Today's Aerospace Pulse
Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffers catastrophic engine failure during static fire
A BE‑4 methane/LOX engine on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket failed four seconds after ignition, causing a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the first‑stage booster and damaged Launch Complex 36A. No personnel were injured. An FAA‑led investigation, supported by the U.S. Space Force, is under way.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Carissa Christensen, BryceTech
Nearly 2,800 smallsats—97% of all 2024 launches—highlight the sector’s explosive growth. BryceTech’s latest report shows $1.4 billion poured into Series A rounds for 69 startups, the strongest first‑round funding since 2021. Founder Carissa Christensen, a veteran entrepreneur and space policy adviser, will share these insights at SmallSat Europe’s panel on the 2026 European market outlook. The discussion will compare Europe’s modest launch share and venture backing with the U.S. and China, probing whether the continent can accelerate its smallsat maturation.
NASA Artemis II Photo Captures Moon Eclipse of Sun — 'Absolutely Stunning'
NASA’s Artemis II mission captured a striking image of the Moon eclipsing the Sun during its six‑hour lunar flyby, a moment NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called “absolutely stunning.” The crew also broke Apollo 13’s 56‑year‑old record for the farthest distance traveled by...
Cisco Eyes Space Data Centers, but Still Distant
Cisco execs are discussing what they need to send data centers to space, but we're a long way off that just yet. https://t.co/UJrFSlqnuK
New Visual Backdrops Reveal Unbuilt Soviet Lunar Dreams
This week, I got so many new backgrounds for my visualizations of unrealized Soviet and Russian lunar exploration projects:
Advocates Ready For NASA Science Funding Fight, Part II
NASA faces a proposed $18.8 billion FY26 budget that slashes its science portfolio to $3.89 billion, a $3.4 billion reduction that would eliminate more than 40 missions, including the Mars Sample Return. The cut leaves only modest funding for flagship projects such as...
GAO Details Why KBR Lost $1.8B NASA Spaceflight Contract
The Government Accountability Office upheld NASA’s decision to award the $1.8 billion COSMOS contract to the Ascend Aerospace‑Technology joint venture, ending KBR’s protests. GAO found Ascend’s small‑business status satisfied solicitation requirements and that NASA’s removal of the word “greatly” was a...
Video: Semicircular Wings Give Cyclone VTOL a Different Kind of Lift
HopFlyt has unveiled the Cyclone, a hybrid VTOL drone that employs a revived 1920s channel‑wing concept with pivoting semi‑circular wings. The design directs propeller‑generated airflow through a half‑circle channel, delivering lift at lower speeds and cutting take‑off power by roughly...
Astronauts Suggest Naming a Moon Crater 'Carroll' After Their Commander's Late Wife
Artemis II astronauts broke the record for the farthest human distance from Earth and became the first crew to see the Moon’s far side. During the historic lunar flyby they identified two unnamed craters and proposed naming them “Integrity” and “Carroll,”...
Joby and Air Space Intelligence Team up to Manage US Electric Air Taxi Skies
Joby Aviation and Air Space Intelligence (ASI) have partnered to embed ASI’s Flyways AI platform into U.S. electric air‑taxi operations, aiming to model and manage high‑density eVTOL traffic before commercial service begins later this year. The collaboration leverages ASI’s 4‑D...
Starlink and the Monopoly Trap: Is Commercial Broadband From Space Already a Closed Market?
Starlink now operates over 6,000 low‑Earth‑orbit satellites, serving roughly 4‑5 million users and generating more than $6 billion in annual revenue. Its vertical integration, in‑house launch capability, and early spectrum filings create a structural moat that rivals such as OneWeb, Amazon’s Project...
Airline CEOs Are Under Fire – and Walking Away
Airline chief executives are departing at an unprecedented pace, with recent exits at Air India, IndiGo, Air Canada and flyadeal highlighting mounting pressures. CEOs now grapple with operational crises, heightened regulatory scrutiny and intense public scrutiny, often compounded by personal...
