Aurora Flight Sciences: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of Boeing}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=April 2017}} |
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{{Use American English|date=July 2020}} |
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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| name = Aurora Flight Sciences |
| name = Aurora Flight Sciences |
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| image_caption = NASA / Aurora D8 airliner concept |
| image_caption = NASA / Aurora D8 airliner concept |
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| caption = |
| caption = |
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| type = |
| type = [[Subsidiary]] |
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| genre = |
| genre = |
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| fate = |
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| predecessor = |
| predecessor = |
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| successor = |
| successor = |
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| foundation = 1989 |
| foundation = {{start date and age|1989}} |
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| founder = [[John Langford (engineer)|John S. Langford III]] |
| founder = [[John Langford (engineer)|John S. Langford III]] |
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| defunct = |
| defunct = |
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| location_city = [[Manassas, Virginia]] |
| location_city = [[Manassas, Virginia]] |
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| location_country = United States |
| location_country = United States |
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| location = |
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| locations = 4 |
| locations = 4 |
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| key_people = Michael Caimona ([[President (corporate title)|president]] and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]]) |
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| area_served = |
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| key_people = [[Per Beith, President & CEO]] |
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| industry = [[Aerospace manufacturer]] |
| industry = [[Aerospace manufacturer]] |
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| products = [[Unmanned aerial vehicle]]s |
| products = [[Unmanned aerial vehicle]]s |
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| operating_income = |
| operating_income = |
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| net_income = |
| net_income = |
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| aum = |
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| assets = |
| assets = |
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| equity = |
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| owner = |
| owner = |
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| num_employees = 468<ref name="sbir.gov">{{cite web|title= |
| num_employees = 468<ref name="sbir.gov">{{cite web|title=Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation |url= https://www.sbir.gov/sbc/aurora-flight-sciences-corporation |website=Sbir |access-date=April 2, 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> |
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| parent = [[Boeing]] |
| parent = [[Boeing]] |
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| divisions = |
| divisions = |
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| subsid = |
| subsid = |
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| homepage = |
| homepage = {{url|https://www.aurora.aero}} |
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| footnotes = |
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| intl = |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Aurora Flight Sciences''' is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of [[Boeing]] |
'''Aurora Flight Sciences''' (AFS) is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of [[Boeing]] that specializes in special-purpose [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s. Aurora's headquarters is at [[Manassas Regional Airport]]. |
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==History== |
== History == |
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In 1989, |
In 1989, AFS was founded in [[Alexandria, Virginia]], as a follow-on to the [[MIT Daedalus]] project. |
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In 1991, its first aircraft was the Perseus proof of concept (POC) built for [[NASA]] which first flew at NASA Dryden. |
In 1991, its first aircraft was the Perseus [[proof of concept]] (POC) built for [[NASA]] which first flew at [[Armstrong Flight Research Center|NASA Dryden]]. It was followed by two Perseus As and one Perseus B – built for the [[NASA ERAST Program]]. A twin engine Theseus was also built. |
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In 1995 Aurora joined the [[Global Hawk]] team |
In 1995, Aurora joined the [[Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk|Global Hawk]] team to build composite fuselage components and tail assemblies of the RQ-4 for [[Northrop Grumman]] and the [[United States Air Force|USAF]]. |
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In 2002, a demonstration aircraft was flown from an altitude of 100,000 |
In 2002, a demonstration aircraft was flown from an altitude of 100,000 feet to simulate the low density of the [[Atmosphere of Mars|Martian atmosphere]]. Aurora was involved in NASA programs studying how to fly on [[Mars]]. |
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In 2008, the [[DARPA Vulture]] aimed for |
In 2008, the [[Boeing SolarEagle|DARPA Vulture]] aimed for a UAV that could stay aloft in the [[stratosphere]] for at least five years carrying a {{cvt|1000|lb}} payload: Aurora proposed three drones taking off separately then joining up in flight, to form an efficient flat wing at night, and folding into a Z to optimize solar energy collection.<ref name=AvWeek14nov2018>{{cite news |
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|url=http://aviationweek.com/future-aerospace/auroras-massive-solar-powered-stratospheric-unmanned-aircraft|title=This Is Aurora's Massive Solar-Powered Stratospheric Unmanned Aircraft|date=November 14, 2018 |author=Graham Warwick|work=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref> |
