Space Technology

Star wars: Raytheon wins contract to develop orbital hypersonic missile defense system

March 9, 2023

Raytheon Technologies has won a contract worth more than $250 million from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Development Agency to design and develop a satellite system to detect and track hypersonic missiles and other threats. The contract was awarded to the company’s Space and Intelligence division, but the project aligns with key hypersonic missile development projects being done at the Tucson-based Missiles & Defense division.

Virgin Galactic’s Mesa facility coming along; company hopeful commercial space flights can resume in Q2

March 6, 2023

Space tourism company Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE) on Tuesday said its spacecraft manufacturing facility in Mesa is coming along and that it is on track to resume commercial service in the second quarter of this year. Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call that the company was “making progress” on the Mesa facility, which was first announced last summer as the place where its next-generation spaceships will be assembled.

University of Arizona launches Mission Integration Lab at new UA Tech Park at The Bridges

December 14, 2022

On December 12, 2022 The University of Arizona Office of Research, Innovation and Impact launched its new research building in the UA Tech Park at The Bridges. The Mission Integration Lab expands research capacity to tackle grand space-based challenges and position the UArizona as one of only a handful of institutions that can run top-dollar missions.

Tucson-based startup Phantom Space wins satellite mission orders from NASA

November 30, 2022

Tucson-based commercial rocket builder Phantom Space Corp. will be sending four NASA satellites into space as part of a program meant to help develop new launch vehicles. Phantom Space will send up NASA’s CubeSat satellites on the company’s two-stage Daytona rocket, with the initial space flights planned for 2024. Two of the CubeSats will be launched on the second Phantom flight and two more will be on the fourth, with both flights starting from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Southern California.

Manufacturing co. boosts Arizona economy with opening of optical production facility and new headquarters

November 22, 2022

Viavi Solutions Inc. announced it has opened its new production facility in Chandler, Arizona. The company has added to U.S. manufacturing capacity as it has grown its presence in the state, including the move of its global headquarters. Since preparations to move its global headquarters from California began in 2021, the company has already made significant contributions to the business and technology community.

Tucson startup Phantom Space heralds milestone with successful rocket engine test

November 21, 2022

Tucson-based space rocket maker Phantom Space says it has reached a major milestone in its development with a successful test of its signature rocket system. Using a single Hadley thrust engine from Colorado company Ursa Major Technologies, the Arizona startup’s 60-second hot-fire test on Nov. 14 at Spaceport America in New Mexico validated elements of the first and second stages — together called the pathfinder stage — for the company’s Daytona Launch system. A hot-fire test is the final systems test and first launch of a flight stage.

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman awarded hypersonic missile contract worth nearly $1B

September 26, 2022

A partnership between Raytheon’s Missiles & Defense division and Northrop Grumman has been awarded a nearly $1 billion contract to develop the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) for the U.S. Air Force. The air-launched HACM will be the first of its kind, and the $985.34 million contract calls for the two companies to design, develop and deliver the missile by March 2027. The project is part of a joint initiative between the U.S. and Australia called the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment, or SCIFiRE.

Raytheon, Northrop Grumman win enhanced contracts for hypersonic missile defense project

July 13, 2022

With new contract enhancements in hand, Raytheon Technology’s Tucson-based Missiles & Defense division and the Chandler operation of Northrop Grumman will speed up work to develop a new missile to knock out hypersonic threats in mid-flight. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency awarded contract modification to the two companies, which have been working on a Glide Phase Interceptor, or GPI, which will be able to stop hypersonic weapons while they are in the glide phase, which is the middle portion of their flight en route to targets.

Steward Observatory research, testing and demonstration operations expand at the UA Tech Park

July 5, 2022

Tech Parks Arizona is pleased to announce that the University of Arizona, Steward Observatory is expanding the Engineering and Technical Services research, testing and demonstration operations at the UA Tech Park off Rita Road and Interstate-10. The University of Arizona is a world leader in space sciences and as a Tier 1 research university with a moonshot goal of a Billion dollars in research, activities are constantly growing. University of Arizona has emerged as a principal leader in infrared astronomy through the work of the staff, students, and faculty of the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory. Public-private partnerships with industry giants such as NASA and countries around the world have put Steward Observatory on a fast-track growth trajectory.

U.S. Space Force selects Arizona State University for partnership

June 10, 2022

InBusiness PHX The U.S. Space Force and Arizona State University signed an agreement here Tuesday making ASU the newest member of the service’s University Partnership Program. USSF Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Dr. Lisa Costa joined ASU President Michael M. Crow on the Tempe campus to finalize the agreement and to learn more about ASU space initiatives and […]

Space Technology

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