ACES II Seat Saves Nine Lives
ACES II ejection seat is what? 9 for 9 in this conflict? Everyone literally walked away. Pretty incredible. https://t.co/awxkVXJnIn
ADG 4/7: Two Way Player
Delta Air Lines announced higher baggage fees—$45 for the first bag, $55 for the second and $200 for a third—citing a surge in jet‑fuel costs that have more than doubled since the start of 2026. Global jet fuel averaged $209...
Airlines Say Demand Is Still Strong. Is That Enough to Offset Billions in Added Fuel Costs?
Airlines are confronting a sharp rise in jet fuel costs after the Iran war pushed U.S. fuel prices to $4.69 per gallon, more than double recent levels. While passenger demand remains robust, carriers such as Delta, United and JetBlue have...
Chinese Airlines Ban Cheap Lithium Power Banks on Flights
Having a whole bunch of cheap Chinese no name lithium power banks on planes is one of my biggest worries when traveling. Airlines in China have begun banning them completely, even in carry-ons. https://t.co/DSi33tN31U
NASA to Host Media Call with Artemis II Crew on Way Home From Moon
NASA will host a 20‑minute virtual media call on April 8 at 9:45 p.m. EDT with the Artemis II crew as they travel back toward Earth. The conference, streamed on NASA’s YouTube channel, requires on‑site journalists to RSVP by 1 p.m. that day. Artemis II,...
GA-ASI YFQ-42A CCA Prototype Crashes During California Test Flight
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA‑ASI) reported that its YFQ‑42A Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype crashed shortly after takeoff on April 6, 2026, at a company‑owned airport in the California desert. The incident marks the first known flight mishap for the U.S....
TerraSpark, Dcubed to Test Space Solar on 2027 SpaceX Mission
TerraSpark, Dcubed to test space solar on SpaceX 2027 mission #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/7bJQOviMER
US Space Force Launches STP‑S29A on Minotaur IV
LAUNCH of the US Space Force STP-S29A mission on a Minotaur IV from Vandenberg at 1133 UTC Apr 7
Solar Eclipse From the Far Side of the Moon
Artemis II’s crew captured a rare solar eclipse from the Moon’s far side on 6 April 2026, producing a 54‑minute totality image that shows the Sun’s corona encircling a dark lunar disc. The photograph, taken during the mission’s high‑speed lunar flyby, demonstrates Orion’s...
Israel Approves Major Expansion of Arrow Interceptor Production
Israel’s Ministry of Defence secured approval to dramatically accelerate production of Arrow interceptor missiles, boosting both output rates and stockpiles. The initiative, driven by Defence Minister Israel Katz and Director General Amir Baram, expands manufacturing across IAI, ELTA, Elbit, Rafael...
The Space Economy Is Scaling – and Ground Segments Are Racing to Support
The commercial space economy is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035, with operational satellites potentially climbing to 100,000 by 2030. Growth is fueled by high‑volume LEO constellations and a shift toward real‑time earth‑intelligence services. Ground‑segment‑as‑a‑service (GSaaS) providers such as SSC...
Boeing Delivers Latest Viasat Bird
Boeing has handed over the Viasat-3 F3 satellite, a 6‑metric‑ton bird built on an enhanced 702MP+ platform, to satellite operator Viasat. The satellite, slated for a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch from Cape Canaveral, will join F1 and F2 in geosynchronous...
Delta CEO Bastian Says AI Will Reshape Air‑traffic Control, Not Cabins
Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian told Fortune that artificial‑intelligence upgrades to air‑traffic control will deliver the biggest gains for airlines, eclipsing in‑flight AI tools. He warned that modernizing the outdated FAA system could cut delays and improve safety,...
Jet Fuel Supply Concerns Grow as War with Iran Drags on, Airlines Cut Flights
Jet fuel prices in the United States have nearly doubled since late February, driven by the U.S.-Israel attack on Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The spike is forcing major carriers such as Lufthansa, United and...
