Know What's Happening in Aerospace
Know What's Happening in Aerospace
Artemis II crew prepares for historic lunar flyby
NASA’s four‑person Artemis II crew has passed the mission’s halfway point and is set for a five‑hour lunar flyby on April 6, skimming 4,000‑6,500 miles above the Moon’s far side to capture high‑resolution images of the Orientale basin and test Orion’s life‑support and navigation systems. The Space Launch System placed Orion into Earth orbit with 99.92% trajectory accuracy, and the crew will target a splashdown around April 10‑11.
Also developing:
Terra Drone Corp., a Japanese leader in drone and urban air mobility technology, announced a full‑scale entry into the defense equipment market and will establish a U.S. subsidiary, Terra Defense, by the end of fiscal 2026. The move leverages the company’s global drone expertise to supply rapid, cost‑efficient unmanned assets for defense applications. It targets a rapidly expanding UAV market projected to reach $22.8 billion by 2030, with particular focus on Japan’s $1.96 billion unmanned‑defense budget and allied nations facing heightened security risks. Terra Drone plans to roll out a diversified portfolio that includes interceptor drones, ISR platforms, and unmanned surface vessels.
Radiate Engineering & Design AG of Zurich launched FlyBlocks, a production‑ready structural airframe platform targeting professional B2B VTOL UAVs focused on long‑range missions. The modular system includes three scalable models—VT‑14, VT‑22 and VT‑30—covering MTOW from 5 kg to 28 kg and ranges...
While we don't have access to the astrophage from ProjectHailMary in real life, scientists are designing space probes that rely on the same basic principle it uses to travel between the stars: very low mass objects accelerated to very high...
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station by 2030, ending more than 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit. Rather than building a government‑owned replacement, the agency will buy services from private platforms to cut costs and sustain...
Pendleton UAS Range and AI‑focused firm Gambit have teamed up to deliver a Red Force as a Service offering for counter‑UAS testing, validation, and operator training. The integrated capability creates realistic, coordinated multi‑aircraft threat scenarios within a controlled, FAA‑approved airspace,...
Steadicopter, a developer of rotary unmanned aerial systems, announced the launch of its Steadicopter UAS Academy, a global training program for operators, mission commanders and technicians. The curriculum emphasizes the unique capabilities of rotary UAVs—persistent hover, precision deployment and flexibility—across...
U.S. airports are confronting a perfect storm of financial strain, operational disruptions, and aging infrastructure. A recent fatal collision at LaGuardia highlighted safety concerns amid a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse that left TSA agents unpaid and caused long...
The U.S. Department of Transportation released its 2025 T‑100 airline traffic data through December, and AirInsight’s forecasting model shows domestic passenger volumes rebounding strongly but losing momentum. While year‑over‑year growth remains positive, the model struggles to shed pandemic‑era assumptions, indicating...
Mayor Helena Moreno and regional leaders unveiled the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) Master Plan, a ten‑year roadmap to accommodate projected growth to 8.6‑9.7 million departing passengers. The plan calls for a second terminal, 10‑15 new gates, upgraded roadways,...
Operation Epic Fury entered its fourth week as the United States expanded its force posture in the Middle East. New deployments include up to 24 F‑16C Block 50 fighters from Misawa and Shaw bases, additional EA‑18G Growlers and E‑2D Hawkeyes, and...
SpinLaunch is developing a kinetic‑launch system that uses a 100‑meter vacuum chamber to spin payloads, potentially cutting rocket fuel and structural mass by up to 70 %. The company raised $30 million in a Series C round, bringing total funding to $203 million, and...
Russia’s Progress 94 cargo freighter suffered an antenna deployment failure shortly after liftoff, preventing its planned autonomous docking with the International Space Station. NASA announced that cosmonaut Sergey Kud‑Sverchkov will pilot the vehicle manually using an undisclosed backup system. The spacecraft...
![Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 23, 2026] Look Ahead W/ Byron Callan](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/articles/a2883ea803703e9d9eb32e7a418c4dfe.webp)
President Trump postponed his five‑day ultimatum to strike Iran’s power grid after positive diplomatic talks, extending the window for the Strait of Hormuz to return to normal traffic. The delay comes as the administration prepares a $200 billion war supplemental and...