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In 2009, as Aurora |
In 2009, as Aurora developed small vertical take-off UAVs known as the [[Aurora Goldeneye]], the third variant of this family, the GoldenEye-80, was first flown publicly at [[Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International]]'s Unmanned Systems North America trade show. |
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On |
On 5 October 2017, Boeing announced that it would acquire Aurora Flight Sciences.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-aurora-m-a-boeing/boeing-to-buy-autonomous-and-electric-flight-firm-aurora-idUSKBN1CA1KU|date=October 5, 2017|title=Boeing to buy autonomous and electric flight firm Aurora|author=Alwyn Scott|work=Reuters}}</ref> |
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In April 2018, as [[DARPA]] allowed Aurora to transition government-funded technology for commercial applications, the tilt-wing XV-24A Lightning Strike and its [[distributed propulsion]] could be reused for an electric commercial [[air taxi]] along its lift-and-cruise |
In April 2018, as [[DARPA]] allowed Aurora to transition government-funded technology for commercial applications, the tilt-wing [[Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike|XV-24A Lightning Strike]] and its [[distributed propulsion]] could be reused for an electric commercial [[air taxi]] along its lift-and-cruise prototype with vertical flight rotors and cruise fixed propellers, unveiled in 2017. Aurora plans multiple demonstrators [[Command center|controlled centrally]] by 2020 and a piloted air taxi by 2023 with [[Autonomous aircraft|autonomy]] later depending on regulation.<ref name=Flight25apr2018>{{cite news|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/darpa-approval-clears-boeings-transition-to-new-air-447984/|title=DARPA approval clears Boeing's transition to new air taxi approach|date=25 April 2018|author=Stephen Trimble|work=Flightglobal}}</ref> |
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Aurora plans multiple demonstrators [[Command center|controlled centrally]] by 2020 and a piloted air taxi by 2023 with [[Autonomous aircraft|autonomy]] later depending on regulation.<ref name=Flight25apr2018>{{cite news |url= https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/darpa-approval-clears-boeings-transition-to-new-air-447984/ |title= DARPA approval clears Boeing's transition to new air taxi approach |date= 25 April 2018 |author= Stephen Trimble |work= Flightglobal}}</ref> |
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In spring 2019, Aurora plans to fly a [[High-Altitude Long Endurance]] drone powered by solar |
In spring 2019, Aurora plans to fly a [[High-Altitude Long Endurance]] drone powered by [[solar cell]]s and batteries, [[Aurora Odysseus|Odysseus]]. |
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Aurora won a DARPA CRANE (Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors) grant to test a small-scale plane that uses compressed air bursts instead of external moving parts such as flaps. The program seeks to eliminate the weight, drag, and mechanical complexity involved in moving control surfaces. The air bursts modify the air pressure and flow, and change the boundaries between streams of air moving at different speeds. The company built a 25% scale prototype with 11 conventional control surfaces, as well as 14 banks fed by eight air channels.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blain |first=Loz |date=2023-01-20 |title=Active flow control X-Plane uses virtual control surfaces made from air |url=https://newatlas.com/aircraft/darpa-crane-aurora/ |access-date=2023-01-23 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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⚫ | Aurora has four facilities that each have their own focus. |
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⚫ | Aurora has four facilities that each have their own focus. Corporate Headquarters and Engineering are in [[Manassas, Virginia]]. A manufacturing center was opened in [[Fairmont, West Virginia]], in 1994, being moved to [[Bridgeport, West Virginia]], in 2000. Another manufacturing facility was opened in [[Starkville, Mississippi]], in 2005 before being moved to the nearby [[Golden Triangle Regional Airport]] in [[Columbus, Mississippi]], in 2007. A research and development center was opened in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] in 2005 where Aurora now develops a line of [[micro air vehicle]]s. |
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⚫ | *MarsFlyer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov/platform.html |
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⚫ | *[[Aurora Goldeneye|GoldenEye]] 50<ref>"[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/golden061907.xml [[Aurora Goldeneye|GoldenEye]] 50 Gets Airworthiness Certificate |
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⚫ | * MarsFlyer<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov/platform.html|title=ARES Mars Scout Mission Proposal - Platform|website=Marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov|access-date=2013-12-26|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212122041/http://marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov/platform.html|publisher=NASA|archive-date=2013-12-12}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> |
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⚫ | * [[Aurora Goldeneye|GoldenEye]] 50<ref>"[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/golden061907.xml]{{Dead link|date=October 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}[[Aurora Goldeneye|GoldenEye]]<span> 50 Gets Airworthiness Certificate</span>", Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, June 19, 2007. Retrieved on August 25, 2009.</ref> |
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⚫ | * [[Aurora Goldeneye|GoldenEye]] 80<ref>"Morris, Jefferson: [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/GOLD12076.xml GoldenEye 80 UAV Gearing Up For Second Flight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122033015/https://aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/GOLD12076.xml |date=22 November 2021 }}", AviationWeek.com, December 7, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2009.</ref> |
