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
Eastern European Helicopter Modernisation Could Open Doors for Western Manufacturers
Eastern European nations are accelerating helicopter modernisation to replace ageing Soviet‑era fleets, spurred by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Hungary’s recent purchase of 16 Airbus H225M helicopters exemplifies the region’s pivot toward Western technology. The drive is motivated by a desire for greater NATO interoperability and commonality across allied forces. However, high acquisition costs and extensive training and infrastructure upgrades pose significant hurdles for rapid adoption.
Blue Angels CO Tells Why the Team Chose the A-4 over the F-14 and A-7 to Replace the F-4
After a series of F-4J Phantom II accidents and high fuel consumption, the Blue Angels were ordered to replace their aircraft in the mid‑1970s. Program manager Ken Wallace evaluated the F‑14 and A‑7 but rejected them due to cost and...
Quest Global's Ingenium 2026 Draws 5,361 Registrations, Showcasing India's Next‑Gen Aerospace Talent
Quest Global wrapped up the 14th Ingenium competition in Bengaluru, attracting 5,361 registrations and 3,714 student teams from 50 colleges. The winning project, an edge‑AI sepsis‑risk system, earned INR 2 lakh, while aerospace‑focused entries highlighted a growing talent pool for the...
‘Spacewoman’ Review: Mission Driven
The documentary "Spacewoman" chronicles the life of Col. Eileen Collins, the first female space shuttle pilot and commander, tracing her journey from a modest upbringing in Elmira to historic NASA missions. Director Hannah Berryman blends personal interviews with archival footage...
Guerrilla RF Expands Aerospace & Defense Focus with New SatCom Initiative
Guerrilla RF announced an expanded aerospace and defense focus, unveiling a new satellite communications (SatCom) initiative that adds more than 100 commercial‑off‑the‑shelf RFIC and MMIC solutions for both ground and space platforms. The company released a SatCom product selection guide...
HyImpulse Signs Launch Agreement with SaxaVord
Germany’s HyImpulse Technologies signed a launch service agreement to fly its SR75 hybrid suborbital rocket from SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands, targeting a Q3 2026 lift‑off. SaxaVord, equipped with three pads, telemetry, and a UK Civil Aviation Authority licence...
Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific & Singapore Airlines Top List of World's Best Airlines for 2026
AirlineRatings.com released its 2026 world’s best airline rankings, evaluating carriers on onboard product and passenger experience rather than public voting. Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines occupy the top three spots among full‑service airlines, while HK Express is crowned...
Airlines Slash Thousands of Flights Over Rising Fuel Costs
Scandinavian Airline SAS would cancel 1000 flights in April due to high oil prices, CEO Anko van der Werff told Swedish media Dagens Industri. The airline has already cancelled a few hundred flights in March mostly domestic routes in Norway...
Gulf Airlines Scramble Amid Iran War Airspace Closures
Live on @CNBC: The Iran war continues to be an agility test for the Gulf carriers, as airspace closures continue to limit operations & airlines look elsewhere for solutions to keep passengers moving. #aviation https://t.co/LnyWIPG8et
Apex Signs First Japanese Bus Contract With NEC
Apex Space announced its first Japanese contract, selling an Aries satellite bus to NEC for a 2027 low‑Earth‑orbit optical communications demo. NEC plans to merge its long‑standing payload expertise with Apex’s standardized, rapid‑development platform to accelerate the mission. The deal...
MI‑17 Quote Likely Refers to Bell 206, Not HIP Series
Not sure of the meaning of ‘MI-17’ being in quotes here, but this is surely not a HIP-series helicopter? Presumably something in the Bell 206 family.
Nihon University's Tenkoh
Nihon University's Tenkoh-2 cubesat, deployed from the HTV-X1 cargo ship on Mar 11, has been cataloged as object 68261, in a 495 x 501 km x 51.6 deg orbit.
