Notables

R3D2 DARPA SATELLITE DEMONSTRATES ‘RAPID’ SPACECRAFT DEVELOPMENT.

Working together with several commercial spaceflight companies, Northrop Grumman successfully launched a small defense satellite for the U.S. government developed over a period of just 20 months.

According to Northrop Grumman, that is a record time for a satellite project to go from concept to launch, a process that usually takes several years.

The 331-pound (150-kilogram) Radio Frequency Risk Reduction Deployment Demonstration (R3D2) satellite, developed for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), was launched March 28, 2019, from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

DARPA is a Department of Defense (DOD) agency that develops new technologies for the U.S. military. R3D2 is a lightweight communications satellite that is smaller than the satellites currently used for defense missions and therefore more cost-effective. It launched atop a lightweight Electron rocket built by Rocket Lab.

Northrop Grumman said it was able to get R3D2 into orbit in such a short time because DARPA reduced the standard number of required project reviews and accepted a higher level of risk than usual.

“Our team’s success with the R3D2 program is a strong proof of concept that the rapid development of future space capabilities is possible,” said Northrop Grumman Vice President for resiliency and rapid prototyping Scott Stapp in a May 7, 2019, company statement. “We look forward to continuing to lead the cultural change necessary in the industry by partnering with the US government, commercial suppliers, and startups to deliver prototypes and demonstrations for critical national security missions.”

Stapp said taking “thoughtful risks” and eliminating bureaucracy allowed the Northrop Grumman team to streamline its processes to achieve the rapid schedule.

Other commercial suppliers on the team that developed R3D2 included Blue Canyon Technologies and Trident Systems. The former provided the satellite structure while the latter developed its software.

https://www.spaceflightinsider.com/organizations/northrop-grumman/r3d2-satellite-demonstrates-rapid-spacecraft-development/

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>>6466940

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Notables..

Proposal to spend 25 percent of EU budget on climate change!

Eight European countries have called for an ambitious strategy to tackle climate change – and to spend a quarter of the entire EU budget on fighting it.

The joint statement says the EU should have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 “at the latest”.

It was signed by France, Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.

The group says their plan can “go hand in hand with prosperity” and “set an example for other countries to follow.”

The position paper came ahead of the major summit of European leaders in the Romanian city of Sibiu, which will discuss the future of Europe and the EU’s strategy for the next five years.

But not everyone is on board – there are 28 countries in the EU, and several of those absent from the joint position statement are significant players – including Germany.

What does the paper say?

The position of the eight countries is that climate change has “profound implications for the future of humanity” and that its impacts are already apparent – citing “the heat waves and scorching fires of last summer”.

The group also say that their citizens are clearly concerned “as shown by the recent mobilisation of young people” – in an apparent reference to the wave of walk-outs and marches by schoolchildren across the continent.

“The EU budget currently under negotiation will be an important tool in this respect: at least 25% of the spending should go to projects aimed at fighting against climate change,” the paper said.

It also provides a dramatic dividing line in the elections for the European Parliament.

At the moment, EU countries are required to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from their 1990 levels by 2020, with the aim of raising that to a 40% reduction by 2030. But many are set to miss these targets – some by a wide margin.

Some of the eight countries behind the proposal have already made stronger commitments. French President Emmanuel Macron has made climate change a key issue for campaign speeches, while Sweden has already announced plans to become carbon neutral by 2045.

What about the other 20 countries?

Speaking at a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday, Mr Macron said the joint document was “ambitious” and that “we are in the middle of building a coalition on this”.

The goal of a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050 is not new – it was proposed by the European Commission, which is the starting point for European Union legislation, in November 2018.

The Commission’s plan was based around the Paris agreement targets of keeping global warming to “well below” a 2C increase, and “pursue efforts” to reach 1.5 degrees as a limit.

However, several countries oppose strengthening current commitments, which have proven difficult to stick to just two years after the Paris climate agreement was signed.

Political and economic giant Germany is among them, fearing that further action could damage its industry. Poland, which still relies on coal for power, is among the central European nations opposed to such plans.

The UK, meanwhile, will be represented at the summit – by the Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay. Prime Minister Theresa May is not expected to attend.

Joint statement link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48198646

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/05/proposal-to-spend-25-percent-of-eu-budget-on-climate-change/

>>6467031

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Notables

Secret U.S. Missile Aims to Kill Only Terrorists, Not Nearby Civilians.

SECRET U.S. MISSILE AIMS TO KILL ONLY TERRORISTS, NOT NEARBY CIVILIANS

WEAPON DOESN’T EXPLODE, BUT BRANDISHES KNIVES TO SHRED TARGET; IT WAS USED IN HIGH-PROFILE STRIKES IN 2017 AND THIS YEAR

By Gordon Lubold and Warren P. Strobel, Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2019:

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government has developed a specially designed, secret missile for pinpoint airstrikes that kill terrorist leaders with no explosion, drastically reducing damage and minimizing the chances of civilian casualties, multiple current and former U.S. officials said.

Both the Central Intelligence Agency and the Pentagon have used the weapon while closely guarding its existence. A modified version of the well-known Hellfire missile, the weapon carries an inert warhead. Instead of exploding, it is designed to plunge more than 100 pounds of metal through the tops of cars and buildings to kill its target without harming individuals and property close by.

To the targeted person, it is as if a speeding anvil fell from the sky, the officials said. But this variant of the Hellfire missile, designated as the R9X, also comes equipped with a different kind of payload: a halo of six long blades that are stowed inside and then deploy through the skin of the missile seconds before impact to ensure that it shreds anything in its tracks.

Details about the secret weapon and its deployment were confirmed by more than a dozen current and former U.S. officials. Its development and use haven’t been previously disclosed, though its existence has been the subject of speculation.

The R9X is known colloquially to the small community of individuals who are familiar with its use as “the flying Ginsu,” for the blades that can cut through buildings or car roofs and kill the target. The nickname is a reference to the popular knives sold on TV infomercials in the late 1970s and early 1980s that showed them cutting through both tree branches and tomatoes. The weapon has also been referred to as the Ninja bomb.

INERT, BUT LETHAL

THE U.S. HAS DEVELOPED A VARIANT OF THE HELLFIRE MISSILE THAT REPLACES AN EXPLOSIVE WARHEAD WITH A RING OF BLADES.

https://gellerreport.com/2019/05/new-missile-targets-only-terrrorists.html/

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