Know What's Happening in Aerospace
Know What's Happening in Aerospace
NASA faces steep FY2027 budget cuts, overall funding slashed to $11B
The White House’s FY2027 budget request proposes a 23% reduction to NASA’s total budget, bringing it down to roughly $11 billion. The Science Mission Directorate would see a 47% cut, dropping from $7.25 billion to about $3.9 billion.
U.S. Air Force B‑2 Spirit bombers participated in a maritime strike drill off California alongside Carrier Air Wing 11’s F/A‑18E/F Super Hornets. The exercise introduced the Navy’s new AIM‑174B “Gunslinger” missile, an air‑launched variant of the SM‑6, onto the carrier‑based fighters. By pairing the $2 billion stealth bomber with long‑range air‑to‑air missiles, planners tested integrated anti‑ship tactics and the B‑2’s emerging role in naval warfare. The drill underscores a broader push to fuse strategic bomber reach with carrier aviation for joint strike missions.
Vietnam Airlines announced a request for proposals to dry‑lease 12 widebody aircraft, targeting Airbus A350‑900XWB and Boeing 787‑9/10 models, with deliveries slated for 2028‑2030. The carrier plans an eight‑year lease term to reinforce its long‑haul capacity and expand its international...
Denvr, a Calgary AI‑infrastructure firm, signed two defence deals with Ottawa‑based Dominion Dynamics and Sapper Labs to embed its sovereign Canada AI Platform (CAIP) into drone simulation and AI‑enabled intelligence/cyber‑defence for the Canadian Armed Forces. Dominion will use CAIP to...
Amazon Leo announced a plan to double its launch cadence, targeting 20 missions in the second year after completing 11 launches in the first year. The company already operates more than 200 satellites and has hundreds of flight‑ready units stored...
Iran reportedly struck and destroyed the U.S. AN/TPY‑2 X‑band radar deployed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The AN/TPY‑2, a $500 million phased‑array system with a claimed 3,000 km range, is one of only 13 built worldwide. The loss highlights a...
ALTUS-LSA showcased its unmanned aerial platforms at the BATTLEFIELD ReDEFiNED 2026 forum in Nicosia, attracting more than 500 delegates and high‑level Cypriot officials. The company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cyprus‑based AmaDema Composites to produce composite components locally, bolstering...
NASA has revived its next‑generation flagship Earth‑observing program, renaming the Atmosphere Observing System to Falcon and the Surface Biology and Geology study to Eagle. The two‑satellite Eagle mission will include a high‑resolution spectrometer costing up to $310 million and a thermal...
Delta Air Lines raised its Q1 2026 revenue outlook, citing robust demand and record corporate travel bookings. The airline reported a 25% year‑over‑year sales increase, $4.5 billion free cash flow and the lowest debt level since 2019, while premium revenues have...
Acutec Precision Aerospace equipped three DMG MORI NZX 2000 nine‑axis mill‑turn centers with an inline metrology cell that combines a Mitutoyo MiSTAR 555 CMM and a FANUC robotic arm. The system moves parts directly from machining to measurement, delivering inspection results...
Russia's private space firm Bureau 1440 placed the first 16 Rassvet broadband satellites into low‑Earth orbit, marking the start of a planned 900‑satellite network intended as a domestic alternative to SpaceX's Starlink. The launch underscores Moscow's push to secure sovereign...
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s most expensive warship at $13.2 billion, was forced to leave the Middle East after a laundry‑area fire and dock in Crete. A Pentagon assessment reveals persistent data gaps and reliability concerns across its launch, radar, and...
Last week's EVSN took a closer look at the changing Lunar Exploration landscape. That story provides solid context for today's announcements. I've stuck it up on Medium: https://starstryder.medium.com/closer-look-nasa-rewrites-human-exploration-again-9013f90c7622?sk=ec8e6c25ff5bc4db7eeaab9320db7848
From the TWZ vault: Can The U.S. Military Make An Airplane Invisible To The Naked Eye? https://t.co/En5bCKn8tZ
The U.S. Space Force has moved the final GPS III‑8 satellite from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur to SpaceX’s Falcon 9, with launch no earlier than late April 2026. The swap follows a solid‑rocket‑motor anomaly on a Vulcan flight and is intended...