SpaceX Starship V3 Initiated a Ten Engine Static Fire
SpaceX completed the initial activation campaign for the Super Heavy V3 booster, loading cryogenic propellant and conducting a ten‑engine static fire on Starbase Pad 2. All ten Raptor 3 engines ignited, confirming the new engine design’s start‑up reliability. The test was cut...
SpaceX’s Starship V3 Is Almost Ready and It Will Change Space Travel Forever
SpaceX is gearing up for an April test flight of Starship V3, the next‑generation launch system featuring a taller Super Heavy booster and upgraded Raptor 3 engines. The new vehicle boosts low‑Earth‑orbit payload capacity to roughly 200 tons, a dramatic jump from...
Dawn’s Suborbital Spaceplane Completes Radar Tracking Experiment with Defence Science and Technology
New Zealand’s Defence Science and Technology agency and the Royal Navy teamed with Dawn Aerospace to conduct the DARTE radar‑tracking experiment, using the Aurora suborbital spaceplane off the Canterbury coast. The trial demonstrated that the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha’s surveillance radar can...
Why American-Made Propulsion Is the Future of Global UAV Missions
Northwest UAV (NWUAV) is reshaping UAS propulsion by delivering heavy‑fuel engines that run on JP‑8, JP‑5, and Jet‑A, eliminating the need for gasoline in tactical drones. The company’s all‑American, AS9100D‑certified supply chain guarantees secure, kill‑switch‑free components, aligning with NATO’s Single‑Fuel...
The Science of Splashdown
The article explains that splashdown is a complex fluid‑impact problem where capsule shape, parachute timing, sea state, and crew posture determine survivability. It traces splashdown from Mercury through Apollo to modern Orion and SpaceX Dragon missions, highlighting why water remains...
Pentagon Tests China‑War Missiles in Gulf Strikes
For the Pentagon, there is benefit to demonstrating its missile capabilities in combat: The strikes on Iranian vessels from across the Gulf were conducted with the same types of missiles the U.S. is planning to use in case of war...
ESI Motion at Satellite 2026 and AUSA Global Force 2026
ESI Motion announced it will attend Satellite 2026 in Washington, D.C., and AUSA Global Force 2026 in Huntsville, Alabama, to showcase its high‑performance motion controllers, actuators, and space‑rated battery systems. The company will engage commercial and government space leaders on satellite attitude...
Virgin Australia Plans Modest Capacity Gains as Aircraft Deliveries Finally Ramp Up
Virgin Australia will receive seven new aircraft in the second half of FY2026, meeting its full‑year delivery target after a period of delays. Its regional arm, VARA, is slated for four Embraer E190‑E2 deliveries, enabling retirement of older planes. The...
Anduril: New Factory Will Start Making Drone Wingman in Just ‘Days’
Anduril announced that its new Arsenal-1 manufacturing plant in Columbus, Ohio, will start producing the YFQ-44A Fury drone wingman within days, ahead of the originally slated July 2026 start. The 5‑million‑square‑foot facility, adjacent to a dual 12,000‑foot runway airport, enables...
Vertical Aerospace Activates Battery Pilot Line, Accelerating Valo eVTOL Certification
Vertical Aerospace has put an automated battery pilot production line into service at its 15,000‑sq‑ft Vertical Energy Centre in the UK. The line will build the final packs for seven Valo eVTOL certification aircraft and supports a planned capacity tripling...
Firefly Aerospace Inc (FLY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Firefly Aerospace reported Q4 2025 revenue of $30.8 million, roughly double the prior quarter, and a backlog of $1.3 billion fueled by new NASA CLPS awards and a $177 million Blue Ghost Mission 4 contract. The company completed an $855 million acquisition of SciTech, adding...
Satellogic Inc (SATL) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Globalstar reported record full‑year 2025 revenue of $273 million, up 9% year‑over‑year, and achieved a 50% adjusted EBITDA margin at $136.1 million. Net loss narrowed dramatically to $7.6 million from $63.2 million a year earlier, while cash and cash equivalents rose to $447.5 million. The...
