Today's Aerospace Pulse
Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket explodes, halting Moon‑base plans
A catastrophic explosion during a static‑fire test destroyed New Glenn’s sole launch pad (LC‑36) and will delay flights for months. The setback jeopardizes NASA’s Moon Base 1 lander and the scheduled 2026 launch of Amazon’s Leo broadband satellite constellation. No injuries were reported.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
Smart Shooter Lands $10 Million U.S. Military Contract for SMASH Drone‑interception System
Israeli defense company Smart Shooter announced a $10 million contract to provide its SMASH drone‑interception system to the U.S. military. The award highlights the United States’ continued procurement of allied counter‑UAS technology and deepens the defense partnership between the two nations.
Great Circle Routes Are Shortest, Not Just Over Alaska
This is the worst explanation of great circle navigation I’ve ever seen. “A pilot can’t fly straight West to Asia, he has to fly over Alaska” False. Yes, the curved path from Seattle to Tokyo is significantly shorter because you’re following the curvature...
NASA Appoints Former Chief of Staff Brian Hughes to Head Launch Operations
NASA named former chief of staff Brian Hughes senior director of launch operations on May 8, giving him oversight of Kennedy Space Center and Wallops Flight Facility. The move, praised by Administrator Jared Isaacman, has drawn sharp criticism from Rep. Zoe...
SpaceX Launches Crew‑12 to ISS, Marking 12th Long‑duration Commercial Mission
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched the Crew‑12 mission from Cape Canaveral, sending four astronauts on a 34‑hour, 250‑mile‑high trip to the International Space Station. The flight is NASA’s 12th long‑duration crew flown on a commercial vehicle, underscoring the maturity of the...
BETA Technologies Inc (BETA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
GE Aerospace reported a robust first‑quarter 2026, with total orders jumping 87% and revenue climbing 29% year‑over‑year. Operating profit rose 18% to $2.5 billion, while EPS increased 25% to $1.86 and free cash flow reached $1.7 billion. The company’s backlog now tops...
Air Force MQ-9 Downs Aerial Targets with Cheap Air-to-Air Missiles
General Atomics announced that an Air Force MQ‑9 Reaper equipped with the laser‑guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) successfully downed aerial targets during a Nevada Test and Training Range demonstration. The APKWS costs roughly $25,000‑$40,000 per missile, a fraction...
Boeing Faces Renewed Legal Risk; Consider Protective Puts
Boeing legal risk resurfaces as LOT alleges 737 MAX concealment, raising regulatory and litigation costs. Risk: more payouts, order headwinds. Trade: reduce BA exposure; buy protective puts. — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA. More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
Northrop Grumman Unveils LR-450 Positioning System for Diverse Space Missions
Northrop Grumman announced the LR‑450, a compact inertial positioning system that leverages its milli‑Hemispherical Resonating Gyroscope (mHRG) technology. The unit provides three‑axis orientation without external satellite signals, targeting small‑satellite, lunar and deep‑space missions. It builds on over 70 million hours of...
Airlines Lower some Fares Amid Falling Demand
European airlines are cutting fares on select routes to Southern Mediterranean destinations as the Iran war dampens demand and jet‑fuel price spikes raise operating costs. A Financial Times analysis shows carriers using lower prices to entice hesitant travelers. In the...
Baiju Bhatt's Space Solar Dream Advances to New Level
I told you about @BaijuBhatt’s new dream to put solar collectors out in space and beam the power back to earth a year ago. He is a cool dude, gave us his expensive car to drive. So happy to see his...
Recipients of Arizona Airports Association (AzAA) Awards of Excellence Announced
At its annual Spring Conference in Prescott, the Arizona Airports Association honored five leaders for their contributions to the state’s aviation sector. Matthew Munden of ADOT and Grand Canyon Airport manager David Reffner each received the AzAA President’s Award for...
