INDUSTRY NEWS Rolls-Royce to acquire Siemens’ electric aircraft-propulsion business — Rolls-Royce has agreed to acquire Siemens’ eAircraft business in order to accelerate its electrification strategy. With 180 employees, Siemens eAircraft is engaged in the development of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for the aerospace industry. It has locations in Munich and Erlangen, Germany, and Budapest, Hungary. Rolls-Royce and Siemens eAircraft have already worked together on the E-Fan X demonstrator project, which, when flying, will demonstrate hybrid electric propulsion at the scale needed to power regional aircraft. Siemens eAircraft has been cooperating with partners such as Airbus to create prototypes for propulsion systems with power ratings ranging from less than 100 to several thousand kilowatts. Siemens will continue to support the transition to electric aviation with its digital solutions portfolio. As part of the deal, Rolls-Royce will look for opportunities to work with Siemens to support national and international goals of CO2 emission reductions. Rolls-Royce said it has carried out successful ground tests of a hybrid propulsion system that can be utilized across a range of smaller transport platforms, including hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, general aviation aircraft, and hybrid helicopters. Canada’s Radarsat Constellation Mission launched aboard SpaceX rocket —  Canadian Space Agency’s Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) was launched into orbit aboard a reused SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first stage, which was previously used in March for a demonstration flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, separated a few minutes after launch and set down on a landing zone at the coastal base. About an hour after lift-off, its three RCM Earth-monitoring satellites were deployed a few minutes apart from the upper stage. They will operate in the same orbital plane at an altitude of 600 km, 14,600 km from each other while circling the Earth in 96 minutes. Each satellite has a life expectancy of seven years. The three identical satellites will provide daily images of Canada’s territory and maritime approaches, as well as images of the Arctic, four times a day. Equipped with an automatic identification system (AIS), the satellites will also be used for detecting and tracking ships, including those conducting illegal fishing. The satellites will also be used for several other purposes, including tracking sea ice, surface winds, and oil pollution, as well as disaster management, particularly flooding, and monitoring agriculture, forestry, and land changes. The three spacecraft have been assembled in Montreal by prime contractor MDA, a Maxar company. Primary control of the satellites will be from the space agency’s headquarters in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. Back to 2019-06-26 issue of C.E. Weekly Back to Members Base Camp Back to CJHunter Home Page