Know What's Happening in Aerospace
Know What's Happening in Aerospace
China tests 7.5‑tonne hydrogen‑turboprop cargo plane
China’s Aero Engine Corporation flew a 7.5‑tonne unmanned cargo aircraft powered by a 1‑megawatt hydrogen turboprop for 16 minutes, covering 36 km at 220 km/h and 300 m altitude. The test demonstrates the engine’s reliability and the country’s claim of a fully domestic hydrogen‑engine supply chain.
Air Côte d'Ivoire has rolled out the Kaelis coat hanger to streamline boarding for premium travelers. The three‑wheel system lets cabin crew assign seat numbers directly on the hanger, eliminating the need to collect boarding passes and cutting mix‑ups. Its sleek, luxury‑inspired finish and anti‑slip pads combine durability with style. By speeding the boarding process, the airline frees crew to focus on personalized service and overall passenger experience.
Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) will celebrate its 25th edition in Hamburg from April 14‑16, 2026, featuring nearly 500 exhibitors, including 74 newcomers. The milestone event adds a pre‑show evening, a dedicated Passenger Experience Conference, and the Crystal Cabin Awards ceremony....
Voyager 2’s August 1989 fly‑by of Neptune revealed a previously unknown moon, later named Proteus, the planet’s second‑largest satellite. The spacecraft snapped two images—one from roughly 540,000 miles with five‑mile‑per‑pixel resolution, and another from 91,000 miles capable of resolving features as small as 1.7 miles....
Delta Air Lines is phasing out its aging Boeing 717 fleet, which it acquired from Southwest after the AirTran merger. The carrier has selected the Airbus A220 family, primarily the A220‑100 and A220‑300, as the replacement for regional and short‑haul...
U.S. Space Command is initiating a phased relocation to Huntsville, Alabama, beginning with a secure SCIF at Redstone Arsenal slated for an April ribbon‑cutting and capacity for over 80 personnel. By the end of 2024, about 200 staff members will...
Aviation advisory firm Steer appointed Mary‑Frances Alonzo as vice president of airport commercial services. Alonzo previously served as deputy aviation commercial officer at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and held commercial roles at Minneapolis‑Saint Paul and...
Government agencies are increasingly using commercial contracting models for space hardware, but most advanced capabilities still rely on the government as the sole customer. Executives from Impulse Space, Rendezvous Robotics, and Momentus argue that high‑performance, defense‑oriented technologies lack commercial demand....
The Simple Flying Podcast’s 284th episode reviews the latest Air Canada crash investigation, United Airlines’ bold move to add couches in economy and invest in three new aircraft types, easyJet’s launch of a Newcastle base with fresh seating, Delta’s continued...
NASA announced that the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is now fully assembled after integrating its two primary segments at Goddard’s largest clean room. The agency will host a media briefing on April 21, with a live‑streamed news conference, to...
Miami International Airport announced a $1 billion expansion of Concourse D60, adding 17 new gates, upgraded passenger amenities, and a modernized baggage system. The project is part of the broader $9 billion M.I.A. Plan and is slated to break ground in 2027...
NASA is initiating the final countdown for Artemis II, the agency’s first crewed lunar mission scheduled for Jan. 17, 2026. The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft are being moved to Launch Pad 39B, where a detailed L‑minus and T‑minus timeline will guide fueling, system...
Russia's defence ministry said its forces downed almost 400 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, a surge that underscores the intensifying aerial barrage between Moscow and Kyiv. The claim highlights the growing reliance on unmanned systems and the heightened...
The Pentagon signed three framework agreements with Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Honeywell Aerospace to accelerate missile manufacturing, quadrupling output of Precision Strike Missiles and THAAD interceptors while expanding component production. The move aims to balance high‑cost hypersonic systems with...
Swiss startup Pave Space closed a $40 million seed round led by Visionaries Club and Creandum to develop a 20‑metric‑ton heavy‑kickstage capable of transferring satellites from low‑Earth orbit to GEO, MEO or lunar trajectories in less than a day. The funding...
