AWST reveals selection criteria for CCtCap

The aerospace magazine Aviation Week and Space Technology (AWST) reports that an internal document by William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s Associate Administrator, sheds light to the selection criteria that NASA used to award to Boeing and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) contracts on Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), in order to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as of 2017. The main criteria were the maturity of concepts proposed and the degree of risk to schedule.

Independent Enquiry Board announces causes for failed Galileo Launch

Last week, the Independent Inquiry Board (“the Board”), entrusted with the task to examine the exact causes that led to the orbital injection anomaly of Galileo satellites 5 and 6 on August 22, announced its definite conclusions. The Board reported that the anomaly occurred during the flight of the launcher’s fourth stage, the Fregat. Its main cause was a deficiency in the system thermal analysis performed during the design stage.

FAA and UAS: Recent developments

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it has granted regulatory exemptions to six aerial photo and video production companies to use Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the US National Aerospace System (NAS). In a parallel development, the FAA has been reported to have issued an email to the industry requiring all commercial UAS to bear an aircraft registration number when applying for a regulatory exemption.

EASA permits use of PEDs throughout the flight

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) announced that it permits the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs), such as laptops, palmtops, cell phones etc. on board the aircraft throughout the flight, provided that the aircraft have been certified as ‘PED tolerant’.

NASA Office of Inspector General publishes report on extension of ISS operations

Shortly after NASA’s awards to Boeing and SpaceX concerning the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) program, the NASA Office of Inspector General (IG) published an audit report on the extension of the ISS operations through 2024. The report assessed NASA’s (1) progress in certifying the Station’s structure and hardware for a longer lifespan, (2) cost and schedule estimates associated with the extension, (3) efforts to increase utilization of the Station for exploration and other scientific research (4) several of the contracts associated with the Station, including the Boeing ISS Vehicle Sustaining Engineering Contract (Boeing Contract).

Airline ancillary fees: CJEU rules on legality of baggage fees

The CJEU has delivered its judgment on the case C-487/12 on the legality of additional charges for checked and unchecked baggage under EU law. The Court found that such charges are permitted for checked baggage, but not allowed for hand luggage. 

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004: CJEU defines ‘arrival time’

The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) delivered today its judgment on the case C-452/13 Germanwings, in which it defines the notion of ‘arrival time’ in the framework of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on passenger rights as the time ‘at which at least one of the doors of the aircraft is opened, the assumption being that, at that moment, the passengers are permitted to leave the aircraft’.