66 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/MARCH 30-APRIL 12, 2015 AviationWeek.com/awstI
n November 2014, the European Space Agency (ESA) cap-
tured the world’s attention, dropping a robotic lander onto
the surface of a comet hurtling through space.
The feat, which earned ESA’s Rosetta a 2015 Laureate for
Space, will be one of a series of historic
firsts in space exploration. As well as de-
ploying the robotic probe Philae, Rosetta
is the first spacecraft to circle a comet’s
nucleus and to fly alongside a comet to-
ward the Sun, witnessing how the object
changes with the temperature.
Actually landing on the comet 67P/
Churyumov-Gerasimenko was a saga. The
mission launched in 2004, and Rosetta
spent several years exploring the inner
Solar System. It flew by Earth, headed to
Mars, and visited several asteroids. From
May 2011-January 2014, the spacecraft
entered a deep space hibernation, only to
wake in early 2014 and hunt for its desti-
nation by August: the comet. On Nov. 12,
Rosetta deployed its Philae lander, soon
reporting that it had arrived on the com-
et’s dusty surface. The lander—named for an island on the Nile
on which an inscribed obelisk was found that helped decode
the Rosetta Stone’s hieroglyphics—is equipped with 10 scien-tific instruments. Soon after the landing, Philae bounced into
a shaded part of the comet. Without sunlight, the lander lost
power and was put into hibernation mode. As the comet nears
the Sun, there is a possibility the lander can be reawakened.
So far, Rosetta’s Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Re-
mote Imaging System (Osiris) scientific camera has imaged
70% of the surface, and scientists have identified 19 regions of
the comet. Types of terrain encountered include some covered
with dust; some with brittle materials with
pits and circular structures; large-scale
depressions, some smooth; and others
similar to rocks. Ice may also be present.
Using a combination of instruments, ESA
has learned that the comet emits four
times as much dust as gas, although that is
expected to change as the it nears the Sun.
Rosetta’s achievement was one of
many notable space accomplishments
in 2014. The Laureates awards ceremony
recognized three other nominees: India’s
Space Research Organization, for insert-
ing its Mangalyaan orbiter into Martian
orbit on its first attempt for just $74 mil-
lion; the European Commission, for its
launch of the Sentinel 1A Copernicus en-
vironmental monitoring mission; and Jef
Manber, CEO of NanoRacks, for tapping
the commercial potential of space by finding ways to house
scientific experiments on the outside of the International
Space Station. cLAUREATES 2015Space
Business & General Aviation
CHRIS ZIMMER PHOTOSHistoric Landing
Remanufacturing
A Winner
Antonella Nota (right), associate
director of ESA’s Space Telescope
Science Institute, accepts the
2015 Space Laureate from Aviation
Week Managing Editor for Defense
and Space Jen DiMascio.Nextant Aerospace President/CEO
Sean McGeough (far left) accepted the
2015 Business Aviation Laureate on behalf
of his team from Aviation Week Wichita
Bureau Chief Molly McMillan (far right).N
extant Aerospace, founded in 2007 by aviation entrepre-
neur Kenn Ricci, was selected as Aviation Week’s 2015 win-
ner of the Laureate for Business Avia-
tion, which recognizes preeminence in
business aviation achievement.
A Directional Aviation Capital
company, Nextant was lauded for
bringing new technology to business
aviation at less cost as a remanufac-
turer of business aircraft, a new con-
cept for the community.
The Cleveland-based remanufac-
turer first transformed the Beechjet
and Hawker 400 into the much-im-
proved, reengined Nextant 400XTi,
which sells for about half the price of
comparable aircraft. It has enjoyed
significant sales in every major oper-
ator category. More than 50 Nextant
XTi jets are operating in 11 countries.
And in 2014, Ricci’s company
moved into turboprops, upgrading the King Air 90 into the
Nextant G90XT. This year, the aircraft completed its first
flight, and flight testing has begun; certification is expected
to follow soon.Nextant President and CEO Sean McGeough accepted the
award along with other Nextant team members.
“[The award is] a tribute in which all our employees and
supply-chain partners can take well-earned pride,” McGeough
said. “Inspired by Kenn Ricci’s vision, we’ve worked hard to
pioneer the technical and commercial success of business
aircraft remanufacturing, and it is fantastic that our achieve-
ments are recognized by our colleagues in the industry.”
A strong field of finalists vied for
the award.
Texas financier Robert Bass was
chosen as a contender for his con-
tinued financial backing of eforts by
Aerion to develop a supersonic busi-
ness jet. After a decade of research
and design refinement, the program
received a big boost in 2014 when
Airbus signed on to bring Aerion into
flying reality.
Brazil-based Embraer, which con-
tinues to expand its business aviation
line, was nominated for its 2014 cer-
tification of the Legacy 500—its first
purpose-built, fly-by-wire medium jet
designed for corporate travel.
And Pilatus Aircraft CEO Oscar
Schwenk was tapped for the intro-
duction of the PC-24, its first civilian jet, which will mirror the
rough-field, wide-hauling capability of its successful PC-12.
Pilatus, admired for creating exquisitely engineered aircraft,
introduced the first PC-12 last year. c