Boeing will be the prime contractor in the development of the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System, the largest rocket ever made. The $2.8 billion deal between Boeing and NASA was signed after the completion of the critical design review for the core stage—“the last major review before full production begins,” states a July 2 release. The completion of the critical design review “marks NASA’s first CDR on a deep-space human exploration launch vehicle since 1961, when the Saturn V rocket underwent a similar design review as the United States sought to land an astronaut on the moon.” The contract also calls for Boeing to be the lead contractor for avionics. “Our teams have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the SLS—the largest ever—will be built safely, affordably, and on time,” said Boeing SLS Vice President Virginia Barnes. Boeing also has “been tasked to study the SLS exploration upper stage, which will further expand mission range and payload capabilities,” states the release. The SLS is slated for initial test flight in 2017.
Unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous aircraft may provide a solution to operating in heavily contested domains such as the Taiwan Straits, according to a panel of expert who suggested operationalizing artificial intelligence for such purposes sooner rather than later. The group gathered virtually to help launch the Mitchell Institute for…