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ACRA Control is proud to support Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) as they work to become the first commercial company. In the coming months, SpaceX will launch its Dragon spacecraft aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from their Cape Canaveral launch site. Dragon is expected to berth with the ISS a few days later, where astronauts will open the hatch and enter the spacecraft to retrieve cargo.
This will be another historic space first for SpaceX. In December of last year SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to successful launch and safely return a spacecraft from orbit. Next year, SpaceX will start regular resupply missions to the International Space Station (ISS) following the retirement of the Space Shuttle.
ACRA CONTROL was involved in testing DragonEye, the ISS automatic docking system for the Dragon spacecraft, on two shuttle missions, STS-127 (Endeavour) in July 2009 and STS-133 (Discovery) in February 2011. These missions lasted for more than 12 days each during which the onboard KAM-500 was travelling at 17,580 Miles/hr as it covered over 5.3 million miles in a vacuum while exposed to radiation. The KAM-500 recorded the LIDAR 3D and thermal imaging video of the docking/undocking procedure with the ISS. This data was used to verify approach sensor selection and performance before the Dragon flights.
The historic December 2010 mission was the first time an ACRA CONTROL data acquisition unit (DAU) was used in a low-Earth orbit application. After completing nearly two orbits of the Earth and a successful returning to Earth, Dragon was recovered from the Pacific Ocean. On board was an ACRA CONTROL KAM-500 data acquisition system which successfully acquired and recorded comprehensive data from the flight on an integrated removable CompactFlash® memory module. ACRA CONTROL provided SpaceX with proven off the shelf hardware.
ACRA CONTROL has over two decades of experience in the aerospace data acquisition business. Its unique technology platform and engineering expertise is being leveraged to provide commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions for low earth orbit (LEO) space applications in space vehicle monitoring and microgravity payload data acquisition. The company’s networked, open platform, data acquisition products have exceptional channel density with an extremely rugged construction. A 21st century all digital design ensures clean and accurate 16-bit results from a modular, scalable system that can be easily extended to meet new application needs with plug-in modules. These qualities make the low cost system ideal for LEO. ACRA CONTROL’s space customers include NASA, ULA, SpaceX, Scaled Composites and ESA.
About ACRA Control
ACRA Control (acracontrol.com) is a world leading supplier of airborne data acquisition networks and recording systems and real-time data processing ground stations to the aerospace industry. ACRA CONTROL’s customers include all of the major aerospace prime contractors with products supplied to over 300 platforms in 40 countries worldwide. ACRA CONTROL is a Curtiss-Wright Company and part of Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc.
About Curtiss-Wright Motion Control Segment
Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc. (cwcontrols.com), headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the Motion Control business segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. This business segment designs and manufactures complex motion control components, systems and subsystems for very specialized defense, commercial aerospace and general industrial applications.
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (curtisswright.com) is an innovative engineering company that provides highly engineered, critical function products, systems and services in the areas of flow control, motion control and metal treatment to the defense, energy and commercial/industrial markets. The legacy company of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of design and manufacturing innovation along with long-standing customer relationships. The company employs approximately 8,400 people worldwide.
This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on management's beliefs and assumptions. Such statements, including statements relating to expectations for the continued relationship with the existing customer, are considered forward-looking statements under the federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: a reduction in anticipated orders; an economic downturn; changes in competitive marketplace and/or customer requirements; a change in US and Foreign government spending; an inability to perform customer contracts at anticipated cost levels; and other factors that generally affect the business of aerospace, defense contracting, marine, electronics and industrial companies. Please refer to the Company's current SEC filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for further information.
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milson[.]acracontrol.com 
