Universe Today
• Matthew Williams
NASA demonstrated GPS-free spacecraft navigation aboard the Starling CubeSat mission, tested wheel concepts for future lunar bases and developed a fabric-based ground-penetrating-radar antenna for its SkyFall Mars helicopters. Together, the efforts target autonomous operations and mobility across low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars.
Helicopter
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NASA demonstrated GPS-free spacecraft navigation aboard the Starling CubeSat mission, tested wheel concepts for future lunar bases and developed a fabric-based ground-penetrating-radar antenna for its SkyFall Mars helicopters. Together, the efforts target autonomous operations and mobility across low Earth orbit, the Moon and Mars.
A private helicopter crashed on the Greek island of Sifnos in the Aegean Sea, killing all three people on board, including the pilot and two passengers. Greek fire brigade officials confirmed the fatalities after the incident on Monday on the popular tourist destination.
Flexjet is establishing its European helicopter fleet at the UK’s Blackbushe Airport, deploying Sikorsky S-76 and Leonardo AW139 aircraft to carry passengers to and from airports serving London. The move expands Flexjet’s business aviation offering with dedicated regional helicopter connectivity.
Hindustan Aeronautics has selected two Indian companies to manufacture fuselage structures for the Prachand Light Combat Helicopter, marking the first time local industry will produce fuselage sections for the domestically developed rotorcraft and expanding the program’s indigenous manufacturing base.
The U.S. Army has temporarily suspended AH-64 Apache training flights after two soldiers were killed during a maintenance test flight near Fort Hood, Texas. The fleet will remain grounded pending an investigation into the crash and determination of its cause.
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Rolls-Royce and Reliance Industries intend to partner on the design, development, manufacture and delivery of an indigenous combat engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The companies also plan to establish a dedicated aerospace gas-turbine complex in India, combining Rolls-Royce’s propulsion expertise with Reliance’s manufacturing capabilities.
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The U.S. Army selected M1 Support Services for its Flight School Next program, centered on Robinson R66 helicopters replacing the UH-72 Lakota, while the Pentagon signed seven-year agreements with Boeing and RTX to expand production of SM-3 Block IIA and IB components as missile defense priorities shift.
Two U.S. Army soldiers died after an AH-64E Apache attack helicopter crashed in central Texas. Officials had not immediately identified the cause, leaving the circumstances of the accident under investigation.
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