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A California-based electrical energy company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has forwarded a request to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for approval of a space solar power (SSP) purchase agreement with Solaren Corp. of Manhattan Beach. Once approved the project would provide 200 megawatts of electricity from a geosynchronous satellite constellation by 1 June 2016 which would be transferred to PG&E and then into the state power grid.

Airbus and Boeing are reviewing their production schedules and deliveries for 2009 and 2010 amid the global financial downturn. There is a sharp drop in orders for aircrafts attributed to cutbacks and both aircraft manufacturers maintain a positive outlook for a market recovery in 2011.

Lockheed Martin has recently opened a Space Vehicle Integration Laboratory at its premises in Denver to mainly improve the execution and reliability of the software development undertaken for satellites. The main goal of setting up this laboratory is to achieve a plug-and-play status for flight software for small and large satellite development.

Research has shown that biofuels have higher energy content and are able to provide more fuel efficiency with much lesser pollution. However, certain challenges like price, certification and supply of biofuels as well as their distribution continue to remain.

The Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) initiative of the Pentagon is expected to support government laboratories and small-satellite manufacturers. The project works on a limited budget of $110 million per year, but major contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman expect some role in development based on previous experience.

The reasons that nanosatellite manufacturers have not been able to capitalize on commercial sponsors are highlighted. The present customer base of users for this technology appears to be restricted to government organizations.

Operators of Boeing aircrafts converted to freighters will have to pay the OEM a fee ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to avail of technical support. This will apply to aircrafts delivered on of after 15 April 2009, the tax day in the U.S.

Aircraft manufacturers and central bankers have expressed concern over the ongoing global economic recession and its effect on business and credit availability. Members of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Traders (Istat) have cautioned that the U.S. Export-Import Bank may have to advance more loans to address the problem.

The extreme conditions that led to the development and launch of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (Lcross) mission are highlighted. The low-cost spacecraft classified as Class D, was developed by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems along with the NASA Ames Research Center.

Ball Aerospace has developed a spacecraft 'Kepler', for NASA that is expected to be launched on 5 March 2009 on a United Launch Alliance Delta II 7925-10L from Cape Canaveral. Named after the 17th-century mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, the observatory will attempt to detect Earth-like planets orbiting 100,000 Sun-like stars in the Milky Way.

NASA has suffered a setback following the failed launch of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) on 24 February 2009 aboard the Orbital Sciences Taurus XL launcher. The OCO was an instrument that would help in monitoring the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide believed to be responsible for global warming.

The crash between the operational Iridium 33 communications satellite and a Russian Cosmos 2251 communications satellite on February 10, 2009, in the low Earth orbit (LEO) area in space is raising concerns. The debris from the crash could cause similar collisions with several other satellites in orbit in the vicinity.

The machinists' strike at Boeing in late 2008 dropped revenues and earnings to below 2007 levels and intensified the aircraft manufacturer's ongoing problems with poor organization and critical engineering staff shortages.

Boeing is laying off 4,500 administrative and contract workers, along with other aircraft manufacturers and suppliers, despite a huge backlog of deliveries. This will help the company to maintain a better financial position in 2009 following the economic recession.

India plans to enhance its maritime patrol capabilities by purchasing Boeing P-8 Poseidon long-range maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine warfare aircraft. Part of the first international order for P-8, the first of eight P-8I aircraft is to be delivered within 48 months of the formal contract signing with the full contract being completed by 2015.

Ames Research Center of NASA and Northrop Grumman are successful in meeting cost and schedule deadlines in developing a low-cost penetrator for studying the surface of the moon. The common, multimission spacecraft LCross is set for launch in April 2009 with the Lunar Reconnaissance Observer (LRO) mission.

The debate on the proper way to go ahead with the Transformational Satellite (TSAT) continues to remain elusive, as U.S. officials continue debating the need for the same. In the mean time, Lockheed Martin has already begun developmental work for its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) spacecraft.

Boeing is revising its delivery schedule for its 787 aircrafts following issues due to the strike. The first flight is scheduled in 2009.

Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 751 have accepted Boeing's offer of a revised contract including benefits. The four-year contract came about following a strike by machinists and will expire on September 8 2012.

Outsourcing of jobs by Boeing leaves engineer uncertain about their future. Negotiations between engineers and Boeing are scheduled to begin to decide on the future of contracts expiring in December.

Negotiations between striking machinists at Boeing and the management were deadlocked following differences of opinion between the two groups. Machinists are protesting the planned outsourcing of acquisition of assembly line supplies that could threaten job security.

