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
Japan Reveals Sweeping Military Space Buildup
Japan’s Ministry of Defense unveiled a sweeping space‑defense buildup, expanding the new Space Operations Group to 880 personnel and allocating roughly $1 billion for fiscal 2026. Defense spending in the space domain has jumped from about $497 million in 2022 to $3.4 billion in 2025, funding satellite constellations, laser ranging and AI‑driven ISR capabilities. The program targets hypersonic glide‑vehicle tracking, multi‑orbit observation and rapid launch services, while deepening interoperability with the United States through the newly formed U.S. Space Forces Japan. The initiative positions Japan as a major player in the contested space environment of the Indo‑Pacific.
UK F-35 Fleet Stretched by Combat Operations and Upgrade Delays
The UK has taken delivery of all 48 F‑35B jets ordered, but only 47 are operational after a lost aircraft, and daily mission‑capable numbers hover around ten. A surge of combat operations in the Middle East – dubbed Operation Luminous –...
12th Starship/Superheavy Test Delayed One Day to May 20, 2026
SpaceX announced that the 12th Starship/Superheavy orbital test flight has been pushed back by one day, now scheduled for May 20, 2026 with a launch window opening at 5:30 pm Central. The company gave no official reason, though short delays often stem from...
What Military Space Systems Would Canada Need for True Sovereign Defence Capability?
Canada is charting a multi‑year roadmap to achieve sovereign military space capability after decades of reliance on U.S. communications, warning, launch and navigation services. The April 2026 Canadian Space Launch Act and the “Our North, Strong and Free” defence policy provide...
Zenk Space Raises $26 Million, Targets June Debut Launch
China’s Zenk Space announced a $26 million (180 million yuan) financing round led by Wenzhou Bay New Area Investment Group, bolstering its upcoming Zhihang‑1 kerolox launch. The 49.8‑meter, 3.35‑meter rocket can place 4,000 kg into a 500‑km Sun‑synchronous orbit and is slated for...
Green Bank Telescope Captures First Radio Image of Artemis 2 Crew Around the Moon
The National Science Foundation’s Green Bank Telescope recorded a pixelated radio image of NASA’s Orion capsule as Artemis 2 orbited the Moon, confirming the crew’s position within 0.2 mm/s of NASA’s projections. The five‑day observation marks the inaugural visual confirmation of a...
RTX Shares Jump 231% Since 2020, Outpacing Dow Peer Honeywell
RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies) has delivered a 231% total return since leaving the Dow Jones Industrial Average in August 2020, while Honeywell lagged with a 56% gain. The rally reflects robust defense and aerospace earnings that beat analyst expectations, underscoring...
Space Force Grants Northrop Grumman $398 Million for Protected Tactical Satellite Prototype
The U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract to build a prototype communications satellite that will demonstrate anti‑jamming and cyber‑resilient technologies. The Enhanced Protected Tactical Satellite Communications‑Prototype (Enhanced PTS‑P) is slated for launch no earlier than 2030 and...
Directory of Hyperspectral Satellite Operators
The May 17 2026 directory catalogs the rapidly maturing hyperspectral satellite ecosystem, listing commercial constellations such as Pixxel, Orbital Sidekick, Wyvern, Kuva Space, Xplore, Planet’s Tanager‑1, and GHGSat alongside public science missions like EnMAP, PRISMA, DESIS and EMIT. It highlights each operator’s...
NASA and Eta Space Finalize Integration for LOXSAT Cryogenic Fuel Demonstration
NASA confirmed that the LOXSAT cryogenic fuel demonstration has entered final pre‑launch testing at Rocket Lab’s Long Beach facility. Developed by Eta Space under a NASA Tipping Point contract, the payload will launch on an Electron rocket from New Zealand no...
The Hidden Rules That Force Pacific Flights Into The Same Narrow Corridors
The Pacific Organized Track System (PACOTS) channels trans‑Pacific flights onto shared, fuel‑efficient corridors that follow the jet stream’s core, allowing airlines to shave hours off routes like Tokyo‑Los Angeles while maintaining a minimum 1,000‑foot vertical separation. Modern space‑based ADS‑B surveillance reduces...