King County International Airport Shares Future Plans at May 14 Open House
King County International Airport (Boeing Field) will host an open house on May 14, 2026 to unveil the preferred alternative of its Vision 2045 Airport Plan. The plan, forged through technical analysis and extensive stakeholder input, outlines projects designed to...
Julie Johnsson Nails Boeing's Future Strategy in Final Piece
This masterfully reported piece on Boeing’s future product development strategy is Julie Johnsson’s final piece for @business. It’s also a pitch perfect example of why we’re so lucky to have her on @theaircurrent. https://t.co/v3n9VwiHfU
IFM Threatens to Pull $2.2bn SAF Investment without Mandate
IFM Investors Pty warned it may scrap a proposed A$3 billion ($2.2 billion) investment to make sustainable aviation fuel in Australia, unless the government mandates that airlines use the product. https://t.co/u1m4QDuPzx
PSC Bridges-2 Helps Train AI to Predict and Explain Airport Collision Risks
At the NASA Formal Methods Symposium, CMU’s AirLab announced World2Rules, a neuro‑symbolic AI trained on PSC’s Bridges‑2 supercomputer to predict and explain airport surface collision risks. The system ingests the 10‑TB Amelia‑42 dataset—two years of FAA movement records from 42...
$214M Funding Covers Only Four Months of Fuel Hikes
Just a gentle reminder that raising $214 million to "save Spirit" is enough for about four months of cash to cover just the INCREASE in jet fuel prices and nothing else. This is not a cheap business.
Repair, Refinish, Revive: Mankiewicz Gives Cabin Parts Second Life with Coating Solutions
Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings used the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026 to promote its "Repair, Refinish, Revive" cabin‑interior coating portfolio. The company highlighted the ALEXIT FST micro‑effect system and ALEXIT EcoChrome trim coating, both designed for rapid application, scratch resistance and sustainability. Partnerships with...
NASA Retaining Six-Month ISS Missions
NASA will keep a roughly six‑month crew rotation on the International Space Station, moving the SpaceX Crew‑13 launch to mid‑September and shortening Crew‑12’s stay to about seven months. The change is intended to maximize ISS utilization before its scheduled retirement...
MQ‑9 Reaper Fires Laser‑Guided Rockets at Drones
MQ-9 Reaper Slings Drone-Killing Laser-Guided Rockets In Tests The MQ-9 successfully tested APKWS rockets against air and ground targets, as the demand for lower-cost counter-drone weapons surges. https://t.co/xrhkYcwR9F
Airlines Cutting Flights: How to Protect Yourself
Airlines are aggressively trimming schedules after the Iran conflict sparked fuel shortages and pushed jet fuel prices to multi‑year highs. The cuts focus on short‑haul routes under 300 miles, many of which do not feed long‑haul services. Flights scheduled between 10 a.m....
NASA and OPM Unveil "NASA Force" To Pull Top Engineers Into Federal Space Missions
NASA and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management have launched the NASA Force website, opening applications for aerospace engineers and technologists. The initiative, part of OPM's broader US Tech Force program, aims to funnel elite technical talent into mission‑critical federal...
Virgin Galactic Starts Production Acceptance Tests on Delta‑Class Spaceplane
Virgin Galactic has begun static and fatigue trials on Delta 1, the first of its new Delta‑Class spaceplanes, after completing structural assembly in April at its Mesa, Arizona facility. The tests mark a critical phase toward the company’s long‑term commercial launch...
Space Force to Overhaul Key Early Warning, Surveillance Radars Around the World
The U.S. Space Force announced a Ground Based Radar Digitization (GBRD) effort to modernize eight legacy missile‑warning and space‑surveillance radars worldwide, converting them from analog to digital. The upgrade will replace front‑end antennas, back‑end processors and software across sites in...
Lufthansa Group Orders More A350s And 787s
Lufthansa Group has placed a new order for ten Airbus A350‑900s and ten Boeing 787‑9 Dreamliners, with deliveries expected between 2032 and 2034. The purchase lifts the carrier’s unfilled order book to 232 aircraft, including 107 wide‑body jets. The aircraft...