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* Centaur Optionally-Piloted Aircraft (OPA) |
* Centaur Optionally-Piloted Aircraft (OPA) |
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*[[Aurora Flight Sciences Orion|Orion]] |
* [[Aurora Flight Sciences Orion|Orion]] |
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*[[MIT Daedalus|SunLight Eagle]] |
* [[MIT Daedalus|SunLight Eagle]] |
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*Odysseus |
* Odysseus |
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*Skate SUAS |
* Skate SUAS |
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*Tactical Autonomous Aerial Logistics System (TALOS) |
* Tactical Autonomous Aerial Logistics System (TALOS) |
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** [[H-6U]] Unmanned Little Bird |
** [[H-6U]] Unmanned Little Bird |
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** [[Bell 206]] |
** [[Bell 206]] |
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** [[UH-1H]] UAV |
** [[UH-1H]] UAV |
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===Proposed |
=== Proposed {{Anchor|D8}} === |
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⚫ | * [[Aurora D8]] for [[NASA]] by the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] - currently under development. A flight test will be conducted by 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://aviationweek.com/technology/aurora-refines-design-ultraefficient-d8-airliner|title=Aurora Refines Design Of Ultraefficient D8 Airliner|date=January 18, 2017|author=Graham Warwick|work=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref> |
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* [[Virgin Galactic]] generation 2 [[mothership]], for the next-generation [[Virgin Galactic Delta|Delta-class]] [[spaceplane]], expected for 2025.<ref name=Virgin-20220707>{{cite news |url= https://www.virgin.com/about-virgin/latest/virgin-galactic-announces-boeings-aurora-will-build-new-motherships |title= Virgin Galactic announces Boeing's Aurora will build new motherships |author= Natalie Clarkson |work= Virgin Galactic |publisher= Virgin Group |date= 7 July 2022 }}</ref> |
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* [[Liberty Lifter]] |
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=== Cancelled === |
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* |
* [[United States Air Force]] Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA) - lost out to [[Lockheed Martin X-55]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2017}} |
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⚫ | * [[Aurora D8]] for [[NASA]] by the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] - currently under development. A flight test will be conducted by 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url= |
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* The [[Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike]] was the selected proposal for the [[VTOL X-Plane]] program, cancelled in April 2018. |
* The [[Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike]] was the selected proposal for the [[VTOL X-Plane]] program, cancelled in April 2018. |
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==Other products== |
== Other products == |
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* Robotic Copilot<ref>https://www.aurora.aero/robotic_copilot/ Robotic Copilot</ref> |
* Robotic Copilot<ref>https://www.aurora.aero/robotic_copilot/ Robotic Copilot</ref> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Aurora X-65 CRANE]] |
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==References== |
== References == |
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{{Portal|Spaceflight}} |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
== External links == |
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{{Commons category|Aurora Flight Sciences}} |
{{Commons category|Aurora Flight Sciences}} |
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*[http://www.aurora.aero Aurora home page] |
* [http://www.aurora.aero Aurora home page] |
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{{Boeing}} |
{{Boeing}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora Flight Sciences}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora Flight Sciences}} |
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[[Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers of the United States]] |
[[Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Technology companies established in 1989]] |
[[Category:Technology companies established in 1989]] |
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[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1989]] |
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1989]] |
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[[Category:1989 establishments in Virginia]] |
[[Category:1989 establishments in Virginia]] |
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[[Category:Manassas, Virginia]] |
[[Category:Manassas, Virginia]] |
Latest revision as of 23:18, 19 November 2024
Company type | Subsidiary |
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Industry | Aerospace manufacturer |
Founded | 1989 |
Founder | John S. Langford III |
Headquarters | , United States |
Number of locations | 4 |
Key people | Michael Caimona (president and CEO) |
Products | Unmanned aerial vehicles |
Number of employees | 468[1] |
Parent | Boeing |
Website | www |
Aurora Flight Sciences (AFS) is an American aviation and aeronautics research subsidiary of Boeing that specializes in special-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles. Aurora's headquarters is at Manassas Regional Airport.
History
[edit]In 1989, AFS was founded in Alexandria, Virginia, as a follow-on to the MIT Daedalus project.
In 1991, its first aircraft was the Perseus proof of concept (POC) built for NASA which first flew at NASA Dryden. It was followed by two Perseus As and one Perseus B – built for the NASA ERAST Program. A twin engine Theseus was also built.
In 1995, Aurora joined the Global Hawk team to build composite fuselage components and tail assemblies of the RQ-4 for Northrop Grumman and the USAF.
