Boeing's Full Ahead in Commercial Space - joins Virgin Galactic and reveals launch date

A new strategic partnership between Boeing and Virgin Galactic has been announced, as has the first launch date for Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft.Boeing is to invest 20 million dollars in Virgin Galactic and the two aerospace firms will collaborate on transformative global travel technologies, Virgin Group CEO Richard Branson said:
This is the beginning of an important collaboration for the future of air and space travel, which are the natural next steps for our human spaceflight programme.Virgin Group and Boeing share a vision of opening access to the world and space, to move people in safe and environmentally responsible ways.*
The Boeing investment involves acquiring shares in the soon to be merged Virgin Galactic and Social Capital Hedosophia, which is expected to close in Q4 2019.SCH is a Cayman islands shell company set up by venture capitalists in 2017 to take high value start-ups public.*
According to Brian Schettler, Senior Managing Director of Boeing HorizonX Ventures:
Our work with Virgin Galactic and others will help unlock the future of space travel and high-speed mobility.*
Adds Boeing Defense, Space and Security President and CEO Leanne Caret:
The unique expertise of our companies stretches from points all around the world to the deepest reaches of space.Together we will change how people travel on Earth, and among the stars, for generations to come.*
Among other projects, Virgin Galactic recently unveiled a contract with the Italian Air Force to carry a research payload into space on a VG SpaceShip Two spacecraft.*
For its part, Boeing has announced a launch date of 17 December 2019 for the uncrewed test flight of its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, which will be launched on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.The Starliner will dock with the ISS,stay about a week,then land by parachute on the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
On 4 November, the Starliner will execute an in-flight abort test of that critical safety system. Pending successful testing, Boeing plans to begin ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the ISS  in the Starliner next year.*
Virgin Galactic has successfully launched two crewed spaceflights-one in 2018,and the other in February 2019.*

Boeing (BA), Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp (IPOA) 

Alcoa Launches Q4 Earnings Season - not dependent on China

In accordance with tradition,Alcoa has reported its Q4 2015 earnings first.Earnings per share were 0.04 versus the estimate of 0.02,a slight beat;while revenue came in at 5.25 billion dollars versus the 5.29 billion estimate,a bit of a miss.The company says it exceeded productivity goals,however.It expects continued strong demand for aluminum and strong global aerospace sales.Indeed,it is planning to spin off the aerospace business in 2016,so will implement the overhead reduction program this year.*
It's been really a solid quarter,said Alcoa CEO Klaus Feldman.We've seen a string of large contracts.We've doubled our auto shipments over the past year.Look at the cash;look at productivity-all this we've got under control.We have five different businesses.We're building up our bauxite business.We have an energy business.Today we're in a trough,and we're still doing well.We have 1.9 billion in cash and we believe global demand will rise by 6.9%.Aluminum is a hot metal.*
How is the China downturn affecting Alcoa? We are not dependent on China.China has opportunities,rather than threats for us,Mr.Feldman explained.*
Some part of this 15% drop in China is domestic;but part is fundamental,added Timothy Moe,chief Asia equity strategist at Goldman Sachs.The fundamentals are:
a.concerns about growth;and
b.concerns about the depreciation of the currency,the renminbi.
Any concern that growth is slowing is a real fundamental read-across,Mr.Moe observed.*
Alcoa Inc (AA),Goldman Sachs (GS)

"Get Over It":NASA Administrator Bolden-Mars,Science and Industry part 2

There's been a lot of skepticism and carping aimed at NASA's complex and evolutionary post-shuttle manned spaceflight program.A somewhat exasperated NASA official laid out the agency's plans in April 2014 at the Humans 2 Mars Summit at George Washington University.Our goal right now is to have an American orbital capability by 2017,said NASA Administrator Major General Charles F. Bolden,US Marine Corps Retired.SpaceX is only one competitor.It hasn't been chosen yet.*
The US Government can't do everything.We are not gonna get 4% of the Federal budget to go to Mars or any other place.We're gonna have to figure out how to get to Mars on the budget proposed today,plus some modest increases.I believe that's possible.*
The Juno probe is on the way to Jupiter,and New Horizons is on the way to Pluto.We hope to make an announcement on the commercial crew spacecraft by late summer or fall.
We made a decision on manned spaceflight and some people in this room don't like it.We're oh so close to getting a commercial capability.Get over it.This is the path we have chosen.Help us to get it right.We can tweek this.We now have hardware under construction.We need your help.One percent of the Federal budget would be like a gold mine.
Commercial cargo is the first step.We've got to get to commercial crew and do it consistently.We're gonna fly the Orion spacecraft in the fall,General Bolden said.*
Lockheed Martin(LMT),Boeing(BA),Alliant Techsystems(ATK)

