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.
Airlines now earn more from co‑branded credit cards than from flying passengers, with Delta pulling $8.2 billion and American $6.2 billion in 2025—amounts that dwarf their operating incomes. Executives like Doug Parker admit that traditional hub profitability models ignore the true value of high‑spending cardholders, especially in wealthy metros such as New York, Chicago, and Washington. Delta and United have reshaped their network strategies to prioritize these affluent markets, while American’s hubs in Philadelphia and Charlotte miss the premium cardholder base. The industry’s growth frontier is shifting from passenger volume to household spending power.
LAUNCH at 1549 UTC of a Jielong-3 from the DFHT barge near Haiyan in the Yellow Sea placing 10 more Weili Kongjian (Centispace) navigation augmentation satellites in orbit
Blue Origin announced a Near‑Earth Object (NEO) Hunter mission concept in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, aiming to test multiple asteroid‑deflection techniques such as ion‑beam propulsion and direct kinetic impact. The plan leverages the in‑development Blue Ring spacecraft, which...
The team (@sam_lair, @DuitsmanMS, others) spent the last few weeks examining this video showing a U.S. Patriot launch in Bahrain. We're confident this interceptor was involved in the explosion over Sitra that damaged 60 residences and injured more than...
Payload Space’s latest analysis highlights high‑fire‑volume missile defense systems as a viable alternative to costly space‑based interceptors. The piece argues that ground‑based rapid‑launch batteries can engage multiple threats simultaneously, reducing reliance on orbital platforms. It cites recent test data showing...
Sad but true. Most of what a pilot does mid flight is to check in and let ATC know they are still in radio contact or changing frequencies.
During the week of March 9, sophisticated drone swarms attacked Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, forcing the temporary suspension of B‑52H bomber launches supporting Operation Epic Fury against Iran. The four‑hour daily waves, each comprising 12‑15 drones, overwhelmed the base’s limited electronic...
Poland’s Ekolot Aerospace & Defense completed the inaugural test flights of its ZEUS unmanned aircraft, demonstrating stable, autonomous operation in conventional take‑off and landing (CTOL) mode. The modular platform, developed with Spain’s UAV Navigation‑Grupo Oesía, can be reconfigured for VTOL...
Iran fired two intermediate‑range ballistic missiles at the U.S. base on Diego Garcia, over 4,100 km away, contradicting earlier claims of a 2,000 km limit. One missile failed in flight while the other was likely intercepted by a U.S. Standard Missile‑3 (SM‑3)....
One Overheated Circuit Board Grounded 5 D.C.-Area Airports — After FAA Dropped Maintenance On Old Systems - View from the Wing https://t.co/pDNl8gYFgu
FlightPath3D’s strategic expansion into business aviation is paying off. Less than 12 months ago, the aviation map-maker hit the 2,500-#BizAv tail mark. Now it reveals it has been linefit "for years" on every Textron Citation that comes out of the...
On March 13 the FAA halted flights at Washington National, Dulles, Baltimore, Andrews and Richmond for about two and a half hours after a strong chemical odor forced the evacuation of the Potomac TRACON. The smell originated from an overheating circuit...
U.S. Central Command released satellite imagery confirming that a precision strike between March 1 and March 7, 2026 rendered the Kuh‑E Barjamali ballistic missile assembly facility near Tehran inoperable. The plant was identified as a production hub for close, short and medium‑range missiles, and...
Given UK air & missile defence IAMD was only allocated £1bn in SDR & a SINGLE THAAD battery is roughly about the same - vast gap between threats & funding. MRBM strikes perhaps lowest risk, but most challenging &...
Russia successfully launched a Soyuz‑2.1a rocket carrying the Progress MS‑33 cargo spacecraft from a repaired launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 22, 2026. The launch restores the only Baikonur pad capable of handling Soyuz crew and cargo missions after it was...
On March 20, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, the Guangzhou Baiyun District Government and eVTOL pioneer EHang launched a joint talent training base on the university campus. The initiative shifts focus from pure engineering to market and legal expertise needed...
Kazakhstan’s Alatau new city is building a low‑altitude economy and will become the first location outside China to test long‑range electric air taxis above 120 metres. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev announced signed agreements with U.S.‑based Joby Aero and China’s...
Eutelsat has terminated its 15‑year capacity lease on Russia’s Express‑AT1 and Express‑AT2 geostationary satellites. Express‑AT1 was declared lost after a technical failure, while Express‑AT2 faces operational limits due to Western sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The lease, which...
Israel’s air‑defense network, now operating in tandem with U.S. forces, has shifted from theory to live combat. A layered architecture—Arrow 3, Arrow 2, THAAD, David’s Sling and Iron Dome—covers the full altitude spectrum, intercepting missiles before they reach civilian areas. Joint command...
The Intelligence: The C5i Data Pivot, the 33% Interceptor Burn, and the "Vera Rubin" Reality https://t.co/32gFfl0dFl
One of the rendezvous antennas aboard Progress MS-33 failed to deploy, likely prompting the use of the TORU manual-control by the ISS crew to guide the cargo ship to docking... https://t.co/snqlHtWeDl
Iran’s army public relations office announced that a surface‑to‑air missile shot down a U.S. F‑15 fighter near the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the aircraft violated Iranian airspace. The United States has not confirmed the loss, and CENTCOM officials continue to...
A Soyuz rocket lifts off from Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan, carrying the Progress MS-33 cargo ship to the International Space Station. Mission details, updates: https://t.co/U0Mzlpkmer https://t.co/VKOSMpjPHC
United Added Doors To Its New Business Class Suites — Then Locked Them Shut [Roundup] - View from the Wing https://t.co/yOXGBXhsGE
RSI Europe, a fast‑growing Lithuanian defense tech firm, announced a vacancy for a Product Operator focused on its FPV drone systems. The role combines client training, after‑sales support, and direct feedback to product engineers, requiring extensive drone expertise and multilingual...