German‑based PAVE Space announced the close of a $40 million seed round, led by Visionaries Club, Creandum and other investors. The funding will be used to develop its orbital transfer vehicles, LYOBA and IBEX, designed to reposition satellites from low‑Earth orbit...
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are accelerating Javelin missile production by expanding a network of nearly 100 part‑level suppliers and 25 major subcontractors. Over the past year each supplier invested eight to ten months in new tooling, test equipment and additional...
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously advanced the ALERT Act, directing the FAA to set a Dec. 31, 2031 deadline for aircraft to carry collision‑mitigation technology and permitting portable ADS‑B In devices as an alternative compliance method. The bill also requires a...
The House Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act, a sweeping aviation‑safety bill prompted by the fatal 2025 mid‑air collision that killed 67 people near Washington, D.C. The legislation, passed 53‑0, mandates crash‑prevention...
Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority has postponed its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) levy and the 1% SAF usage mandate by a year, shifting implementation to tickets sold after Oct. 1, 2023 for flights departing Jan. 1, 2027. The original schedule targeted April ticket...
Airlines and airports have invested trillions in technology, yet passenger frustration persists, highlighting a gap in the human service element. The article argues that optimizing staff experience is the missing ingredient that can transform travel, citing Heathrow’s staff app as...
Avianca will operate more than 8,300 flights and provide over 1.4 million seats between March 27 and April 6, covering a network of 150+ routes to 80+ destinations in 27 countries across the Americas and Europe. The schedule targets the Holy Week travel...
Alkan Air is leasing three King Air 350 turboprops from Yukon First Nations Air Leasing Limited Partnership, with the partnership granting YFNAL LP a 75% stake in each aircraft. The three planes were added to Alkan’s certificate in October 2025, expanding a fleet...
Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) has begun dispensing Swift Fuels UL94, an unleaded avgas, alongside traditional 100LL leaded fuel. A state‑backed subsidy ensures the unleaded option is priced the same as leaded fuel, and the airport will reimburse up...
Samson Sky signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tajikistan’s government to deliver 50 Switchblade flying cars worth roughly $11.5 million. The agreement also tasks the company with helping modernise general‑aviation legislation so the vehicles can be registered locally. Samson Sky will...
Indian unmanned systems firm BonV Aero has teamed with NASDAQ‑listed ParaZero Technologies to launch DefendAir, a hard‑kill counter‑drone system that captures hostile UAVs with kinetic nets. The system can fire five nets within a 50‑metre radius, neutralising drones from 30 cm...
Writing a talk that includes this gem from Apollo 12 so thought I’d share it! Also if you know where those TV transmissions might live let me know, Google has truly become crap as a search engine. #author #history #space...
NASA will unveil the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope -- which Nicky Fox cheers as under budget and ahead of schedule -- at Goddard Space Flight Center on April 21. Press bfg at 4:00 pm ET will be on YouTube....
China successfully launched two synthetic‑aperture radar satellites aboard a Long March 2D from Taiyuan, expanding its all‑weather imaging capability for both civilian and military use. The launch adds to China’s fourteen orbital missions in 2026, still far behind SpaceX’s thirty‑seven launches that...
A ~20% reduction in New Glenn capacity compared to the originally expected 61 satellites... https://t.co/H4l2vyx0DP
NEW: The Navy sets the plan and requirements to replace its T-45 trainer, targeting an EMD cost of no more than $1.7 billion to start fielding 216 aircraft To get there, the Navy has officially settled on not requiring unflared landings/field...
India's Union Cabinet approved a ten‑year Modified UDAN scheme with a total outlay of roughly $3.5 billion (Rs 28,840 crore). The plan earmarks $1.46 billion for upgrading 100 airports, $439 million for 200 modern helipads, and $1.2 billion in Viability Gap Funding to sustain regional airline...
We break-- buried on pg 8 of AF Space acquisition boss's HASC statement yesterday -- more bad news for RTX OCX system after AF accepted last July: ``extensive and more operationally relevant testing w actual GPS satellites, ground antennas,...