U.S. Battled Drone Incursions Over Key Bases At Home After Launch Of Epic Fury It remains unclear who is behind the incursions, which have occurred now at two bases in recent weeks, but concern is clearly elevated during a time of...
On March 10, 2026 Air Europa announced a codeshare with Chilean low‑cost carrier SKY Airline. The agreement lets Air Europa’s flight numbers appear on SKY’s services from Lima to Santiago and to five Peruvian domestic cities, with additional Latin American...
B-2 Spirits Heading To Iran Appear With Puzzling Features On Their Wings New images of B-2s heading out on an Epic Fury sortie show two jets with prominent squares arranged along their leading edges. https://t.co/PxTSIPZQM8
Smart technology and cross‑industry collaboration could eliminate the last major frictions in air travel—border checks and lost baggage. SITA estimates digitized border control can shave up to 80% off processing times, while IATA’s OneID initiative is gaining momentum worldwide. Bangalore’s...
The first SpaceX orbital launch attempt was 20 years ago today. Ashlee Vance: “the Falcon 1… quite likely changed the course of human history. The imaginations and passions of engineers and dreamers all around the world expanded.” (WTHWOS p.11.) For more Falcon...
Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall will track NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby using its 32‑metre GHY‑6 antenna, marking the first human deep‑space mission since Apollo 17. The commercial facility previously supported the uncrewed Artemis I flight and historically relayed the 1969 Apollo 11...
A fatal collision between an Air Canada Express regional jet and a fire‑truck at LaGuardia sparked a media rush to assign blame, despite limited factual information. The NTSB has promised a preliminary report within 30 days that will outline events...
Roman Space Telscope is getting ready to launch this year and I can’t believe I get to work on this awesome mission 🛰️ 🚀 ✨
easyJet has placed an order for Mirus Aircraft Seating’s next‑generation Kestrel Economy seats for its future A320neo and A321neo fleet, beginning with deliveries from 2028. The lightweight seats are over 20% lighter than current models and provide up to two...
The FAA has amended Swift Fuels' Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its 100R unleaded avgas, expanding the list of approved engines to include a broad mix of Continental, Lycoming, Franklin and other models. The amendment references updated fuel specifications dated...
ResilienX, Inc. received an FAA Certificate of Waiver allowing routine beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) drone flights without visual observers, using NUAIR’s FAA‑accepted surveillance network. The waiver, effective through September 30 2029, covers a 1,900‑square‑mile area in Central New York and lifts restrictions under 14 CFR...
U.S. Central Command said U.S. air strikes on March 6 destroyed Iran's Qom Turbine Engine Production Plant, a key source of gas turbine engines for IRGC drones and aircraft parts. The strike marks the most significant manufacturing blow to Iran's...
NASA announced the cancellation of the Lunar Gateway orbital station and a $20 billion reallocation to construct a permanent base on the Moon’s surface. The shift also includes a plan to launch a nuclear‑powered spacecraft to Mars by 2028, marking a...
NASA has moved the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission back onto the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center after completing extensive repairs in the Vehicle Assembly Building. The four‑astronaut flight, slated for early April, will resume the agency’s push to...
Brinc, a Seattle‑based drone startup founded in 2017 by Blake Resnick, showcased its tactical Lemur 2 drone in a live demo that highlighted glass‑breaching, LiDAR mapping, and two‑way communication capabilities. The demonstration featured the drone navigating obstacles, colliding with a wall...
Aerotec Group has completed the acquisition of Croatia‑based Global Aerotech, turning Rijeka Airport into a central European hub for line and base maintenance, aircraft storage, cabin refurbishment and teardown. The 2,500‑meter runway and 24‑hour IFR capability allow the facility to...
The war in Iran is exposing the high cost of existing missile‑interceptor systems, prompting a surge in demand for affordable defense solutions. Current interceptors can be up to 100 times more expensive than the cheap drones and missiles they target,...