GeoEye-1 built by General Dynamics Advanced Information System carries an ITT imaging system that will improve the imaging quality of commercial satellites. Everyone in the government will have access to the imagery but the public will have to access it for large-scale mapping exercises through federal agencies.

Northrop Grumman is working hard at trying to figure out how to fold the sun shield of the James Webb Space Telescope so that it can be successfully deployed after the 2013 launch. The only worry is that the shield might tear during deployment.

Boeing has made a fresh offer to its machinists for a wage increment and bonus payments following two earlier unsuccessful attempts.

The article discusses the working at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division (NAS) at the Ames Research Center. Ames is NASA's main parallel processing hub with SGI, Cray and IBM computers working together is presented.

Ecliptic Enterprises Corp. manufactures the RocketCam that provides videos of rockets and space shuttle lift-offs besides satellite operations.

The successful launch of the French-U.S. Jason-2 oceanography mapping mission is expected to relay data on ocean waves that will help understand climate change.

Airbus has awarded a contract to Spirit AeroSystems to design and build a part of the fuselage frame section for the A350XWB aircraft.

All Nippon Airways has informed Boeing to confirm the date of delivery of the 787 aircraft, which is already way behind schedule. Setbacks at the development stage have pushed the delivery date further to third quarter of 2009 from the original date of May 2008.

Boeing is on the verge of acquiring Vought Aircraft Industries' 50 percent share of the Italian-American fuselage builder Global Aeronautics, which will help in overcoming supply-chain challenges in building the 787. Mitsubishi Aircraft will be designing the aircraft and are negotiating with Saab to support them with its service network in the U.S. and Europe.

The further delays in the Boeing 787 are expected following the building and testing of a new redesigned center wing box by Boeing and Fuji Heavy Industries.

Mitsubishi Industries is going ahead with its MRJ70/90 regional jet incorporating a cutting-edge engine design and composite wing. It plans to limit its supply chain and rope in suppliers to provide platforms.

Southwest Airlines are facing a lot of flak from the FAA for safety violations. But going by Southwest Airlines excellent safety record their image will mostly remain untarnished.

The transport of the Kibo modules to the International Space Station that will permit the Tsukuba mission control center to go online is discussed.

The development problems that have plagued delivery of the Boeing 787 are a cause of concern for officials of All Nippon Airlines who are examining alternative operational options.

CFM International (CFMI), the joint venture between General Electric and Snecma is carrying out research on open-rotor and counterrotating fan technology. The research follows a demand from airlines for greater fuel-burn improvements.

The valuable experience and expertise that Asian airframe and engine makers gained following long standing affiliations with European and U.S. counterparts is discussed. The Asian industry is now ready to join the supply chain independently.

Boeing plans to bring enthusiasm back in flight for its passengers by changing some practical things in its 787 airplane. The 787's best features are its windows that are 25 percent larger with an electrochromic control that allows cabin crews to dim the windows so that some passengers can rest while others can look outside.

The record-setting bonanza is all set to continue in 2008 with big aviation companies like Boeing achieving record orders and General Electric Aviation and others following suit.

The new 787 Boeing is expected to undertake its first flight by the end of March 2008. Vice-President Pat Shanahan has realigned the managers of the program and changed their routines for enhancing production efficiency.

Boeing's distribution process of delegation of design and program responsibility to its incoming and outgoing 787 supplier network is discussed.

The final date of rollout for the Boeing 787 remains an uncertainty despite confirmed orders causing an increasing backlog and escalating costs. The backlog has reached a record $295 billion.

The U.S. Forest Service, the FAA and NASA are using unmanned aircraft to map wildfires.

A heat shield model is created by NASA for the actual thermal protection system as an alternative design for the Orion spacecraft.

A detailed analysis of the technology involved in the creation of the new Boeing 787 has been examined for the first time.

The state of Washington sponsored training center is being used by Boeing to prepare factory workers for work on its 787 program. The training school opened in 2006 September is pledged to Boeing for five years exclusively.

The article discusses on the Boeing's updated 20-year forecast in detail that estimate an age for the U.S. carrier's single-gangways.

CFM International, the partnership between General Electric and Snecma is laying more emphasis on how to tackle the problem of noise, N[O.sub.x] and carbon emissions along with fuel consumption to ensure an environment friendly aircraft.

Boeing has employed a novel set of shop floor tools to speed the wing and body join and other parts for its 787 production.

According to a survey conducted in 2006, Boeing's air freighter bookings have increased since 2005. Didier Lenormand feels that the reasons for the increase in freighter bookings stems from the fact that the DC-10s and 747s are old and their fuel costs are rising.