Category Archives: Aerospace
Chinese missile could shift Pacific power balance
ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer ABOARD THE USS GEORGE WASHINGTON – Nothing projects U.S. global air and sea power more vividly than supercarriers. Bristling with fighter jets that can reach deep into even landlocked trouble zones, America’s virtually invincible carrier fleet has long enforced its dominance of the high seas. China may soon put an [...]
John Glenn: Keep space shuttles flying Good U.S. Jobs
MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Mercury astronaut John Glenn wants NASA’s space shuttles to keep flying until a reliable replacement is ready, no matter how long it takes. Glenn joined the national debate Monday over America’s future in space and became the latest ex-astronaut to speak out on the matter. He [...]
Lockheed Looses Contract for Satellites to Thales of FRANCE
By ANDY PASZTOR And DANIEL MICHAELS Thales SA of France scored a major victory Tuesday over Lockheed Martin Corp., as a Thales-led partnership won a roughly $2.1 billion contract to build a fleet of communications satellites for Iridium Communications Inc. Iridium also plans to spend a total of $800 million to launch the constellation of 72 satellites and for [...]
China supercomputer named world’s second-fastest
By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer BEIJING – A Chinese supercomputer has been ranked the world’s second-fastest machine in a list issued by U.S. and European researchers, highlighting China’s ambitions to become a global technology center. The Nebulae system at the National Supercomputing Centre in Shenzhen in southern China came in behind the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jaguar in Oak [...]
WIND LEADERS ARRIVE IN DALLAS TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF US WIND INDUSTRY
Dallas, Texas – On Sunday, May 23 Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, GE executives and industry leaders will hold a media availability to commence WINDPOWER 2010 and to discuss the challenges facing the US wind industry. At the media availability, Mayor Leppert will also be signing a 131-foot GE wind turbine blade, to pledge support for [...]
Space Shuttle Atlantis Lifts Off on Final Voyage
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Space shuttle Atlantis thundered away on its final voyage to orbit Friday, hoisting a full shipment of space station gear. Atlantis sped through a perfectly clear afternoon sky, blazing a trail over the Atlantic before huge crowds eager to catch one of the few remaining shuttle launches. More than 40,000 guests—the biggest launch-day [...]
Russian Firm to Bid on Air Force Tanker Program
By PETER SANDERS In another twist to the ongoing saga to replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of aerial refueling tankers, United Aircraft Corp. of Russia is planning to bid on the $40 billion contract, according to a person familiar with its plans. United Aircraft, an aerospace consortium owned by the Russian government, will seek [...]
GE returns to roots as it looks to spin off NBC
Stephen Manning, AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — For General Electric Co., the NBC entertainment division was always an odd fit. One of the nation’s iconic industrial businesses, GE has spent 23 years making sitcoms and blockbuster movies along with jet engines, dishwashers and light bulbs. The pairing of glitzy entertainment and gritty manufacturing has [...]
Boeing Picks South Carolina for Dreamliner Plant
By Peter Sanders CHICAGO—Boeing Co. said it would build a second final assembly line for its troubled 787 Dreamliner jet in South Carolina, a move that spurns the powerful aircraft machinists’ union that had been negotiating with Boeing to locate the work at the current factory near Seattle. Boeing has been laying the groundwork for [...]
Boeing Posts $1.56 Billion Loss
By JOAN E. SOLSMAN Boeing Co. swung to a third-quarter loss on $3.5 billion of previously disclosed charges caused by the delay-plagued programs for the 747-8 Freighter and the 787 Dreamliner. The commercial-aircraft manufacturer and defense contractor lowered its forecast for 2009 earnings to between $1.35 and 1.55 a share, down more than $4 from [...]