AVIATION INDUSTRY IN TURMOIL: FUEL CRISIS PROMPTS SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS
A sharp rise in jet fuel prices—from about $600 to $1,286 per ton—has tightened airline margins and forced carriers to trim marginal routes. Eurocontrol reports a 2% dip in European capacity for May‑June 2026, while OAG projects modest summer gains,...
ASTS Faces Revenue Miss and $155M Satellite Write‑Off
⚠️ $ASTS Red Flags: • Q1 2026 revenue miss of $24.27M against consensus, despite significant YoY growth, raises questions about commercialization pace. • Loss of Block 2 BB7 satellite post-Q1, leading to a $155M-$160M write-off in Q2, indicates significant operational and launch...
F-18 Fighter Jets Collide Mid-Air During Idaho Air Show, Triggers Lockdown
Two U.S. Navy E/A‑18G Growler jets from the Vikings demo team collided mid‑air during the Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. All four aviators ejected safely and were located about a mile from the...
Boeing Shares Jump After Investor Hints at Large Chinese Orders Amid Trump‑Xi Meeting
Boeing stock surged after prominent investor Scott Bessent signaled the possibility of substantial new orders from China, comments that came as news of a Trump‑Xi meeting circulated. The speculation lifted the aerospace giant’s shares and revived expectations for a revenue...
Canada Deepens Arctic Defence Ties with Nordics to Boost Aerospace Surveillance
Canada has accelerated defence cooperation with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, signing new agreements on military procurement and Arctic security. The partnership aims to strengthen aerospace surveillance and reduce reliance on the United States, a shift driven by recent...
Emirates Boeing 777-300 Declares ‘Mayday’ For Low-Fuel in Miami After the Pilots Had to Abandon Two Landing Attempts
Emirates Flight EK‑213, a Boeing 777‑300ER carrying up to 328 passengers, declared a low‑fuel Mayday after two missed approaches at Miami International Airport. The 17‑hour‑16‑minute flight was extended by strong Atlantic headwinds and Miami windshear, forcing the crew to divert...
Akatsuki Probe’s Venus Cloud Wave Identified as Solar System’s Largest Hydraulic Jump
Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft captured a massive cloud disturbance on Venus in 2016. A University of Tokyo team has now shown the feature is a hydraulic jump spanning up to 3,700 miles, the largest ever recorded in the solar system. The...
NASA Issues Final RFP for $700 M Mars Communications Orbiter, Limiting Bidders
NASA posted the final request for proposals on May 14 for a $700 million Mars Telecommunications Network, with bids due June 15 and a contract award targeted for Oct. 1. Eligibility is restricted to firms that received 2024‑25 funding for Mars sample‑return studies, a...
Passenger Spots Loose Wing Part On Boeing 737 — Forcing Airline To Pull Jet From Service
A passenger on Shenzhen Airlines flight 9804 photographed a detached flap‑rail fairing on the right wing of a Boeing 737‑800 on May 13. The crew escalated the image to the cockpit, prompting an immediate landing in Shenzhen and removal of the aircraft...
SMILE to Capture First X‑ray View of Earth’s Magnetic Shield
SMILE is set to make the first X-ray observations of Earth’s magnetic shield, capturing how solar wind and plasma blasts hit the boundary that deflects charged particles. spaceweather
Lockheed Martin: The Defense Supercycle Is Here, But Not All Growth Will Flow To The Bottom Line
Lockheed Martin stands to benefit from a defense supercycle as the FY27 U.S. defense budget nearly doubles research and procurement spending, driving steep growth in core programs such as the F‑35, PAC‑3/MSE and THAAD. The company’s backlog has risen to...
FAA Caps O’Hare Summer Flights at 2,708 Daily Operations, Slashing Peak Schedule by 12%
The Federal Aviation Administration announced a summer cap of 2,708 daily flight operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport from May 17 to Oct. 24, 2026, cutting the peak schedule by roughly 12% from the originally planned 3,080 flights. The reduction...
Three Dallas Police Officers Injured in Private Plane Crash in Forney, Texas
Three off‑duty Dallas police officers were hurt, one seriously, after their single‑engine private plane made an emergency landing and crashed in a field near Forney, Texas. The incident, occurring just after midnight on Saturday, has triggered an FAA and Texas...