Space Command to Launch Wargame Series for Industry
U.S. Space Command will host the first of a quarterly "commercial wargames" series on March 23, inviting 25 industry firms to a classified tabletop exercise in Colorado Springs. The inaugural session will tackle the threat of weapons of mass destruction...
Rocket Lab Scores Timely Capability Win
Impressive win here for Rocket Lab: delivering the right capability at the right time. https://t.co/8vUinNNlgG
Hong Kong: AI, Robotics Drive New Aerospace Technologies
A research partnership between Hong Kong’s Space Robotics and Energy Centre and Southeast University is accelerating autonomous space‑robotics, AI‑enabled navigation, and deep‑space energy management. The collaboration, supported by HKUST labs, targets rugged robotic platforms, precision manipulation, and modular power systems...
Canadian Space Agency Terminates Lunar Rover Mission in 2026-27 Plan
The Canadian Space Agency’s 2026‑27 Departmental Plan announces a $913.9 million budget but mandates internal savings, leading to the outright termination of the Lunar Rover Mission approved in 2022. The cut begins with a $6.66 million reduction in 2026‑27 and will grow...
Modified Vulcan Expected to Launch This Summer
United Launch Alliance (ULA) plans to launch its first modified Vulcan rocket this summer, after accelerating pre‑planned upgrades to the engine nozzle and solid rocket boosters. The enhancements aim to improve performance margins and address issues highlighted by a February...
STRATCOM Boss: Pentagon Eyes Second B-21 Production Line
The Pentagon has approved a $4.5 billion deal to lift B‑21 production capacity by 25 percent and is now weighing a second manufacturing line to accelerate deliveries. Strategic Command chief Adm. Richard Correll urged Congress to expand the fleet to 145 aircraft,...
Russian Warplanes Flying Near US and Canada More Frequently: NORAD Boss
Russian warplanes are entering the U.S. and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones at a rate above historical norms, according to NORAD commander Gen. Gregory Guillot. In 2025 NORAD intercepted 16 long‑range Russian aircraft, with four more already this year, including...
US Air Force Special Operations Seeks Kamikaze Drones
The U.S. Air Force is issuing a Request for Information to acquire small, one‑way attack drones for its Special Operations Command. The desired system must fly 10‑20 km, carry a 1.5‑3 kg fragmentation warhead, and be operable by one or two soldiers...
Ligado Tells FCC That SkyTerra Next Proposal Won’t Cause Interference
Ligado filed a new FCC petition to modify its satellite license and host the SkyTerra Next L‑band payload on AST SpaceMobile’s low‑Earth‑orbit constellation. The company argues the deployment will operate within existing L‑band coordination agreements and will not interfere with...
Indy Airport Says ‘Hello Avelo’
Indianapolis International Airport announced that ultra‑low‑cost carrier Avelo Airlines will begin service on June 18, adding twice‑weekly nonstop flights to Concord, North Carolina, and New Haven, Connecticut. The routes make Avelo the airport’s 12th passenger airline and its fourth ULCC,...
10 Steel Marvels of Aviation
During World War II and the early post‑war period, aircraft designers turned to steel when aluminium was scarce or when extra protection was essential. Notable examples include the German Henschel Hs 129 and Soviet Ilyushin Il‑2, both featuring steel “armoured tubs” that...
Veovo Selected by Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Strengthen Slot Coordination
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport has chosen Veovo, together with OneAlpha, to implement a modern slot coordination platform. The solution provides a daily, airport‑wide view of runway, apron and terminal capacity, allowing more accurate scheduling and real‑time alerts when limits are reached....
Blackwater Founder Backs Ukrainian Drone Tech Sales to US
Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, has joined the board of Ukrainian drone‑software firm Swarmer and is championing its sale to the U.S. military. Swarmer raised $15 million in a Nasdaq offering, saw its shares jump roughly 500 % and claims its platform...
Market Analysis: The ISR Latency War and Who Wins When “Minutes” Decide Mission
Industry data released March 18, 2026 shows ISR is shifting from resolution‑focused satellites to latency‑first architectures. Commercial firms such as BlackSky and Planet Labs reported record revenues while emphasizing rapid data delivery, with BlackSky posting $107 million in 2025 revenue and a $345 million...