An international virtual collection of experimental and numerical studies on hypersonic laminar‑turbulent transition has been published. The compilation aggregates data from multiple research groups focusing on complex vehicle geometries. It provides a shared database to benchmark and improve predictive models...
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has appointed former Air India Express chief Aloke Singh as its new Chief Strategy Officer, effective April 6. The move follows the abrupt resignation of CEO Pieter Elbers and a December operational crisis that forced thousands of flight cancellations...
An Air Canada Express flight operated by Jazz Aviation struck a firetruck on a LaGuardia runway, killing the two pilots and injuring dozens of the 72 passengers and four crew members. Investigators are probing controller staffing and shift practices amid...
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened a public comment period, ending April 22, to gather input on how unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) should be incorporated into existing airports and emerging droneports. The request targets airports, operators, and other stakeholders to...
United Airlines flight UA1394, a Boeing 737‑700, attempted a midfield takeoff from Chicago O’Hare’s runway 10L on March 19, 2026, but the crew aligned the aircraft with the left‑hand edge lights instead of the centerline. The takeoff was aborted at...
At the 2026 Satellite Show in Washington, D.C., ThinKom Solutions unveiled a modular, high‑mobility ground architecture designed to replace static satellite command centers. The system, built around the Variable Inclination Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) phased‑array antenna, can connect to GEO,...
What Has Happened at LaGuardia Airport? Join me live over on Mentour Pilot YT as the story develops. (Link in story) #BreakingNews #AviationNews #aviation #airplane #mentourpilot
ATC Manufacturing secured a U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory contract to develop a large‑format hydraulic press capable of high‑rate thermoplastic composite (TPC) processing for parts up to 10 ft × 5 ft. The program, partnered with Anduril Industries and Toray Advanced Composites, aims to...
OHB SE reported FY 2025 results that beat its profitability guidance, with revenue climbing 21% to €1.25 bn (≈ $1.36 bn) and adjusted EBIT rising 17% to €84 m (≈ $92 m). The company’s order backlog reached a record €3.19 bn (≈ $3.48 bn), driven by a €248 m (≈ $270 m) ESA...
De Havilland Canada has delivered its 1,000th DHC‑6 Twin Otter, handing the aircraft to Colombian regional carrier SATENA. The milestone underscores a production run that began in 1965 and highlights the model’s enduring appeal in remote‑operating markets. SATENA now operates...
NASA will host a public event on March 24, 2026 at its Washington headquarters to detail how the agency is executing President Donald J. Trump’s National Space Policy. The agenda includes remarks by Administrator Jared Isaacman and high‑level panels on Artemis II, the goal of...
The Department of War announced a series of major defense contracts on March 20, 2026, including a $414 million modification that lifts the Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory’s Missile Defense Agency award to a $714 million ceiling through November 2031. The...
Cebu Pacific announced a temporary scaling back of its international network as the Middle East conflict drives jet‑fuel prices to more than double 2025 levels. The airline will suspend Davao‑Bangkok, Iloilo‑Bangkok, Iloilo‑Singapore and Clark‑Hanoi routes through October and trim frequencies...
NASA’s Van Allen Probe A burned up over the eastern Pacific on March 11, 2026, ending a seven‑year mission that far outlasted its planned two‑year lifespan. The 1,300‑pound (600 kg) spacecraft, launched in 2012, spent nearly a decade studying Earth’s radiation belts and delivering...
Intensive Russian air‑force deployment since Syria and the 2022 Ukraine invasion has led to a surge in technical failures. A Ukrainian OSINT report covering 29 Dec 2025‑18 Jan 2026 lists 24 incidents at 19 bases, including engine malfunctions, navigation glitches, and a half‑ton bomb...
Kymeta Corporation announced the KuKa 8 Series, a single‑aperture antenna that operates on both Ku and Ka bands and across GEO, MEO, LEO and HEO constellations. The flat‑panel terminal delivers roughly 44 percent less footprint and a low‑SWaP profile of 41 lb (18.6 kg)....
A deadly runway collision at LaGuardia is more than an accident—it’s a warning about the limits of an overstretched aviation system. https://open.substack.com/pub/milesobrien/p/the-warning-we-cant-and-yet-do-ignore?r=1lalbc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Would the LGA crash or last year's Reagan crash that killed 67 have happened if ATC wasn't so stressed? I don't know. I do know politicians are stress-testing vital systems with our lives. Enough is fucking enough. This is no way...