A Soyuz rocket with a Progress cargo ship is ready to lift off from the newly restored launch pad at Site 31 in one hour: https://t.co/U0Mzlpkmer https://t.co/rFVE71MWiO
Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles aimed at the joint US‑UK military installation on Diego Garcia, prompting an emergency G7 statement demanding an immediate stop to all attacks. The strike follows a broader wave of missiles targeting Israel and...
Brazil’s civil aviation authority (ANAC) approved a national framework allowing beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) delivery drones to operate over densely populated areas. The rule lets Speedbird Aero’s DLV‑2 A25 fly over zones with up to 5,000 people per square kilometre and the...
NASA’s Zero-Gravity #Robotic Arms Master Delicate, Heavy, and Irregular Grips by @tweetciiiim #Tech #TechForGood #EmergingTech https://t.co/MkbKbo4c5d
In this episode, host Maria Varmazas chats with Jeff Carr, a veteran of NASA media and son of Apollo-era astronaut Capcom Jerry Carr, about the parallels between the Apollo 8 era of 1968 and today’s Artemis 2 mission. Jeff reflects on...
There were apparently two MDA suborbital target missile launches from Wallops on Mar 17 and 19 that weren't reported at the time: https://t.co/wDoCCKpEF4
In relation to the mass driver idea on the moon, for anyone that has a deep understanding of materials needed for such a satellite, can most of it be sourced from the lunar surface? Interesting to know what percentage can...
Flatulence continues in orbit, but microgravity changes how the gas spreads and is perceived inside a sealed cabin. Astronauts manage digestive gas through diet design, air‑circulation engineering, and medical monitoring rather than fearing explosions. The issue is fundamentally one of...
Vietjet has been named the Best Ultra‑Low‑Cost Carrier for 2026 and placed among the Top 10 low‑cost airlines worldwide by AirlineRatings.com. The Vietnamese carrier secured the award for the eighth consecutive year, highlighting its blend of ultra‑affordable fares, a modern Airbus...
Reuters: China’s aviation regulator has not released an annual update on its investigation into a deadly China Eastern Airlines crash for the second year in a row, letting the fourth anniversary pass without providing any insight into the cause. https://t.co/KJ0yOnAqJc
Over the past 48 hours, severe weather, air‑traffic‑control constraints and operational failures forced the cancellation of 243 flights and delayed 2,235 across major Asian hubs. The disruptions hit carriers such as IndiGo, Emirates, Gulf Air and ANA Wings, leaving thousands of...
“I just want to live long enough to see the mass driver on the moon. Because that’s going to be incredibly epic.” — @ElonMusk tonight https://t.co/gnYf3oEXdP
SpaceXAI + Tesla TERAFAB Project Goal is a trillion watts of compute/year Most must necessarily go to space, as US electricity is only 0.5TW
The European Space Agency (ESA) earmarked over €900 million for the European Launcher Challenge, but roughly €140 million remains unallocated, largely from the United Kingdom. A portion of the funding was tied to Orbex, which entered administration, removing €34.9 million from the pool....
This is the wrong framing. The correct framing is "it's only reasonable to ask whether any satellite operators can compete with launch providers that build their own constellations and charge *prices* to third parties that are much higher than their...
Kunshan, once the world’s biggest laptop assembly hub, is redirecting its $70 billion Taiwan‑funded investment base toward a "low‑altitude economy" of drones and flying cars. The shift reflects rising labour costs, geopolitical pressure and China’s push for self‑sufficient high‑tech aerospace capabilities.
Formal announcement of the TERAFAB project, which will be done jointly by @SpaceX and @Tesla, tonight around 8pm CT. Livestream on 𝕏. The goal is to produce over a TERAWATT of compute per year (logic, memory & packaging) with ~80% for...
Lufthansa’s Munich‑bound Airbus A350‑900 aborted takeoff at Denver International Airport after reaching roughly 173 knots, citing strong tailwinds. The high‑speed stop caused the brakes to overheat and nearly catch fire, though the landing gear held up. The aircraft, registration D‑AIVD, was...
Israeli media reporting a mass casualty event in the city of Arad after missile defence systems failed to intercept an Iranian ballistic missile. Reports suggest that Iran used a new type of ballistic missile that can evade the Air Defence...
The Canadian Space Agency announced the cancellation of its planned lunar rover, which was to hitch a ride on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander in 2029. The rover, built by Canadensys, would have been Canada’s first surface vehicle on the...
ePropelled inaugurated its Global Innovation Centre in Coventry on March 20, marking a major expansion aimed at scaling production to over one million electric and hybrid propulsion systems annually by 2027. The facility consolidates propulsion design, software development, and testing,...
I want a HondaJet carrier borne ASW aircraft and no I don't care how bad of an idea that is.
Exlabs' ApophisExL mission, the first commercial deep‑space rideshare, has secured a second payload customer: Japan's Chiba Institute of Technology. The university team will launch two student‑built landers to touch down on asteroid Apophis during its April 13, 2029 close fly‑by....
United Airlines announced a tactical reduction of less‑profitable flights and a suspension of service to Tel Aviv and Dubai after jet fuel prices nearly doubled. CEO Scott Kirby warned the carrier faces an $11 billion jump in its annual fuel bill...
The Pentagon’s Director of Operational Test & Evaluation reported on March 16, 2026 that the Space Force’s Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System (ATLAS) is not yet mature enough to retire the 1979‑era Space Defense Operations Center (SPADOC). Although ATLAS achieved operational...
