Iberia Extends the Contract with Airbus Defence and Space to Transform Three More Airbus A-330 into Tanker Aircraft

Iberia has extended its contract with Airbus Defence and Space to carry out the transformation of three Airbus A-330 aircraft, from the Airbus factory, into MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) tanker aircraft for mid-flight refuelling.

This contract will be in place for another three years, given that it is estimated that the transformation of each plane will take Iberia’s engineering and maintenance teams one year to complete.

This is not the first time that Iberia’s Technical Management teams carry out this kind of work, having completed full modifications to Airbus A-330 aircraft belonging to the Saudi Royal Air Force.

A transformation based on maximum technological complexity

In order to carry out the transformation it is necessary to completely dismantle the plane’s cabin to structurally alter it, install new equipment and, lastly, take a number of test flights.

All in all, up to 5,500 systems parts will be altered in each plane, of which 2,000 will undergo structural changes; around 60km of additional wiring will be installed, including 1km of coaxial wiring and another 1,000m of fibre optic cable.

Additionally, the transformation contemplates the installation of a hose and funnel system on the wings (pods system), as well as a flying boom and a mid-flight refuelling system, along with the Fly-by-wire flight control device.

This type of work forms part of Iberia’s strategy to diversify its business area and include products with added value and greater technological complexity.

Iberia has more than 20 years’ experience in the maintenance of military aircraft. As well as carrying out the inspections and repairs of the Pegasus engines in Harrier aircraft and the Boeing 707, and providing operational support services to the Air Force, countries such as Argentina and Turkmenistan have entrusted the maintenance of their presidential airplanes to Iberia Maintenance.

Iberia Maintenance is in charge of carrying out the inspections and repairs of aircraft, engines and components belonging to the airline itself and to some 100 clients all over the world. Specifically, in 2013, it conducted approximately 1,000 A and C aircraft inspections and checked 184 engines and 63,247 aeronautical components.

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Now you can watch LIVE satellite video from the International Space Station

Despite recent improvements, Google Maps is, like, sooo 2013. If you want to see something really cool... how about LIVE satellite images beamed from the International Space Station?

NASA have just launched the around-the-clock coverage using four cameras mounted on the outside of the space station and Ustream to stream live.

The video isn't quite 24/7 - there are a few points in orbit when there is no connection to the station to downlink the video (the screen will be grey), and as the ISS completes one lap of the Earth every 90 minutes, it is often night time so the cameras are dark. If only we were considerate enough to createmore light pollution. There's also no sound on the video (what would you hear anyway?), so NASA recommend creating your own soundtrack (perhaps a little Bowie?).

Click here for video stream: http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/HDEV/

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Boeing-Built Fighter Jets Could Launch US Military Satellites Into Space

And you thought space launches couldn't get any cooler: The next generation of small satellites may blast into orbit from the belly of a fighter jet.

The United States military's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) gave Boeing a $30.6 million contract last month to develop a 24-foot (7.3-meter) launch vehicle that would attach to the bottom of an F-15E Strike Eagle.  

The concept calls for the jet to drop this vehicle when it reaches an altitude of 40,000 feet (12,192 meters), at which point the craft's rocket engines would kick on, carrying onboard satellites into orbit.

This launch system could slash the cost of launching small satellites — those weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms) — by 66 percent if all goes well, Boeing officials said.

The fighter-jet system would not only be a cheaper approach than the usual throwaway rocket stages, officials added, but also would be a quicker way to send satellites into orbit. The United States military would not need to wait around for a launch vehicle to be available or a launch window to open.

"We developed a cost-effective design by moving the engines forward on the launch vehicle," Steve Johnston, Boeing's director of advanced space exploration, said in a statement. "With our design, the first and second stages are powered by the same engines, reducing weight and complexity."

DARPA also wants to reduce the cost of access to space for much bigger payloads. The agency's Experimental Spaceplane project, or XS-1, aims to develop a vehicle capable of launching 3,000- to 5,000-lb (1,361 to 2,268 kg) payloads to orbit for less than $5 million per flight.

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