On 30 January ESA appointed Laurent Jaffart to head a new Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity Directorate tasked with developing space‑based security and defence capabilities. The agency says it will honor the Convention by interpreting “exclusively peaceful” to ban only aggressive actions,...
There is an eyewitness report on the Novosti Kosmonavtiki web forum from the Ukhta area (NE of Plesetsk) about a rocket launch and stage separation (in one piece), possibly indicating an ICBM launch: https://t.co/bElbE6hVlW https://t.co/adIadiu1hY
Here's the NASA press release about tomorrow's (Tuesday, Mar 24) all-day meeting at NASA HQ about implementing Trump's Dec 2025 Executive Order re Artemis. https://t.co/fR9uM0P2io Livestreamed. Starts at 9:00 am ET. News conf at 4:45 pm ET.
Aeroprobe has joined Unmanned Systems Technology’s global supplier ecosystem as a Silver supplier, offering ISO 9001:2015‑certified air data and flow measurement systems for UAVs. Its product line includes micro air data computers, multi‑function probes, pitot‑static probes, and total‑air‑temperature sensors designed to...
NASA will share a ton of Artemis planning information tomorrow at HQ. I’ve highlighted Garcia-Galan because he was deputy program manager for Gateway prior to this. https://t.co/HlCvRYr1N6
#ThisDayInTechHistory. March 23, 1983. President Ronald Reagan delivered his famous "Star Wars" speech, officially the Strategic Defense Initiative or SDI. #JVGpost https://t.co/Q1TbucLMjG
The FAA forecasts that nearly two million drones will operate in U.S. airspace within a few years, yet state and local governments lack affordable, real‑time monitoring solutions. Federal proposals such as Part 108 and expanded JIATF‑401 authority aim to tighten counter‑UAS...
#ThisDayInTechHistory. March 23, 2001. The Mir Russian Space station reenters Earth's atmosphere and breaks up after 15 years in space. (First Post) #Space #Exploration #JVGpost https://t.co/qAgsA3nlep
Airlines have an opportunity to rethink who controls the cabin connectivity layer, putting themselves in the driver’s seat. We sit down with Quvia to learn how it's 'Grid' and 'Sync' solutions can help airlines follow the cruise industry and take...
Indonesia’s Defence Ministry confirmed a deal with India to acquire BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, valued at roughly $300‑450 million. The agreement, negotiated since 2023, will deliver at least one missile battery for coastal defence, with contract signing slated for mid‑2026. The...
Blue Origin files paperwork to put 51,600 AI data center satellites in orbit: Project Sunrise: a proposed “mega-constellation” of solar-powered satellites that would perform AI compute directly in orbit https://t.co/kk1MXTDoaM #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Tech #TechNews
Contrivian, a California‑based managed connectivity provider, unveiled Contrivian Constellation, a bundled service that merges Amazon Leo and Starlink satellite networks under a single data plan, contract, and IP address. The system leverages the company’s Lighthouse technology to continuously evaluate both...
CML Micro debuted its satellite communications semiconductor portfolio at SATShow 2026 in Washington, D.C., showcasing GaAs and GaN RF and mmWave devices for Ku, K, and Ka‑band applications. The exhibit, held with distribution partner RFMW at Booth 1658, featured power amplifiers...
At the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, executives forecast that air cargo volumes will keep expanding in 2026 despite ongoing market volatility. LATAM Cargo reported moving over one million tonnes in 2025, generating $1.7 billion in revenue, underscoring the sector’s...
An Air Canada regional jet collided with a fire‑truck on LaGuardia’s runway during a landing attempt, killing both pilots and injuring roughly 40 passengers and crew. The fire‑truck had been cleared to cross the runway to respond to a separate...
Germany announced a new aid package that finances 15,000 STRILA interceptor drones for Ukraine’s National Guard, accompanied by training, logistics and further development support. The missile‑type UAV is engineered to engage high‑speed threats such as Shahed‑136 and Shahed‑131 drones, extending...
The Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) announced its 35th virtual meeting will occur June 8‑11, 2026, offering the small‑body community a platform for collaboration. NASA has recently ended direct funding for all eight planetary‑science Assessment Groups, prompting SBAG to reassess its role...