55th Fighter Squadron Pilots Earn Distinguished Flying Cross
The U.S. Air Force announced that pilots from the 55th Fighter Squadron have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary aerial performance during recent operations. The citation highlights multiple high‑risk combat sorties, precision strike missions, and exemplary leadership under...
Behind the Scenes of NASA's Artemis II
NASA public‑affairs specialist Madison Tuttle witnessed the Artemis II splashdown aboard the USS John P. Murtha, coordinating broadcast and relaying real‑time data to the public‑affairs team. She described the re‑entry dynamics—25,000 mph, 5,000 °F heat shield, six‑minute communications blackout—and the flawless parachute deployment that led...
Air Force Reserve Wants to Put 24 F-35s at Homestead
The Department of the Air Force has named Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida as the top candidate to receive 24 F-35A Lightning II fighters, replacing the 482nd Fighter Wing’s aging F-16s. The basing decision will undergo a strategic review...
GA-ASI and USAF Demonstrate APKWS on MQ-9A Reaper
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and the U.S. Air Force successfully flight‑tested the laser‑guided Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) on an MQ‑9A Reaper at the Nevada Test and Training Range. Multiple shot profiles, including moving aerial targets, were executed flawlessly,...
How To Build A Premium Airline In The Sky Of Sameness
Delta Air Lines is extracting a disproportionate share of profit among the U.S. legacy carriers, capturing nearly half of the combined operating income while contributing only a third of total revenue. Its premium segment grew 14% year‑over‑year in Q1, outpacing...
BlackSky Shifts From “Imagery to Answers” As Gen-3 Constellation Hits Commercial Inflection
BlackSky’s third‑generation satellite constellation is now delivering 35‑centimeter resolution imagery in near‑real time, a capability once limited to classified systems. The company announced $160 million in new contracts and a $380 million backlog, highlighted by a $99 million Air Force IDIQ for large‑aperture...
Cowboy Space, Darkhive Detail Their Series B Rounds
Cowboy Space Corp., founded by Robinhood co‑founder Baiju Bhatt, closed a $275 million Series B that values the company at about $2 billion. The round, led by Index Ventures, will fund its first power‑beaming satellite and an AI‑focused data‑center module in partnership with...
MBDA and Indian Air Force MICA Missile Support Agreement
France’s MBDA and the Indian Air Force have signed a support agreement to establish a domestic MICA missile overhaul facility. MBDA will supply tooling, test equipment and training, while the IAF and Indian industry will operate the center. The move...
Starlink Shuts Down Its GPS-Style Cheat Code. Researchers May Unlock It Anyway.
SpaceX's Starlink has abruptly disabled the location‑data feature that let users access its satellite‑based positioning and navigation (PNT) service via the mobile app. The move comes despite growing interest in Starlink as a resilient alternative to GPS, which is increasingly...
Lunar Outpost Raises $30M Series B for Lunar Surface Mobility; MDA Space Is Among the Consortium Partners
Lunar Outpost closed a $30 million Series B round led by Industrious Ventures, bringing its total venture capital to roughly $52 million. The funding will accelerate development of its autonomous lunar surface mobility suite, including the Starweave swarm software and Stargate command platform,...
JetBlue Launched New Milan Flights From Boston Today
JetBlue launched its first nonstop service between Boston Logan and Milan Malpensa, operating daily on a seasonal schedule through October 5. The airline offers introductory economy fares as low as $349 one‑way and Mint business class seats starting at $2,199. Flights...
5 US Bases Selected for Anti-Drone Pilot Program
The Joint Interagency Task Force 401 has chosen five U.S. military installations—Fort Huachuca, Fort Bliss, Naval Base Kitsap, Grand Forks AFB, and Whiteman AFB—for an anti‑drone pilot program that will evaluate directed‑energy weapons. The effort follows recent laser tests in...