Redwire secured a $12.8 million contract from Moog to supply its Extensible Low‑Profile Solar Array (ELSA) for the Meteor satellite bus. ELSA delivers roughly 50 % more power per unit volume than conventional arrays, targeting mass‑manufactured satellites. The arrays will be designed,...
NASA plans to launch the Space Reactor‑1 Freedom by late 2028, marking the first nuclear‑electric propulsion spacecraft bound for Mars. The mission will demonstrate high‑power, efficient thrust for deep‑space travel where solar power is insufficient. Upon arrival, SR‑1 Freedom will...
The Federal Communications Commission announced a strategic push to dominate the emerging "Space Race 2.0" by accelerating satellite licensing and allocating over 20,000 MHz of new spectrum. FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz outlined a "licensing assembly line" to speed approvals and...
SEA Prime, operating under the Milano Prime brand at Milan’s Linate and Malpensa airports, reported a 16% year‑on‑year traffic increase in early 2026, with daily peaks above 130 movements. The surge is linked to the Milan‑Cortina Winter Olympics and Milan...
Southern Sky Aviation inaugurated a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility at Trent Lott International Airport in Pascagoula, Mississippi on March 19, turning the airport into an official point of entry for international flights. The 24/7 customs service, part of...
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued Version 1.1 of its GPS/GNSS Interference Resource Guide, just three months after the initial release. The update adds detailed cockpit instructions for spotting interference, such as time shifts, map anomalies, and false terrain alerts. It...
NASA’s biggest announcement in years, their plan for how to beat China and Russia in The Space Race 2.0! #space #nasa #moon #artemis #astrokobi
#ThisDayInTechHistory. March 24, 1965. Millions watch for the first time as the Ranger 9 space probe crashed into the moon. (NASA) #Space #Exploration #History https://t.co/PFyzWvwTPV
The space sector faces a data‑transport bottleneck as satellite constellations generate more information than RF links can downlink. Industry leaders are transitioning from isolated spacecraft to distributed orbital data centers, where satellites act as networked nodes processing and sharing data...
NVIDIA-Backed Starcloud Tests Orbital #Data Centers with H100 AI GPU in Space by @IntEngineering #SpaceTech #Tech #Technology #EmergingTech #Space https://t.co/huY6Fk3TU4
Note to illustrators: videos of last night's Soyuz launch show that it used a different ("military" style) payload fairing from the Ariane-4-derived 81KS type depicted by the satellite developer. Context: https://t.co/zaum1S7eWh https://t.co/7iPE8xWFls
Planning For Army’s New MV-75 Tiltrotor Already Part Of Officer Training, General Says With the Army putting its MV-75 tiltrotor on a blazingly fast track, troops are already getting experience on the aircraft before the first one is even delivered. https://t.co/WGPIrfTgOs
.@SES_Satellites: 28-sat-bus order w/ @K2Space to launch starting 2029; 1st Pathfinder demo goes up on @SpaceX Transporter 16; SES building the payloads, and also to build payloads for @defis @esa #Iris2 MEO-orbit component. @Thales_Alenia_S @BoeingSpace.https://t.co/vhvvGNlR9m https://t.co/Hdbe6GTD8I
A US Navy P-8 Poseidon got bonked by a foreign aircraft taxiing into it at an undisclosed location on March 20. Damage was enough to classify it as a Class A (>$2.5m) https://t.co/k13bI4dv4P
United Airlines Adds A New Way To Sleep In Coach — 3 Economy Seats Turn Into A Bed Starting Next Year - View from the Wing https://t.co/Hw77iaTeMq
United Airlines bets bigger on premium travel as Iran war drives up fuel costs https://t.co/fOUsTNwpRK
I’m choosing my words carefully here—I have concerns putting our troops into this sort of environment, without prior c-uas testing in a high density combat environment or more direct learning from the AFU. Please factor c-UAS into these deliberations....
"Coastliner" is an epically great name for @United's new airplane. It evokes the old, great age of flight—which is gradually getting rebuilt anew. I'm looking forward to flying on one of these.
Pod party on this F-15EX: Sniper targeting pod, AAQ-13 Nav pod w/terrain following radar, and Legion IRST pod. F-15EX is the bolt on sensor king of fighters.
