Cardington Chronicles No 15 Jan 16 | Page 10

Work has also been ongoing to prepare the Mission Module, Cargo Beam and Fuel Module for operations in a civilian configuration. The work has largely been undertaken by the UK company ‘Advanced Composites’ who originally built them. All three sections have been demilitarised with defence equipment being removed. Over 500 lbs of wiring alone has been removed. The Payload Beam can now accept a wide range of modules equipped to carry everything from passengers to cargo. The fins, which had to be cut for shipment have also been reassembled and recovered and are ready for reattachment to the envelope as of mid February, 2016. As we close for press, the focus of the team has been attaching the remaining items of hardware such as engines and fins. To achieve this the HAV team has been working hard which includes both an evening shift and weekends.