Air China's losses widen in 2025 as fare pressure weighs, risks ahead from Iran war https://t.co/rytW0V9qbu
Satlantis posted 2025 revenue of €47.8 million (about $56.4 million), with EBITDA of €14.4 million (≈$16.9 million). More than half of the income came from small‑satellite sales and operations, while optical payloads grew to 30% of total revenue. The company announced a FlexSat program...
Veteran KC-135 Base Commander’s View Of Epic Fury’s Strain On The Tanker Force Retired Colonel Troy Pananon knows just how big a toll Epic Fury is taking on the fleet, its maintainers, and aircrews. Exclusive: https://t.co/QmUmvLbbed
Confirming recent rumors that the Administration will send the FY2027 budget request to Congress next week, Sen Approps Cmte chair Susan Collins tells Politico it's supposed to arrive at the end of next week. https://t.co/eF2p9GpD3K Vought to testify to...
South Korea has rolled out the first KF‑21 Boramae from its new assembly line, signalling the start of serial production for the country’s domestically developed fighter. The milestone underscores Seoul’s push for self‑reliance in advanced defense aerospace amid regional security...
.@Open_Cosmos @RafelJorda, under September @ITU deadline for Ka-band constellation: 'We're building satellites like there's no tomorrow, 24/7, at our four sites.' @esa @TesatSpacecom @trans_celestial. https://t.co/25uSLtzteI https://t.co/avruEhlyux
Navy F/A-18’s Close Call With An Iranian SAM Highlights Remaining Risks To Epic Fury Aviators Even in lower-threat coastal areas, MANPADS are a real risk to lower-flying aircraft, and true air supremacy across Iran still isn't a reality. Updating Live: https://t.co/yn4zkYaM4A
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a $20 billion, seven‑year roadmap to build a permanent lunar base, accelerate Artemis launches to a twice‑yearly cadence and launch a nuclear‑propelled Mars mission by 2028. The plan reshapes U.S. space policy, redirects Gateway resources and...
NASA's new "Ignition" website (https://t.co/hkp5h15SSN) now has the Powerpoints from Tuesday. Keep scrolling down past "media resources" to each topic. Fact sheets and links to the RFIs/RFPs are there too.
American Airlines is serving a $1 shelf‑stable three‑cheese pasta on its Salt Lake City‑Philadelphia First‑Class route, a meal that must be pre‑loaded due to the airline’s lack of local catering contracts. The pasta, originally priced at 99 rupees (about US$1.05), is...
Novaspace’s latest HTS report projects global high‑throughput satellite demand to reach 218 Tbps and service revenues to climb to $76 billion by 2034, more than double current levels. The surge is fueled by rapid NGSO constellation growth, especially Starlink, which has reset...
ST Engineering iDirect and G&S SatCom have been honored with the Satellite Innovation Group Cooperation of the Year award for integrating G&S SatConnect® into iDirect’s next‑generation Intuition ground system. The combined platform unifies network operations, service management, and OSS/BSS through...
The AIAA calls on Congress to treat U.S. aerospace and defense laboratories, wind tunnels, and test ranges as national treasures, urging sustained capital investment and lifecycle stewardship. A GAO report shows the federal real‑property maintenance backlog ballooned from $171 billion in...
Dutch F‑35A fighters have deployed to Hill Air Force Base in Utah for the largest‑ever Dutch training detachment, participating in Exercise Lightning Forge with the U.S. 388th Fighter Wing. Over March, the squadron flew two daily sortie waves, using live...
GE Aerospace announced a second consecutive $1 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing for 2026, targeting both commercial and defense engine production. The plan includes hiring 5,000 additional workers, bringing total new hires to 10,000 since 2025. Over $275 million will upgrade defense...
Beyond Earth Ventures is hosting a Q1 Office Hours webinar on March 31, featuring founding partner Alexandra Vidyuk and managing director Patrick Beatty. The session will dissect the potential SpaceX IPO, unpack NASA's latest moon‑base initiatives, and analyze current M&A...
Airbus’s flagship A350 program has missed its delivery targets dramatically. While the company promised nine aircraft per month by the end of 2025, actual output averaged five per month, yielding only 55‑57 units instead of the planned 108. The shortfall...