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon Launch Satellite Venture to Eradicate U.S. Dead Zones
AT&T, T‑Mobile and Verizon have announced a joint satellite‑based venture aimed at nearly eliminating dead zones in underserved U.S. areas. The collaboration will route mobile traffic directly to satellites, reducing reliance on traditional towers and promising more reliable service during...
UK Drone Maker Tests Hellfire on CAPSTONE for Apache Wingman Bid
Certo Aerospace announced that its 600‑kg CAPSTONE unmanned aircraft completed ground trials using AGM‑114 Hellfire missile simulators, marking a key step toward combat‑ready capability. The company is teaming with BAE Systems to submit a joint bid for the British Army’s...
Space: Humanity’s Endless Frontier for Unbounded Innovation
I think SpaceX looks cheap at $2 trillion to be honest. Humanity needs a frontier. The American west, and my home state California, used to be that frontier. People came here to escape the ossifying society and culture of the...
Rocket Tests Need Massive Thrust, Not Static Explosions
For everyone who thinks the recent explosion near Beit Shemesh in Israel is "too big" to be a static test of a solid rocket motor ... rockets require tons of thrust (literally) to reach space. Watch a US test, for...
U.S. Army Looks for $1M Missiles to Replace Expensive Interceptors
On May 15, 2026, the U.S. Army issued RFI MOSAIC‑26‑03 demanding low‑cost interceptors priced below $1 million per round and component costs under $250,000. The request outlines five problem statements covering complete missiles, rocket motors, seekers, fire‑control systems, and system integrators,...
Qatar Seeks $4 B Patriot Missile Deal After Iran‑U.S. Conflict
Qatar has formally requested permission to buy $4 billion worth of Patriot air‑defense missiles from the United States following the 39‑day Iran‑U.S. war. The deal would involve 200 PAC‑2 and 300 PAC‑3 missiles, spare parts and services, and is expected to...
Jury Awards $49.5 Million to Family of 2019 Boeing 737 Max Crash Victim
A federal jury in Chicago awarded $49.5 million to the family of Samya Stumo, a 24‑year‑old nonprofit worker killed in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash. The verdict, the second civil trial linked to the disaster, adds pressure on...
Rocket Lab Secures $1 Bn Defense Contracts, Targets Space‑Based Interceptor Market
Rocket Lab announced two major defense contracts—a $816 million prime deal with the U.S. Space Development Agency and a $190 million hypersonic‑flight agreement—signaling a strategic shift toward missile‑defense and a planned space‑based interceptor system. The contracts lift the company's aerospace/defense revenue, which...
How The Boeing F-15EX Eagle II Stacks Up Against The Eurofighter Typhoon
The article compares Boeing’s F‑15EX Eagle II with the Eurofighter Typhoon, examining design heritage, speed, range, payload, radar, combat record and strategic roles. The F‑15EX can carry a 29,500‑lb payload and is equipped with the AN/APG‑82(V)1 AESA radar, while the Typhoon...
NASA Releases Final RFP for Mars Communications Orbiter
NASA issued the final request for proposals (RFP) on May 14 for a Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN) orbiter, with bids due June 15 and a contract award targeted for Oct. 1. The $700 million program, funded by last year’s budget reconciliation act, aims to...
The End of GEO?
Satellite operator SES announced the cancellation of two Intelsat‑derived GEO satellites, IS‑41 and IS‑44, as part of a post‑acquisition fleet rationalisation that trims capex and avoids duplication. While SES still has five GEO craft on order, the move follows a...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Moritz Novak, GATE Space
GATE Space, a Vienna‑based spin‑off from TU Wien, is commercialising green chemical propulsion that lets smallsats maneuver, reposition and de‑orbit on command. Its flagship BeaconSat, Austria’s first military satellite, will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in February 2027, funded with roughly...
The Two Voyager Probes Are Slowly Running Out of Power, and the Engineers Keeping Them Alive Are Now Making the...
After nearly five decades in space, both Voyager probes are operating with the smallest set of active science instruments in their history. As of May 2026 Voyager 1 runs only its magnetometer and Plasma Wave Subsystem, while Voyager 2 will soon join it...