After More Than Four Years, Ukraine Is Preparing to Reopen Its Airspace to Commercial Flights
Ukraine is forming a special working group to prepare the safe reopening of its commercial airspace after more than four years of total closure following the 2022 Russian invasion. The group will involve the civil aviation authority, ICAO, IATA and...
Press Release: Greenpoint Delivers VVIP BBJ 787-9 Interior Completion
Greenpoint Technologies, a Safran company, has delivered a VVIP Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 787‑9 interior completion to an undisclosed client, reinforcing its leadership on the 787 platform. The project showcases Greenpoint’s vertically integrated execution model that combines design, engineering, manufacturing,...
Fluorescent Ruby-Like Gems Have Been Found on Mars for the First Time
NASA's Perseverance rover has identified tiny corundum crystals—ruby or sapphire‑like gems—inside a Martian pebble named Hampden River. The rover’s SuperCam instrument used dual‑laser spectroscopy and luminescence imaging to match the spectral signature of the grains to laboratory ruby standards. This...
Defense Unicorns Demonstrates Rapid Software Delivery to F-22 Raptor
Defense Unicorns and the US Air Force Sustainment Center demonstrated rapid software installation on the F‑22 Raptor using the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS), marking the first minute‑scale deployment directly onto the aircraft. The UDS enables approved software to be loaded...
Bell Textron Completes First SPINE-Upgraded AH-1Z, UH-1Y Aircraft
Bell Textron has finished the first Structural and Power Improvements for Next‑Gen Effects (SPINE) upgrades on an AH‑1Z and a UH‑1Y helicopter. The upgraded aircraft left the Amarillo Assembly Center and are now undergoing flight testing at Naval Air Station...
Volatus Aerospace Receives NRC-IRAP Funding to Support Condor XL Development
Volatus Aerospace announced it has been approved for up to $320,000 in non‑dilutive funding from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC‑IRAP). The money will fund development of the Condor XL heavy‑lift uncrewed aerial system, focusing...
UK Defence Industry Steps up Support for Gulf Partners Facing Iranian Attacks
Britain escalated defence support for Gulf states amid Iran's indiscriminate attacks, convening senior officials and representatives from 13 UK defence firms with regional ambassadors. The UK government confirmed plans to acquire additional Lightweight Multirole Missiles from Thales to equip British...
NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Discovers Even Older Lost Rivers at Jezero Crater
NASA’s Perseverance rover used its ground‑penetrating radar to probe deeper than before in Jezero Crater. The instrument identified buried river‑carved slopes and a delta more than 35 meters below the surface. Analysis of the radar echoes indicates these features formed around...
Artemis II Rollback to Launch Pad Tomorrow at 8 PM
Artemis II SLS/Orion rollback to the launch pad is now set for tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, at 8:00 *pm.* It'll stream on NASA's YouTube channel.
Factory III Moves iCOMAT Capabilities Into the U.S.
iCOMAT has opened a 41,000‑square‑foot Factory III in Dayton, Ohio, bringing its patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology and end‑to‑end composites capabilities to the U.S. defense and aerospace market. At the same time, Austrian aerospace supplier FACC is investing £120 million in...
Coexpair to Fabricate, Demonstrate and Test Lockheed F-35 Composite Parts Using SQRTM 4.0
Coexpair and Lockheed Martin have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop, demonstrate, and test composite parts for the F‑35 using Coexpair’s SQRTM 4.0 technology. The partnership will follow a phased approach, with Lockheed providing process‑qualification support while Coexpair builds and...
Boeing Vs Lockheed: Who Has The Best-Selling Military Aircraft Of All Time?
Boeing’s B‑17 Flying Fortress remains the all‑time best‑selling combat aircraft with 12,731 units built, a record set during World War II’s massive production surge. Lockheed Martin, while never eclipsing the B‑17’s single‑model total, boasts several high‑volume platforms—including the C‑130 Hercules (2,700+), F‑16...