Honeywell Advances Aircraft Communication

Honeywell International is advancing the way planes communicate with each other,resulting in advantages for both the public and the planet.Honeywell's Aerospace division has developed new pilot software.It enables what are essentially automatic text messages between aircraft.The messages are sent to each aircraft from other aircraft to give a more accurate picture of where everyone is.
Bob Witwer,Vice President of Aerospace Advanced Technology,explained that means that distances between planes can be shortened with a very high degree of safety.The software gives a better sense of situational awareness.The development was made possible by the discovery of communications technology that can do this data exchange,as well as the achievement of raw computing power that enables us to collate all the data.
The FAA has been very strong in this case.It is the first in many improvements that will help aircraft get there faster;save fuel;and protect the environment with lower emissions.We are very confident in this technology,Mr.Witwer said.
Honeywell International has its headquarters in Morristown,New Jersey,and other facilities around the globe.Its operating segments include Aerospace;Automation and Control Solutions;Performance Materials and Technologies;and Transportation Systems.
Honeywell International(HON)

Boston Welcomes Inaugural Dreamliner Flight To U.S.

A new era in commercial aviation began Sunday morning with the arrival of Japan Airlines Flight 8 at Boston's Logan International Airport.The non-stop flight from Narita Airport in Tokyo was the first commercial flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the United States.Touching down at 8:37 am Pacific,the flight surely delighted plane spotters in the Boston area who were able to catch a glimpse of aviation history. Rival All Nippon Airways had received the first deliveries of Dreamliners,but hasn't initiated its U.S. 787 flights yet.ANA has been flying the 787 in Japan,as well as to Europe and elsewhere in Asia. JAL will fly the 787 to Boston and back four times a week until June,when the service goes daily.It is a 12-13 hour flight. Boeing has more than 800 orders on the books for the new,lightweight aircraft-the first commercial jet to incorporate composite materials into the majority of its construction.Technicians from both the U.S. and Japan inspected the undercarriage of the JAL Dreamliner together upon its arrival at Logan. Boeing(BA)

Commercial Space Ambition:Boeing Aims For 2015 Date

Although some in the media portrayed the end of the space shuttle program as the end of U.S. manned space flight period,that is far from the case,if recent events mean anything.For example,Boeing has just signed a lease for an old space shuttle hangar at Kennedy Space Center,which Space Florida,a state economic development agency,is developing into a commercial spaceport.
Boeing will use the hangar space to construct its shuttle successor candidate,the CST-100,in hopes of being selected by NASA for International Space Station ferry service.The company says the new capsule will be ready by 2015.Within the next few months,it plans to begin remodeling the hangar for its own purposes.
The CST-100 is a large Apollo-type capsule that can carry up to seven astronauts or a combination of crew and cargo into Low Earth Orbit.It is compatible with a number of launch systems,including the Atlas V rocket.As well as ISS program use,it is also intended to ferry astronauts and cargo to a commercial space lab owned by Bigelow Aerospace.Unless Boeing wins a NASA contract,however,the CST-100 will be shelved.
Boeing says it designed,built and operated human and robotic space vehicles and their supporting hardware in the past,such as for the Gemini,Apollo,Skylab,Space Shuttle and ISS programs.Given this superb heritage,you have to believe the storied aerospace firm has the edge in building one of the space shuttle's successor vehicles for NASA's astronaut corps.
Boeing(BA)

Honeywell Aerospace Deals

The Aerospace Division of Honeywell International(HON) has been prospering lately.It has just signed a 50 million dollar U.S. contract with Air Asia,and its 2.2 billion profit makes up nearly half of Honeywell's total.Half of the division's after-market business is in North America.It provides specific applications for airplanes,as well as upgrades for fuel efficiency and safety.Division chief Robert Gillette says they'd like to look at expanding globally,though it's a challenge with the weak U.S. dollar.Honeywell Aerospace is selling its parts business to BE Aerospace(BEAV) for just over one billion dollars.