Aurora Flight Sciences
Encyclopedia
Aurora Flight Sciences specializes in the design and construction of unmanned aircraft. Aurora has been established for 20+ years and their headquarters is at the Manassas Airport in Manassas, VA.
, Virginia
, in 1989 as a follow on to the MIT Daedalus Project
. The first aircraft was the Perseus proof of concept (POC) built for NASA
which first flew in 1991 at NASA Dryden. It was followed by two Perseus As and one Perseus B which were all built for NASA's ERAST program. A twin engine Theseus was also built.
In 1995 Aurora joined the Global Hawk team and continues to build composite fuselage components and tail assemblies of the RQ-4 for Northrop Grumman
and the United States Air Force.
Aurora has been involved in several NASA programs studying how to fly an aircraft on the planet Mars. A demonstration aircraft was flown in 2002 from an altitude of 100,000' to simulate the low density of the martian atmosphere.
Aurora has developed its own line of small vertical take-off UAVs known as GoldenEye
. The third variant of this family, the GoldenEye
-80, was first flown publicly at AUVSI's
2009 Unmanned Systems North America trade show.
Aurora has four facilities that each have their own focus. Corporate Headquarters and Engineering are in Manassas, VA. A manufacturing center was opened in Fairmont, WV in 1994. It was moved to Bridgeport, WV
in 2000. Another manufacturing facility was opened in Starkville, MS in 2005. In 2007 it was moved to the nearby Golden Triangle Regional Airport
in Columbus, MS. A research and development center was opened in Cambridge, MA in 2005 where Aurora now develops a line of micro air vehicles
.
In August 2010, Aurora announced that its Orion UAV would start flight tests before the end of 2010; the Orion would offer "extreme persistence".
History
The company was founded in AlexandriaAlexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, in 1989 as a follow on to the MIT Daedalus Project
MIT Daedalus
The MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department's Daedalus was a human-powered aircraft that, on 23 April 1988, flew a distance of 71.5 mi in 3 hours, 54 minutes, from Iraklion on the island of Crete to the island of Santorini...
. The first aircraft was the Perseus proof of concept (POC) built for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
which first flew in 1991 at NASA Dryden. It was followed by two Perseus As and one Perseus B which were all built for NASA's ERAST program. A twin engine Theseus was also built.
In 1995 Aurora joined the Global Hawk team and continues to build composite fuselage components and tail assemblies of the RQ-4 for Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
and the United States Air Force.
Aurora has been involved in several NASA programs studying how to fly an aircraft on the planet Mars. A demonstration aircraft was flown in 2002 from an altitude of 100,000' to simulate the low density of the martian atmosphere.
Aurora has developed its own line of small vertical take-off UAVs known as GoldenEye
Aurora Goldeneye
|-References:This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain....
. The third variant of this family, the GoldenEye
Aurora Goldeneye
|-References:This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain....
-80, was first flown publicly at AUVSI's
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, also known as AUVSI, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the technology of unmanned vehicles.- History :...
2009 Unmanned Systems North America trade show.
Aurora has four facilities that each have their own focus. Corporate Headquarters and Engineering are in Manassas, VA. A manufacturing center was opened in Fairmont, WV in 1994. It was moved to Bridgeport, WV
Bridgeport, West Virginia
Bridgeport is a city in Harrison County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 7,306 at the 2000 census.The town of Bridgeport had its beginning in pre-Revolutionary War times. In 1764, John Simpson entered the area and gave his name to Simpson Creek. Bridgeport was chartered in 1816....
in 2000. Another manufacturing facility was opened in Starkville, MS in 2005. In 2007 it was moved to the nearby Golden Triangle Regional Airport
Golden Triangle Regional Airport
Golden Triangle Regional Airport is a public airport midway between the towns of Columbus, Starkville, and West Point, Mississippi, and serving the area known as the Golden Triangle and the surrounding region of Mississippi...
in Columbus, MS. A research and development center was opened in Cambridge, MA in 2005 where Aurora now develops a line of micro air vehicles
Micro air vehicle
A micro air vehicle , or micro aerial vehicle , is a class of unmanned aerial vehicles that has a size restriction and may be autonomous. Modern craft can be as small as 15 centimetres...
.
In August 2010, Aurora announced that its Orion UAV would start flight tests before the end of 2010; the Orion would offer "extreme persistence".
Aircraft Produced
- Perseus POC
- Perseus A
- Theseus
- Perseus B
- Chiron
- MarsFlyer
- GoldenEyeAurora Goldeneye|-References:This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain....
100 - GoldenEyeAurora Goldeneye|-References:This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain....
50 - GoldenEyeAurora Goldeneye|-References:This article contains material that originally came from the web article by Greg Goebel, which exists in the Public Domain....
80 - ExcaliburExcalibur unmanned aerial vehicleThe Excalibur is an unmanned aerial vehicle made by Aurora Flight Sciences and is capable of vertical takeoff and landing . A smaller scale model with a 13 foot wingspan was successfully tested on June 24, 2009. A full scale version will be capable of carrying four AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and...
- Orion
- SunLight EagleMIT DaedalusThe MIT Aeronautics and Astronautics Department's Daedalus was a human-powered aircraft that, on 23 April 1988, flew a distance of 71.5 mi in 3 hours, 54 minutes, from Iraklion on the island of Crete to the island of Santorini...
- Odysseus
Parts Supplied
- Fuselage, empennage, and nacelle structures for the Global Hawk to Northrup Grumman for USAF
- Main rotor pylon for the CH-53K to Sikorsky for USMC
- Sonobouy launcher for the MH-60R to Sikorsky for the USN
- Air-stair door for the S-92 to Sikorsky