December 15, 1997

December 15, 1997

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HEADLINE NEWS

EU Leaders Promote Restructuring Initiatives

By PIERRE SPARACO

HEADLINE NEWS

Defense Impasse Hinders Consolidation

By JOHN D. MORROCCO

HEADLINE NEWS

Space Observatory Delays Create Shuttle Quandary

By Joseph C. Anselmo

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2223
HEADLINE NEWS

EU Leaders Promote Restructuring Initiatives

Three European governments are urging their aerospace industries to move ahead now on consolidation

By PIERRE SPARACO

2223
HEADLINE NEWS

Defense Impasse Hinders Consolidation

PARIS While the leaders of France, Germany and the U.K. have upped the rhetoric for the urgent need for defense and aerospace industry consolidation, a number of European officials argue that governments must first agree on common defense requirements in order to create a sufficiently large enough market to support such a restructured industry.

By JOHN D. MORROCCO

2425
HEADLINE NEWS

Space Observatory Delays Create Shuttle Quandary

Washington Contractor delays on NASA’s Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) have sent agency officials scrambling to reschedule a space shuttle launch, and the planned startup of space station assembly next summer is greatly limiting their options.

By Joseph C. Anselmo

2425
HEADLINE NEWS

U.S. Revokes License For Orbcomm Launch

WASHINGTON U.S. government regulators have yanked a commercial launch permit for Orbital Sciences Corp.’s Pegasus booster, delaying a key launch for the Orbital-led Orbcomm satellite venture. Officials at the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (OCST) took the unprecedented action last week because of concerns over a fourth stage of the air-launched Pegasus XL that Orbital Sciences plans to use to deploy multiple Orbcomm satellites in low-Earth orbit.

By JOSEPH C. ANSELMO

6869
HEADLINE NEWS

Ariane 5 Roll Anomaly Confirmed

PARIS Results of an initial analysis of flight data from the second Ariane 5 qualification flight on Oct. 30 have confirmed that the premature shutdown of the booster's Vulcain main-stage cryogenic engine was caused by higher than expected roll torque.

By MICHAEL A. TAVERNA

6869
HEADLINE NEWS

Mir Launch Delayed To Facilitate EVAs

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NASA has delayed the next shuttle mission to the Mir space station by at least five days to enable the Mir’s joint U.S./Russian crew to complete the unloading of a Progress resupply vehicle and finish work on the exterior of the vehicle before arrival of the orbiter Endeavour.
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HEADLINE NEWS

Hughes Satcom Surge Advances Propulsion

CAPE CANAVERAL Hughes Space and Communications is in the midst of the busiest satellite launch surge in the 34-year history of the company’s satcom operations, an effort that includes three of the highest power Hughes spacecraft ever built and the introduction of ion electric propulsion which promises to revolutionize commercial satellite operations.

By CRAIG COVAULT

7273
HEADLINE NEWS

Snecma Buys Dowty, Eyes Space Deals

Paris and London Barely a year after a change at the corporate helm, Snecma has traded in a strategy based on selling off assets to one built on acquiring new ones. On Dec. 10, the French company said it had signed a letter of intent to buy U.K.-based TI Group’s 50% share in landing gear joint venture Messier-Dowty, along with Dowty’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MR&O) activities, for 207.5 million pounds ($340 million) less adjustment for net debt.
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VIEWPOINT

Conventional Arms Proliferation Requires More Vigilance

Conventional arms proliferation is the overlooked issue of international security in the 1990s, argues Andrew J. Pierre of Johns Hopkins University. He is editor of a new book, “Cascade of Arms: Managing Conventional Weapons Proliferation, ” copublished by the Brookings Institution and World Peace Foundation. Excerpts follow.
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AERO byte

AERO byte

NewMonics Inc. of Ames, Iowa, is adding reliability to the Java programming language to suit critical real-time aerospace tasks. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding two-thirds of NewMonics’ $ 1.3-million project to demonstrate that Java can be extended to real-time embedded applications.

By MICHAEL A. DORNHEIM

December 81997 December 221997