Remote ID Drone Detection
Virtower has launched a Remote ID Drone Detection system aimed at airport operators and law‑enforcement agencies. The solution leverages FAA‑mandated Remote ID signals to pinpoint unauthorized drones near airfields. It integrates with existing airport surveillance platforms, providing real‑time alerts and...
Rocket Labs (RKLB) Surge Boosts Space ETF UFO
Rocket Lab (RKLB) surged 34% after reporting first‑quarter revenue that topped analysts’ estimates and announcing a $190 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The rally marked the company’s strongest trading day ever and lifted the Procure Space ETF (UFO),...
Moscow Startup Plans First Distributed Solar Observatory Using Cubesats
Moscow-based small satellite developer proposes the "world's first distributed solar observatory" comprised of cubesats spread from Earth's orbit to Lagrange points. https://t.co/oSSdHr16A1
Spirit Cites Soaring Fuel Costs as Restructuring Blocker
Spirit blamed fuel costs as the reason its restructuring plan was no longer feasible https://t.co/gjBFYs8UrV
In Defence of Canada Briefing (Issue 9)
The U.S. Golden Dome missile‑defence initiative, backed by an initial $24.4 billion allocation, is reshaping continental security and creating a lucrative market for Canadian space firms. Kepler Communications, Telesat and MDA Space are positioning their technologies to become integral components of the...
![Breeze Airways Launches 5 Exciting New International Routes [List & Map]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://static0.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_2709654821-2-1.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop)
Breeze Airways Launches 5 Exciting New International Routes [List & Map]
Breeze Airways, originally a domestic ultra‑low‑cost carrier, has expanded its network to include five new Caribbean and Mexican routes, bringing its total international destinations to 14. The airline will launch Tampa‑Cancún service on Dec 19 2026 and add Pittsburgh‑Cancún, Richmond‑Cancún, Pittsburgh‑Punta Cana and...
C‑5 Galaxy to Serve Until 2050 Amid 37% Readiness
C-5 Galaxies Now Slated To Keep Flying Until 2050 As Readiness Plummets To 37 Percent Nothing in the USAF's inventory can do what a C-5 can, but even after costly upgrades, they remain extremely temperamental. https://t.co/T1lpSeT0VN
Creotech Plans $118 Million Capital Raise, Investment in New Satellite Factory
Polish space‑tech firm Creotech Instruments announced a $118 million capital raise to fund a new satellite factory slated for completion by 2029. The investment will enable the company to quadruple its output to roughly 40 satellites a year, addressing a current...
NTSB Investigates Frontier Evacuation After Denver Runway Fatality
The National Transportation Safety Board is gathering data on the evacuation of Frontier Airlines Flight 4345, which struck a pedestrian on Denver International Airport’s Runway 17L and aborted takeoff. All 231 aboard were evacuated, 12 suffered minor injuries and five were...
Your Anomaly Detection Isn’t the Problem
The article contends that the dominant cost in satellite operations is not rare anomalies but the routine monitoring that occupies roughly 80% of engineers' time. A 2025 industry survey and case studies—such as Planet’s SkySat automation and the European Data...
Great Hype, but Hardware Realization Remains a Tough Journey
Cool name and cool concept, but it is a long and difficult road from slick videos to real, functional hardware.
Two Airliners Collided Over the Grand Canyon—In Broad Daylight. How Could They Not See Each Other?
On June 30, 1956, a mid‑air collision over the Grand Canyon claimed all 128 lives aboard TWA Flight 2 and United 718. The tragedy stemmed from pilots’ inability to spot each other due to the constant‑bearing, decreasing‑range visual illusion and cockpit obstructions....
Russia Expands Alabuga Drone Hub by 340 Hectares and Restarts Re‑exports to Iran
Russia has enlarged the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan by 340 hectares, adding new hangars and worker housing, while also restarting the re‑export of Geran strike drones to Iran. The expansion underscores Moscow’s push to boost high‑tech defense output...