In 2002, a demonstration aircraft was flown from an altitude of 100,000 feet to simulate the low density of the Martian atmosphere. Aurora was involved in NASA programs studying how to fly on Mars.
In 2008, the DARPA Vulture aimed for a UAV that could stay aloft in the stratosphere for at least five years carrying a 1,000 lb (450 kg) payload: Aurora proposed three drones taking off separately then joining up in flight, to form an efficient flat wing at night, and folding into a Z to optimize solar energy collection.[2]
In 2009, as Aurora developed small vertical take-off UAVs known as the Aurora Goldeneye, the third variant of this family, the GoldenEye-80, was first flown publicly at Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's Unmanned Systems North America trade show.
On 5 October 2017, Boeing announced that it would acquire Aurora Flight Sciences.[3]
In April 2018, as DARPA allowed Aurora to transition government-funded technology for commercial applications, the tilt-wing XV-24A Lightning Strike and its distributed propulsion could be reused for an electric commercial air taxi along its lift-and-cruise prototype with vertical flight rotors and cruise fixed propellers, unveiled in 2017. Aurora plans multiple demonstrators controlled centrally by 2020 and a piloted air taxi by 2023 with autonomy later depending on regulation.[4]
In spring 2019, Aurora plans to fly a High-Altitude Long Endurance drone powered by solar cells and batteries, Odysseus.
Aurora won a DARPA CRANE (Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors) grant to test a small-scale plane that uses compressed air bursts instead of external moving parts such as flaps. The program seeks to eliminate the weight, drag, and mechanical complexity involved in moving control surfaces. The air bursts modify the air pressure and flow, and change the boundaries between streams of air moving at different speeds. The company built a 25% scale prototype with 11 conventional control surfaces, as well as 14 banks fed by eight air channels.[5]
Facilities
[edit]Aurora has four facilities that each have their own focus. Corporate Headquarters and Engineering are in Manassas, Virginia. A manufacturing center was opened in Fairmont, West Virginia, in 1994, being moved to Bridgeport, West Virginia, in 2000. Another manufacturing facility was opened in Starkville, Mississippi, in 2005 before being moved to the nearby Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, in 2007. A research and development center was opened in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2005 where Aurora now develops a line of micro air vehicles.
Aircraft
[edit]- Perseus POC
- Perseus A
- Theseus
- Perseus B
- Chiron
- MarsFlyer[6]
- GoldenEye 100
- GoldenEye 50[7]
- GoldenEye 80[8]
- Excalibur[9]
- Centaur Optionally-Piloted Aircraft (OPA)
- Orion
- SunLight Eagle
- Odysseus
- Skate SUAS
- Tactical Autonomous Aerial Logistics System (TALOS)
Proposed
[edit]- Aurora D8 for NASA by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - currently under development. A flight test will be conducted by 2021.[10]
- Virgin Galactic generation 2 mothership, for the next-generation Delta-class spaceplane, expected for 2025.[11]
- Liberty Lifter
Cancelled
[edit]- United States Air Force Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA) - lost out to Lockheed Martin X-55.[citation needed]
- The Aurora XV-24 LightningStrike was the selected proposal for the VTOL X-Plane program, cancelled in April 2018.
Other products
[edit]- Robotic Copilot[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation". Sbir. Retrieved 2 April 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Graham Warwick (14 November 2018). "This Is Aurora's Massive Solar-Powered Stratospheric Unmanned Aircraft". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
- ^ Alwyn Scott (5 October 2017). "Boeing to buy autonomous and electric flight firm Aurora". Reuters.
- ^ Stephen Trimble (25 April 2018). "DARPA approval clears Boeing's transition to new air taxi approach". Flightglobal.
- ^ Blain, Loz (20 January 2023). "Active flow control X-Plane uses virtual control surfaces made from air". New Atlas. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
- ^ "ARES Mars Scout Mission Proposal - Platform". Marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "[1][permanent dead link ]GoldenEye 50 Gets Airworthiness Certificate", Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, June 19, 2007. Retrieved on August 25, 2009.
- ^ "Morris, Jefferson: GoldenEye 80 UAV Gearing Up For Second Flight Archived 22 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine", AviationWeek.com, December 7, 2006. Retrieved on August 25, 2009.
- ^ Hovering Hybrid, page 36. Aviation Week & Space Technology, July 20, 2009.
- ^ Graham Warwick (18 January 2017). "Aurora Refines Design Of Ultraefficient D8 Airliner". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
- ^ Natalie Clarkson (7 July 2022). "Virgin Galactic announces Boeing's Aurora will build new motherships". Virgin Galactic. Virgin Group.
- ^ https://www.aurora.aero/robotic_copilot/ Robotic Copilot