Space Stocks Surge as Firefly and Intuitive Machines Vie for Investor Favor Ahead of SpaceX IPO
Firefly Aerospace (FLY) and Intuitive Machines (LUNR) have outperformed the broader market, with shares up 36% and 46% respectively since the SpaceX IPO announcement. The rally reflects heightened investor appetite for space‑related equities as SpaceX prepares a July 2026 offering...
JetBlue Drops Manchester‑Boston Flights Amid Weak Demand
JetBlue said it will discontinue its Manchester‑Boston service after months of low load factors. The airline framed the decision as a response to a national capacity crisis, while it simultaneously expands routes in South Florida to replace vacated Spirit slots.
Cowboy Space Secures $275 Million to Build Orbital Data‑Center Constellations
Cowboy Space Corp., the former Aetherflux founded by Robinhood co‑founder Baiju Bhatt, announced a $275 million financing round led by Index Ventures. The funds will back a new rocket and a constellation of low‑Earth‑orbit data centers, with a prototype launch slated...
Southwest Launches 1st-Ever Flights To Alaska: Here's Where They’re Flying
Southwest Airlines launched its first flights to Alaska on May 15, adding Anchorage as its 122nd destination. The carrier will operate daily, seasonal service from Denver and Las Vegas to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The Denver‑Anchorage leg,...
Croatia Airlines Airbus A220 Veers Off Runway At High Speed, Smashes Signs
Croatia Airlines flight OU412, a brand‑new Airbus A220‑300, aborted its takeoff from Split Airport on May 16, 2026 after veering sharply left at roughly 123 knots, just below takeoff speed. The aircraft left the runway edge, struck several signs and damaged...
Textron Inc. (TXT) Strengthens Aerospace Prospects with New Service Facility in Australia
Textron Aviation opened a 35,000‑square‑foot service facility at Essendon Fields Airport in Melbourne on May 5. The hub more than doubles the company’s previous Australian footprint and is built to support over 1,400 Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft across the Asia‑Pacific....
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) Hits New Milestone as Undervalued Aerospace and Defense Stock to Buy
Lockheed Martin showcased a unified data platform during the Balikatan 2026 exercise, integrating sensors, fire‑control systems, and airspace management in real time. The demonstration compressed sensor‑to‑shooter timelines and provided a live battlefield view, marking the first cross‑domain data sharing for...
NASA's New AI Chip Promises 100‑Fold Boost for Deep‑Space Autonomy
NASA’s High Performance Spaceflight Computing project unveiled a radiation‑hardened AI chip that delivers up to 100 times the computing power of current spaceflight processors and shows performance roughly 500 times greater in tests. The breakthrough could let spacecraft analyze data...
Swiss and Lufthansa Group Team with Metafuels to Scale Synthetic SAF Production
Swiss International Air Lines and its parent Lufthansa Group announced a partnership with Zurich‑based Metafuels to accelerate synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development. The deal includes joint R&D and long‑term procurement talks as Europe prepares mandatory SAF quotas for 2030.
NASA’s Psyche Probe Uses Mars Gravity Assist to Speed Toward 2029 Asteroid Arrival
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft will perform a Mars flyby on May 15, passing 2,800 miles above the planet at 12,333 mph. The gravity assist will boost its trajectory toward the metallic asteroid Psyche, slated for arrival in 2029, and reduce propellant use...
Perseverance Checks in From Mars with a Selfie, the Mounting Pollution From Satellite Launches, and More Science Stories
NASA's Perseverance rover snapped its sixth selfie on Mars, venturing farther west of Jezero Crater into the Arathusa outcrop. The rover is now examining rocks up to 3.9 billion years old and a possible volcanic dike, while gathering core samples for...
Türkiye Starts Work on HÜRJET Naval Variant for Aircraft Carrier
Turkey has officially launched development of a carrier‑compatible version of its HÜRJET supersonic trainer and light‑attack jet. The program focuses on reinforcing the landing gear, adding an arresting hook, and applying marinization measures to protect against salt‑induced corrosion. The naval...
This Week In Space Podcast: Episode 210 — ESCAPADES at Mars
Episode 210 of *This Week In Space* features Dr. Robert Lillis discussing NASA’s Mars ESCAPADE mission, a pair of low‑cost orbiters designed to measure how the Red Planet’s atmosphere is being stripped away. Built largely by Rocket Lab and launched on Blue Origin’s New Glenn, the...