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
Slow Widebody Freighter Manufacturing Supply Chains Hamper Capacity
Widebody freighter capacity remains constrained in 2026 as manufacturers grapple with lingering supply‑chain disruptions. IATA’s director general Willie Walsh warned that OEMs are still struggling to stabilize production, pushing the Boeing 777‑8F launch to 2028 and delaying Airbus’s A350F entry into service to late 2027. The shortage of passenger aircraft for conversion further widens the age gap between cargo and passenger fleets, forcing airlines to rely on older freighters. Additional operational challenges, such as longer Middle East detours, exacerbate the capacity shortfall.
Huge Accrued Financial Losses at Beijing Capital Airport – COVID and Dual Hub Operations to Blame
Beijing Capital International Airport, once the world’s second‑busiest hub, has slipped to 15th place in 2025 with passenger volumes at just 70% of 2019 levels. Over the past five years the airport has accumulated roughly $1.6 billion in losses, and analysts...
US Space Force Clears Design Milestone, Advances Missile-Warning Constellation
The U.S. Space Force has cleared the preliminary design review for Epoch 2, a ten‑satellite medium‑Earth‑orbit missile‑warning constellation. The milestone, achieved nine months after awarding a $1.2 billion firm‑fixed‑price contract to BAE Systems Space and Mission Systems, paves the way for a...
Starlab Space Fully Books Commercial Payload Space on Planned Space Station
Starlab Space announced that its commercial payload capacity is fully booked ahead of its planned launch, despite the station not reaching orbit for another 36 months. Voyager Technologies, the lead developer, reported a $6 million backlog tied to these reservations, including...
Souls On Board
A pilot recounts receiving a weight‑and‑balance ACARS transmission that listed 301 "souls on board" for a trans‑Atlantic flight, the first time his aircraft carried over three hundred occupants. The count includes passengers, crew, and lap children, pushing the total beyond...
Serbian MiG‑29s Field Chinese CM‑400 Supersonic Missiles
Serbian MiG-29 Fighter Appears Armed With Chinese Supersonic Standoff Missiles Previously only known to be in Pakistani service, the Chinese-made CM-400 air-to-ground missile has now appeared on Serbian MiG-29 jets. https://t.co/HFecMXiP2D
Bristow Receives First Airbus H160s From Milestone for Offshore Transportation in Nigeria
Bristow Group has taken delivery of the first two Airbus H160 medium‑twin helicopters leased from Milestone Aviation, marking the aircraft’s debut on the African continent. The helicopters are undergoing final preparations in Nigeria ahead of entry into offshore oil‑and‑gas transport...
E‑7A Wedgetail Excels at Spotting Iranian Drones
Massive Leap In Ability To Spot Iranian Drones Headed To Persian Gulf The E-7A Wedgetail is arguably the best aircraft anywhere in the world for spotting low-flying Iranian drones and cruise missiles. https://t.co/p5D8s2NIsM
Viasat Wins $14 Million Contract to Provide In-Flight Satcom for Navy Executive Aircraft
Viasat has been awarded a $14 million contract to provide in‑flight satellite communications for the U.S. Navy’s C‑37 executive transport aircraft. The two‑year sole‑source agreement, issued by the Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office, will equip the Gulfstream‑based jets with Viasat’s...
Astronauts and Space Leaders to Appear at the 2026 International Space Development Conference
The National Space Society will host the 44th International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in McLean, Virginia, from June 4‑7, 2026. The agenda features high‑profile NASA astronauts and industry leaders, including former shuttle commander Michael López‑Alegria, planetary scientist Lindy Elkins‑Tanton of the...
World’s First Moon Factory Built in Six Weeks
🌕@GRU_Space built the world's first Moon factory in just 6 weeks—patent-pending hardware turning lunar dirt into bricks and inflates habitats on the Moon. It's landing as early as next year to lay the foundation for lunar hotels and base infra. Congrats on...