Trump Hails Artemis II Lunar Flyby as New Human Distance Record
President Donald Trump congratulated the Artemis II crew for completing a seven‑hour lunar flyby that set a new record for the farthest distance humans have traveled from Earth. The mission, NASA’s first crewed flight beyond low‑Earth orbit since Apollo, marked a...
GKN Aerospace Delivers First Upgraded Gripen C/D Engine to Sweden
GKN Aerospace handed over the first upgraded RM12EP engine to Sweden on 24 March, marking a milestone in the Gripen C/D Enhanced Performance programme. The SEK 400 million (≈ $40 million) contract upgrades the GE‑derived RM12 with stronger turbine components and new digital control software,...
Amazon in Talks to Acquire Globalstar for $8.8 B, Targeting LEO Edge Network
Amazon is reportedly negotiating an $8.8 billion acquisition of satellite‑communications firm Globalstar. The deal would add Globalstar’s 48‑satellite constellation to Amazon’s Project Kuiper, expanding AWS’s edge‑computing and IoT capabilities for B2B customers.
Southwest Restricts Travelers to One Power Bank per Flight
News: @SouthwestAir to limit passengers to one portable charger, or power bank during flights and require them to keep them under seats or with them https://t.co/1U26AHRvcT
Airlines Cut Flights and Hike Fares as Fuel Prices Surge
Airlines worldwide are slashing routes and raising ticket prices as jet‑fuel costs soar to a record $1,838 per tonne (about $1,761 USD) after the US‑Israeli‑Iran conflict disrupted Middle‑Eastern supplies. The price, more than double the pre‑war $831 level, threatens to...
The Artemis II Crew Dedicate a Moon Crater to the Late Wife of Their NASA Commander
During the historic Artemis II lunar flyby, the crew named a newly identified crater after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll Wiseman. The "Carroll Crater" sits on the boundary between the Moon’s near and far sides and can occasionally be seen...
Pilots’ Group Warns of Conflict-Zone Strain
The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) warns that prolonged conflict‑zone flying should not become routine, highlighting persistent operational complexity and safety risks. European regulators echo concerns as narrowing Middle‑East corridors concentrate traffic, raising the likelihood of incidents....
NASA Chief Showcases Soviet Voskhod‑2 Inflatable Airlock
NASA administrator's photo-tour of a space museum starts with an exhibit of the Soviet Voskhod-2 spacecraft featuring inflatable airlock (not a cosmonaut-shooting gun): https://t.co/UyIwE1iyL1
Northrop Grumman’s Minotaur-4 Rocket Launches Three Payloads for War Department
Northrop Grumman successfully launched its Minotaur-4 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, delivering three experimental payloads for the Navy’s Naval Research Laboratory. The payloads—LARADO, GOSAS, and GARI-1C—focus on space‑debris tracking, advanced GPS‑type navigation for military use, and gamma‑ray detection for...
Space Dominance Unlocks Rapid, Pilot‑free Kinetic Strikes
Now people are finally getting it. Space dominance = asymmetric defensive and offensive weapons systems (golden dome and rods from god) Ex: simultaneous kinetic bombardment with 7 minute ETAs, no risk of downed aircraft or pilots.
EdgeRunner Wins U.S. Space Force Contract for AI Agents
EdgeRunner AI has been awarded a firm‑fixed price contract by the U.S. Space Force to deliver domain‑specific artificial‑intelligence agents for Guardians. Over the next six months the startup will deploy its on‑device platform into the Space Force’s IL‑5 classified environment,...
The Next Decade in Space: Global Exploration Missions From 2026 to 2036
The 2026‑2036 decade will see a surge of space missions across the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the outer planets, driven by NASA, ESA, CNSA, ISRO, JAXA and an expanding commercial sector. NASA’s Artemis IV targets the first crewed lunar...
