Space
Airbus-built European Service Module is ready for launch with Orion spacecraft
The European Space Module (ESM) will power NASA’s Orion spacecraft to and from its lunar orbit as part of the Artemis missions, featuring a web assembly of carbon fiber sheets and deployable CFRP rigid panels.
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Carbon fiber enables new, low-CO2 Skyrora orbital launch vehicle
U.K. private space company is developing and testing orbital launch vehicle Skyrora XL to carry small satellites in Earth’s orbit using eco-friendly fuel, a unified systems design and composites.
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NASA announces targeted launch of Artemis I uncrewed flight test
NASA invites everyone to its global virtual NASA Social event for the Artemis I launch of the SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 29, 2022.
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Plant tour: ÉireComposites, Galway, Ireland
An in-house testing business and R&D focus has led to innovative materials use and projects in a range of markets, from civil aerospace to renewable energy to marine.
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Northrop Grumman, Firefly Aerospace to develop Antares upgrade, new medium launch vehicle
The Antares 330 rocket, leveraging Firefly’s composites technologies and Northrop’s avionics and software, will be developed alongside a medium launch vehicle to serve various space launch markets.
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Collaborators awarded NIST funding to develop in-space manufacturing roadmap
Purdue, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Alabama will work with NASA to develop a roadmap for in-space manufacturing.
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Beyond Gravity announces maiden flight of Vega-C rocket, features CFRP composites
Vega-C replaces the current Vega rocket, comprising a CFRP payload fairing and payload adapter system, as well as a more intuitive onboard computer, all of which is produced at Beyond Gravity’s various production sites.
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NASA reveals James Webb Telescope’s first images of an unseen universe
The world gets its first look at the full capabilities of the composites-intensive James Webb Space Telescope in space through a series of highly detailed images.
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Materials & Processes: Composites fibers and resins
Compared to legacy materials like steel, aluminum, iron and titanium, composites are still coming of age, and only just now are being better understood by design and manufacturing engineers. However, composites’ physical properties — combined with unbeatable light weight — make them undeniably attractive.
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SpaceAM announces preliminary program for July event
The U.K. conference, to occur July 12-13, 2022 at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, explores the use of advanced materials such as AM and composites through a range of speakers, sessions and topics.
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