Space RCO Adopts New Approach to Fielding Cloud-Based, Consolidated C2 System
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office has pivoted to an incremental strategy for migrating both new and legacy orbital‑warfare systems onto the cloud‑based Rapid Resilient Command and Control (R2C2) platform. The revised plan shortens delivery cycles to two weeks, enlists Space...
New Air Force Safety Tool Forecasts Mishap Risk
The Air Force Safety Center has launched a Unit Risk Forecasting dashboard that predicts mishap risk for over 2,400 squadrons using a decade of safety data. The tool classifies each squadron’s risk as low, medium, or high for the coming...
Space Force Surveying Industry on Collaboration With Canada on Allied Space Domain Awareness C2
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has issued a solicitation for industry input, including Canadian firms, on a joint command‑and‑control (C2) system for allied space domain awareness (SDA). A letter of offer and acceptance with Canada’s Department of National...
Van Allen Probe A Assigned New Space Force Orbit
New Space Force orbit for Van Allen Probe A , epoch 1440 UTC [6 hours ago], 113 km perigee, 952 km apogee. No updated reentry estimate
As Military AI Divide Widens, Here’s One Path for Agentic Systems
The Aerospace Industries Association released a white paper positioning agentic AI as a powerful enabler for faster defense procurement and supply‑chain decisions. Tim White emphasizes that AI will not replace culture, processes, or workforce but can augment them when paired...
KVH Secures $45M Starlink Deal, Boosts 2026 Outlook
Maritime satcom provider #KVHIndustries: 2025 was our turnaround year; new 18-mo, $45M capacity deal w/ @Starlink is 3X the size of our earlier one; 2026 revenue to climb 24%; adj EBITDA 66%. LEO competition's increasing - great news. @EutelsatGroup.https://t.co/Zxf08GDZmr...
Iran Conflict Adds Second Hit to Indian Airlines
Iran war deals double blow to Indian airlines already hit by Pakistan airspace ban https://t.co/Lrp4mt7658
Exciting (But Crowded) Opportunities
In this episode, Tyler Crowe, Matt Frankel, and Lou Whiteman discuss how once‑sparse industries are becoming crowded with startups and IPOs, focusing on the space sector and the emerging nuclear power market. They highlight the rapid influx of launch companies,...
Garuda Selects Airbus Flexrotor to Expand Its UAS Leasing Portfolio
Airbus Helicopters and Garuda Technologies have signed a contract to deliver up to 18 Flexrotor uncrewed aerial systems. Garuda will integrate the high‑endurance Flexrotor into its leasing portfolio, offering both dry and wet lease options for civil and parapublic missions...
SpaceX Starbase Will Double in Size
SpaceX is expanding its Boca Chica Starbase to double its current footprint, creating a massive integrated facility for Starship and Super Heavy production. The enlarged site will accommodate the assembly of hundreds, potentially thousands, of Starships and the manufacturing of...
The WMO OSCAR Database: How the World Tracks Its Weather-Watching Machines
The World Meteorological Organization’s Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review (OSCAR) database now serves as the definitive inventory linking quantitative weather‑and‑climate observation requirements to the actual capabilities of satellites and surface networks. Version 3.0, released in early 2026, adds advanced gap‑analysis tools...
Equatys D2D Venture Targets Up to 2,800-Satellite Constellation
Viasat and Space42 detailed their Equitays direct‑to‑device venture, outlining a potential constellation of up to 2,800 satellites spread across 60 orbital planes and three altitude layers. The network will operate in globally harmonized L‑ and S‑band mobile satellite service spectrum,...
Insights Into Spallation Mechanisms of Thermal Protection System Materials From Mass Spectrometry and HyMETS Testing
NASA researchers used the Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System (HyMETS) and mass spectrometry to map how gases evolve inside thermal protection system (TPS) materials under high‑enthalpy conditions. The study identified an early release of absorbed water that creates localized stress...
A New Model Defines an Upper Limit to Planetary Radiation Belt Intensity
A new model created by Adnane Osmane quantifies how a planet’s surface magnetic field accelerates particles in its radiation belts, establishing a universal upper limit. The model predicts that magnetic fields stronger than about 0.0004 tesla for protons (0.00004 tesla for electrons)...