Qatar Airways Grounds Its Entire Airbus A380 Superjumbo Fleet… Where Are They Now?
Qatar Airways has grounded its eight operational Airbus A380 superjumbos until at least June, with none having flown since early April. The decision stems from heightened security risks tied to the Iran‑Israel conflict, prompting the carrier to pause its largest...
Has Artemis II Shown We Can Land on the Moon Again?
NASA’s Artemis II crewed test flight demonstrated that the Space Launch System delivered its full 8.8 million‑pound thrust and that Orion’s translunar‑injection burn was flawless, eliminating the need for planned mid‑course corrections. The mission revealed typical human‑factor hiccups—toilet, water‑dispenser, and helium system...
Are Musk and Bezos Turning the Sky Into a Landfill?
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin have jointly filed to launch roughly 1.1 million satellites, dwarfing today’s constellations and aiming to create orbital AI data centers. A recent German‑British study detected a ten‑fold lithium spike 60 miles up after a...
NASA’s Space Reactor-1 Freedom: America’s First Nuclear-Powered Mission to Mars
NASA announced Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, a nuclear‑electric spacecraft slated for a December 2028 launch to Mars, marking the United States’ first deep‑space mission powered by a fission reactor. The vehicle repurposes the Lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element, pairing a >20 kW...
Firefly Signs Deal with Modular Sea Launch Startup Seagate
Seagate Space Corporation and Firefly Aerospace have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop a modular offshore launch platform for Firefly’s Alpha rocket. The platform, based on Seagate’s Gateway Series, is designed to provide a purpose‑built sea‑based spaceport capable...
Panasonic Avionics Furthers IFEC Integration in the Cabin Amid Astrova Milestones
Panasonic Avionics closed 2025 with its Astrova inflight entertainment system reaching 100 airline programs across 30 carriers, highlighted by wins with Emirates and flydubai in the Middle East. The company also rolled out its Converix open‑application platform and the Arc™...
MGI Engineering Completes First Flights of TigerShark Strike Platform
MGI Engineering announced the TigerShark, an autonomous deep‑strike UAV, completed its first flight on April 1, marking the first European system of this class tested in over a decade. The subsonic, one‑way platform can carry a 300 kg payload, has a cruise...
Astroscale Plans World-First Multi-Orbit Satellite Inspection Mission
Astroscale Japan announced the ISSA‑J1 mission, the first multi‑orbit satellite inspection to demonstrate a single servicer spacecraft navigating between distinct orbits and approaching non‑cooperative targets. The mission will inspect Japan’s retired ALOS satellite and the failed ADEOS‑II, capturing high‑resolution imagery...
Ed Buckbee
Ed Buckbee, the inaugural director of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, died at age 89. He assembled the world’s largest space and rocket exhibition and launched the iconic U.S. Space Camp and Aviation Challenge programs. His initiatives sparked the...
Artemis II Sets New Human Distance Record During Lunar Flyby
NASA’s Artemis II mission completed a historic lunar flyby, sending four astronauts farther from Earth than any humans before them. The crew reached roughly 260,000 miles (about 418,000 km) from the planet, eclipsing the Apollo 13 record set in 1970. The flight marked the...
Aeroprime Group Grows Cargo Talent
Aeroprime Group announced the appointment of Bhavana Khera as Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Customer Success for its cargo division. Khera brings extensive B2B marketing, brand management, and customer‑engagement experience from firms like CargoFlash, Shine.com, and Huawei. In her...
Artemis II Photos
NASA has added a new Flickr album featuring photos from the Artemis II mission, the first crewed test flight of Orion and the Space Launch System. The collection includes “Earthset,” a visual homage to Apollo 8’s Earthrise, and a striking image of...
China’s CZ‑8 Lifts Qian
LAUNCH at 1332 UTC Apr 7 of a Chang Zheng 8 from Hainan with batch 7 of the commercial Qianfan internet satellite system - the first Qianfan launch since Oct 2025