Intertek announced today the addition of a Supercharge Octane Test Engine in the Intertek Chicago Petroleum Laboratory. Intertek is the only international fuel testing and inspection company capable of providing this service in the Americas.

This fuel testing investment allows Intertek to deliver the full ASTM D-910 specification testing for Aviation Gasoline (Avgas) within the Intertek USA network of laboratories.

The new Supercharge engine in the USA complements Intertek’s existing engines in Europe, supporting the aviation industry from test facilities in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and West Thurrock, United Kingdom

The Intertek supercharged F-4 engine tests aviation fuel quality and measures a fuel’s “performance octane number” against the testing standard ASTM D-909. This is a crucial QC test for Aviation Gasoline (Avgas), testing fuel performance under severe conditions in higher-performance engines.

Avgas is a high-octane Aviation Fuel used to power small aircraft and some racing cars. It is produced to meet specifications such as ASTM D-910. The ASTM test D-909 determines the knock-limited power of fuel under supercharge rich-mixture conditions.

Neil Chapman, Laboratory Business Development VP for fuel services, said, “The addition of this fuel testing capability complements Intertek’s strategy for growth in testing expertise in the region, while expanding our capabilities globally.”

B/E Aerospace has announced that its vacuum waste systems have been selected by a number of major business jet manufacturers for next generation aircraft platforms. These programs are initially valued in excess of $150 million, with volume production commencing in 2011.

B/E Aerospace’s vacuum waste management systems were selected for the following new aircraft platforms, including: Bombardier Learjet 85, Dassault Falcon 7X, and Embraer Legacy 450 and Legacy 500.

The B/E Aerospace vacuum waste system incorporates a proprietary design which eliminates the primary failure cause in other vacuum waste systems. In addition, B/E Aerospace’s systems include advanced proprietary components and systems that significantly lower the overall cost of ownership, simplify maintenance and improve lavatory hygiene, all of which enhance the overall passenger experience. The cost of ownership savings is a direct result of weight savings and reliability improvements achieved by combining B/E Aerospace’s proprietary composite components into optimized integrated systems. The B/E Aerospace systems are configurable so these savings can be realized on both new aircraft and existing in-service aircraft. The design modularity provides for simplified, extremely fast maintenance, ease of removal that reduces service time by up to 60 percent and a reduction of airframe corrosion issues.

B/E Aerospace also announced that its vacuum waste management system has won the prestigious Crystal Cabin Award. The annual Crystal Cabin Award is sponsored by Aircraft Interiors International Magazine and the Aircraft Interiors Expo and recognizes excellence in aircraft interior products. This unique honor for outstanding cabin products and concepts is highly esteemed within the aircraft cabin interior industry. B/E Aerospace was presented the award at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, the world’s largest exhibition exclusively dedicated to airline cabin interior design and engineering.

“We are very pleased to have had our technologically advanced vacuum waste system validated by such premier business jet customers including, Bombardier Learjet, Dassault and Embraer. In addition, we are privileged to have been recognized by our industry for the celebrated Crystal Cabin Award. This award further validates the technological reliability and cost advantages of our vacuum waste management systems. The significantly improved reliability and lower cost of ownership of the B/E Aerospace systems were important factors in our launch customers’ decisions to award these programs to us. As we expand our supplier furnished equipment (SFE) business, we look forward to broadening our OEM direct partnerships with these and other aircraft manufacturers, and to introducing our new systems to our commercial aircraft OEM customers,” commented Amin J. Khoury, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of B/E Aerospace, Inc. “These awards are part of our strategic “OEM direct”, or SFE, focus to substantially increase our revenue content on new aircraft platforms. The value of the OEM direct awards which we have won currently totals over $2.3 billion, only a very small portion of which is included in the company’s current backlog. Our backlog of $2.8 billion along with the unbooked SFE awards is in excess of $5 billion. As we deliver our backlog, our installed base of $7.3 billion is expected to grow very substantially. This increase in our installed base should eventually drive a significant increase in the size of our spares business.”

SpaceX successfully completed a rigorous qualification of its new Draco spacecraft thruster and Draco propulsion tank at the SpaceX Test Facility in McGregor, Texas.

The Draco thruster test series included 42 firings with over 4,600 pulses of varying lengths and was performed in a vacuum test chamber to simulate the space environment. The series resulted in a total firing time of over 50 minutes on a single thruster.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, recently selected by NASA as part of their Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract to carry cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and return cargo to Earth, utilizes 18 Draco thrusters to provide precision control in orbit and while approaching the ISS.

“The Draco thrusters allow Dragon to maneuver in close proximity to the ISS in preparation for berthing or docking,” said Tom Mueller, VP Propulsion, SpaceX. “Maximum control during these procedures is critical for the safety of the station and its inhabitants.”

Draco thrusters generate approximately 90 pounds of thrust using storable propellants with long on-orbit lifetimes. The use of these propellants provides the option for a crew-carrying Dragon spacecraft to remain berthed at the ISS for up to a year.

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to make its first flight in 2009 as part of NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. Under COTS, SpaceX will demonstrate the Falcon 9 / Dragon system’s ability to approach, berth, and transport cargo to and from the ISS. Following the demonstration of these capabilities, SpaceX will fly twelve cargo flights to the ISS for NASA’s CRS contract.

Falcon 9, SpaceX’s medium lift rocket, is scheduled for its inaugural flight later this year from SpaceX’s launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.