Cabo Verde’s 737 MAX 8 Set For March 31 Relaunch Of US Operations
Cabo Verde Airlines will restart flights to the United States on March 31, linking the Cape Verde archipelago with Providence’s T.F. Green International Airport using a Boeing 737 MAX 8. The service marks the carrier’s first US operation since 2021 after a...
DoD IG Summarizes F-35’s Ongoing Problems
For all those who want to learn more about the F-35 jet's well documented woes, the DoD IG has issued a useful summary of past reports: https://t.co/QuzLmrfED4
The Rubin Observatory's LSST Will Detect Imminent Impactors Before They Crash Into Earth
The Vera Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is poised to detect one to two meter‑scale near‑Earth objects each year, roughly doubling the current discovery rate for imminent impactors. Simulations of 343 historic fireballs show a median detection...
Computational Modeling of Failure at the Fabric Weave Level in Reentry Parachute Energy Modulators
NASA researchers developed a high‑fidelity computational model of re‑entry parachute energy modulators (EM) at the fabric‑weave level using LS‑DYNA. The model represents each Kevlar and nylon thread as solid elements and includes a Python script that replicates the unit stitch...
FSD and Starlink Could Spark US Suburban Reversal
@elonmusk believes FSD + Starlink may reverse urbanization in America. This is a plausible possibility... The US has <50 people per sq km.
Deadly Design Decision Responsible For Jeju Air Disaster That Killed 179
The South Korean audit found that a concrete‑reinforced localizer mound at Muan International Airport, built to save on earthwork costs, turned a survivable belly‑landing of Jeju Air Flight 2216 into a fatal crash that killed 179. The aircraft struck birds, landed...
Here’s Why Early F/A-18 Pilots Routinely Lost 1v1 Dogfight Against an F-14
The F/A‑18 Hornet proved its strike capability in Desert Storm, shooting down MiG‑21s and surviving surface‑to‑air hits, yet early Navy pilots struggled in air‑to‑air combat. Most of those pilots transitioned from A‑7 attack aircraft and were taught to view the...
Why Does The Boeing 777-300ER Have An Exclusive Engine Even Though Other Variants Don’t?
In 1999 Boeing and GE Aerospace forged an exclusive partnership that equipped the 777‑300ER with the GE90‑115B, the world’s most powerful commercial turbofan at the time. The engine’s 115,000 lb thrust enabled the aircraft to meet unprecedented range and payload goals...
Proposed UAH-ASKA Agreement for Drive-And-Fly Aircraft: IP Ownership Issues in Joint Development and Public-Private Partnerships
The University of Alabama in Huntsville and aerospace firm ASKA signed a memorandum to explore a hybrid‑electric, autonomous drive‑and‑fly VTOL aircraft. The collaboration targets battery systems, electric motors, simulation tools, safety and autonomous flight control, and may involve Department of...
NASA, SpaceX Clash over Starship’s Manual‑control Landing Requirement
NASA and SpaceX fought over this issue with Dragon a decade ago. Now, Starship. “There is disagreement between NASA and SpaceX on whether the provider’s current proposed approach for landing meets the intent of the Agency’s manual control requirement." https://t.co/5QEjeehemw
British Airways Among World’s Most Punctual Airlines in February
British Airways posted an 86.08% on‑time arrival rate in February, ranking fourth among major global carriers according to Cirium’s monthly report. The airline improved sharply from January’s 78.23% rate while maintaining a 98.94% flight completion factor across 22,769 tracked flights....
Leicester Space Nuclear Firm Lands Blue Origin Partnership For Deep Space Power
Perpetual Atomics, a University of Leicester spin‑out, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Blue Origin to explore americium‑241 radioisotope power systems for space missions. The partnership aims to develop nuclear generators that can supply continuous electricity where solar panels...
