Spaceport America has been providing commercial launch services since 2006. The state-of-the-art launch facility is under construction near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, and is expected to become fully operational in 2011. Officials at Spaceport America have been working closely with leading aerospace firms such as Armadillo Aerospace, Virgin Galactic, Lockheed Martin, Moog-FTS, and UP Aerospace to develop commercial spaceflight at the new facility. The economic impact of launches, tourism and new construction at Spaceport America are already delivering on its promise to the people of New Mexico.

For additional information and images of Spaceport America go to www.spaceportamerica.com or contact David Wilson at david@wilson-binkley.com or at 575-524-8118.

The October meeting of the MVEDA Business on the Border Forum will be held on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM at the Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, 705 S. Telshor. The meeting will begin with a hot entree buffet followed by a brief update by MVEDA staff.

Dr. Pat Hynes, Director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium (NMSGC) at New Mexico State University, will be the featured speaker. The New Mexico Space Grant Consortium was recently selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a 2010 Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation.  The NMSGC annually hosts the International Symposium on Personal and Commercial Spaceflight, the largest symposium of its kind in the U.S.  NMSGC also sponsors the annual Education Launch Program which provides access to space for students in New Mexico to answer science and engineering questions.

Luncheon cost is $20.00 per person, payable by cash, check or major credit card. Due to space limitations, reservations are required. Please confirm your attendance no later than Thursday, September 30^thby sending an email to rsvp@mveda.com or by calling the office at (575) 525-2852. The meeting is open to the public.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Bulletin

By Todd G. Dickson

A flyover by Virgin Galactic’s spaceliner and the presence of aerospace’s more ambitious space entrepreneurs are just a couple of the highlights of this year’s International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight next month.

Photo courtesy of Virgin Galactic

More than 400 aerospace leaders – company executives, government officials and researchers – are expected to attend this year’s conference to be held Wednesday, Oct. 20, and Thursday, Oct. 21, at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road.

Flanking the conference will be the free public forum from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Pan American Center on the New Mexico State University campus, and, after the conference, Virgin Galactic’s “mothership” Eve carrying the six-passenger rocket ship Enterprise is scheduled to fly over Spaceport America’s recently completed two-mile-long runway in the desert between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences.

British billionaire Richard Branson, who is developing Virgin Galactic’s fleet to fly out of the New Mexico spaceport, described the flight as historic because it will be the first long-distance “capture-carry” flight of the spaceliner, making Oct. 22 a “momentous” day for commercial space.

“The new runway at Spaceport America will be finished, and the exterior fabric of our own facility at the spaceport will largely be complete,” Branson said. “It will be an honor to be present on that day, and I can safely say it will be one of the most exciting days in the history of Virgin.”

Based on the X PRIZE-winning system created by aviation genius Burt Rutan, Virgin’s double-hulled, jet-powered “mothership” will carry the Enterprise into the sky for a high-elevation, mid-air launch that will take its passengers to suborbital space.

Many of Virgin Galactic’s top executives will be at the conference, and Branson will deliver a taped message to school children at the public forum – but he isn’t the only one investing big money into privately funded commercial space development.

As in past years, the roster of panelists and speakers include many of the top players in the new industry of commercial space. The latest to agree to participate is Robert Bigelow, who has spent the last 10 years conducting research and development into a new generation of expandable space habitats. A Las Vegas, Nev., native, he made his fortune in real estate, banking and finance and is now gambling it on Bigelow Aerospace to create these expandable space habitats that can survive safely in orbit.

In 2006 and 2007, Bigelow launched its orbiting prototypes Genesis I and Genesis II with the goal to provide more room than the International Space Station at a fraction of the cost.

Other symposium participants include: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Neil Sheehan, whose latest book “A Fiery Peace in a Cold War” tells the story of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile program; Jeff Greason, CEO of XCOR Aerospace; Debra Fracktor Lepore, president of DFL Space; Lee Rand, Sun Mountain Capital partner; George Nield, commercial space transportation associate administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration; Lori Garver, NASA deputy administrator; and Clay Mowry, Arianespace president. Many others in organizations supporting commercial space development will participate in the two days of the conference.

Pat Hynes, executive director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium at the NMSU campus, which organizes the symposium, said the start of the symposium will begin with reviewing the origins of space exploration, but then quickly go into in-depth discussions about issues and obstacles facing the new industry, such as skepticism about the ability of the private sector to reach orbital space and the difficulty in finding investors. The symposium will also explore opportunities the new commercial space vehicles have in microgravity manufacturing, research and education.

The symposium brings the leaders of the industry here at a time when many in the local business community are trying to find a way to have the activities at the spaceport translate into more jobs and opportunities, Hynes said. The symposium provides an opportunity for networking that can lead to local ventures, such as the Hatch solar plant.

The free public forum on Tuesday, Oct. 19, will be divided into three segments. The morning session will be primarily educational, but will give people an opportunity to hear from a real astronaut, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, and one of Virgin Galactic’s customers. The lunch hour forum will include Whitesides, Hynes, another astronaut and students. The afternoon segment will include the mayors of Las Cruces, Hatch and T or C, as well as the mayor of Titusville, Fla., which grew with the NASA program.