MOBILE, AL—Airbus has begun construction of a new $300 million assembly plant here to manufacture the A220 jetliner. The project is expected to create 432 full-time jobs.
Several years ago, researchers from QSS Group Inc. and the Ohio Aerospace Institute were interested in finding a commercially available adhesive that bonds titanium pipes to carbon-carbon composite (CCC) sheets. The reason: Doing so would lower the cost of assembling spacecraft heat-rejection systems made of these joined materials.
HUNTSVILLE, AL—Aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin LLC has officially started construction on a factory here that will produce the BE-4 engines to power both the New Glenn and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rockets.
CENTENNIAL, CO—Boom Supersonic has confirmed plans to flight test the XB-1 prototype of its Overture commercial airliner for the first time this year, after raising $100 million in its latest funding round. Boom plans Overture to enter service in the mid-2020s.
HAWTHORNE, CA—Citing fewer planned launches in 2019, SpaceX says it will layoff roughly 10 percent of its workforce. Those to be cut include production managers, avionics technicians, machinists, inventory specialists and propulsion technicians.
In a single year, millions of cars are manufactured worldwide. While the styles, parts and features may vary, every vehicle requires a wire harness. The harness connects the wiring throughout the vehicle, powering everything from power steering and headlights to in-dash displays and heated seats.
Ever since the Wright Brothers first took to the sky 115 years ago, powered flight has depended on propellers and other components. But, a team of aerospace engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a silent, lightweight aircraft with no moving parts.
Hot upset riveting is a permanent forming and fastening process that uses precision heat and pressure to form hardened workpieces. This process achieves maximum hole-fill, creating a robust joint. Depending on the part requirements, the result can be a fixed or movable joint assembly.