Windracers Sets New Safety Benchmark with World-First BARS Status for Heavy-Lift Drones
Windracers, a British dual‑use heavy‑lift drone firm, has become the first heavy‑lift operator worldwide to earn Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) Green status, confirming compliance with the Flight Safety Foundation’s rigorous safety criteria. The certification covers its flagship ULTRA platform,...
EoPortal: The World’s Most Complete Reference for Earth Observation Satellite Missions
ESA’s eoPortal has become the world’s most comprehensive free reference for Earth‑observation satellite missions, hosting detailed articles on more than 600 missions from 1959 to present. Built on Dr. Herbert Kramer’s three‑decade research, the portal now benefits from a dedicated...
NASA Decommissions Van Allen Probes After Seven Years
NASA's Van Allen Probes A and B were two half-ton spacecraft launched in Aug 2012 to elliptical 600 x 30000 km orbits to study the radiation belts. In 2019 their perigees were lowered to 200 km so...
Boeing Says Wiring Issue Will Delay Some 737 Max Deliveries
Boeing announced that a wiring problem discovered on several 737 Max jets will delay deliveries in the first quarter of 2026. The issue, traced to small scratches caused by a machining error, can be repaired within days and does not affect...
SpaceX Now Targeting Early April for Next Starship/Superheavy Test Flight
SpaceX announced on March 7 that it is targeting early April for the 12th Starship/Superheavy orbital test flight. Booster 19, the first Block 3 Superheavy prototype, has been rolled to Pad 2 and is undergoing fueling‑system checks, ambient pressure tests, and static‑fire rehearsals with...
Watch Laura Delgado Lopez's Space Security Webinar on YouTube
If you're trying to listen to Laura Delgado Lopez's webinar on Space Security in Latin America and couldn't get a link from the registration website, here's the YouTube link: https://t.co/umexorvqwx
Amazon Leo Urges FCC to Block SpaceX Orbital Data Centers
Amazon Leo has urged the FCC to deny SpaceX's plan to build orbital data centers comprising up to 1 million satellites, arguing that it's 'wholly unrealistic' and would give SpaceX 'near-total control' of launch insertion orbits. @Light_Reading https://t.co/FjxmufLF9g
Precision in Orbit: Heraeus Catalysts Safeguard Satellite Control
Heraeus Precious Metals supplies the iridium‑based H‑KC12GA catalyst for hydrazine thrusters that provide precise orbit control on satellites. The catalyst enables rapid, repeatable hydrazine decomposition and survives thousands of firings and extreme temperatures. NASA JPL’s 57‑day SMAP test recorded only...
COPV Damage Tolerance Life Demonstration Guidelines
NASA's NESC released new guidelines for damage‑tolerance life demonstration of composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs). The guidance aligns with AIAA S‑081 and NASA‑STD‑5019, applying a four‑times life factor to ensure detectable cracks remain subcritical throughout service. It outlines procedures for...
Archer on Track for US Passenger Flights, Eyes UAE Launch
Archer is “on track” to begin carrying passengers above select US cities later this year, as part of a government pilot program, and remains focused on “rapidly progressing” its plan to launch flights in the UAE — despite war-related uncertainty...
Celebrating NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s 20th Anniversary: Crater Near Sirenum Fossae
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebrated its 20th anniversary by releasing a high‑resolution image of a relatively fresh impact crater near Sirenum Fossae. The crater, captured on June 3 2015, displays a sharp rim, well‑preserved ejecta and steep gullied walls that may host...
Perseverance Achieves 90% Autonomous Travel After 1,312 Sols
Perseverance had completed about 90 percent of its travels autonomously, as of its 1,312th Martian day since landing https://t.co/EpREqOS43q #AI
Switzerland Cutting the F-35 Order
Switzerland’s Federal Council has trimmed its F‑35 purchase, canceling six jets and leaving a 30‑aircraft fleet under the existing contract. The move avoids an extra CHF 1.1 billion credit, substituting a smaller CHF 394 million allocation to cover inflation and material cost overruns. Defence...