NASA’s SOFIA Aircraft To Be Updated This Summer

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration agency (NASA) will be updating its Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft this coming summer.

Updates include an Inmarsat (a British satellite telecommunications company) communications technology. Also, NASA chose to install a custom AIRLINK conformal antenna system from the American spacecraft manufacturer, Ball Aerospace.

A modified version of Boeing 747 jumbo jet, SOFIA carries a 100-inch diameter reflecting telescope providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum, with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

The updates will all be installed in Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, California. Also, installing of antenna system will occur between August and September, therefore, the engineering design, equipment purchasing, and delivery will be accomplished prior to this window of opportunity.

See also: Terrestrial Backhaul