Boeing Stacks Two Satellites to Launch all-electric propulsion satellites as a Pair

Boeing has successfully mated two 702SP (small platform) satellites in a stacked configuration in preparation for the first-ever conjoined satellite launch. 

The milestone is a significant step towards the early 2015 launch of the satellites ABS-3A and Eutelsat 115 West B, the first-ever all-electric propulsion satellites scheduled to enter service.

The 702SP, designed by Boeing Network & Space Systems satellite businesses and Phantom Works, features an all-electric propulsion system and a joint configuration for a dual-manifest launch. 

By eliminating chemical propulsion and using only electric propulsion, the 702SP platform offers a significant mass advantage that translates to increased revenue-generating payload performance and launch vehicle savings to customers.

Photo credit: Boeing

NASA's Langley Research Center Testing electric propulsion

On Aug. 19, National Aviation Day, a lot of people are reflecting on how far aviation has come in the last century. 

Could this be the future – a plane with many electric motors that can hover like a helicopter and fly like a plane, and that could revolutionize air travel?

Engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., are studying the concept with models such as the unmanned aerial system GL-10 Greased Lightning. 

Greased Lightning GL-10 electric prototype remote control plane. Left to right Zack Johns, William Fredericks and David North prepare the GL10 for a second tethered flight.

The GL-10, which has a 10-foot wingspan, recently flew successfully while tethered. Free-flight tests are planned in the fall of 2014.

This research has helped lead to NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate efforts to better understand the potential of electric propulsion across all types, sizes and missions for aviation.

Image Credit: NASA Langley/David C. Bowman