Today's Aerospace Pulse
Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffers catastrophic engine failure during static fire
A BE‑4 methane/LOX engine on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket failed four seconds after ignition, causing a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the first‑stage booster and damaged Launch Complex 36A. No personnel were injured. An FAA‑led investigation, supported by the U.S. Space Force, is under way.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Disciplined Growth Acquisition Corp raises $150M in IPO
Virgin Atlantic Suspends Dubai and Seattle Routes in Winter Schedule Shake-Up
Virgin Atlantic announced it will suspend service to Dubai and Seattle for the upcoming winter schedule. The airline said the cuts are part of a broader network optimisation aimed at improving load factors and profitability. The two long‑haul routes have struggled with uneven demand and rising operating costs. Affected passengers will be offered rebooking onto other Virgin Atlantic flights or partner carriers.
AerCap’s Earnings Reveal Aviation’s Power Shift
AerCap’s latest quarter posted $889 million in adjusted net income and lifted its full‑year earnings outlook, underscoring the lessor’s growing dominance after a series of mega‑acquisitions, including the $30 billion GECAS deal. The firm sold $1.5 billion of assets at a $300 million gain,...
Military Space Boom Meets Beltway Friction
Washington plans to more than double the Space Force budget to over $71 billion in FY2027, marking the largest peacetime infusion of funds into U.S. military space. While the budget promises a wave of contracts for satellite makers and launch firms,...
Cubic Secures Follow-On Contract for F-35 P5 Internal Subsystems
Cubic Defense has secured a follow‑on contract from Lockheed Martin to supply 140 P5 Internal Subsystems for F‑35 Lot 21 production aircraft. The deal expands the P5 Combat Training System’s live‑environment capabilities, enabling joint training while safeguarding sensitive data. Leonardo DRS...
FedEx’s MD-11 Comeback to Start with Short Cargo Flight to Miami
FedEx announced a global repair campaign to return its 29 MD‑11 freighters to service after a six‑month grounding triggered by the UPS Flight 2976 crash. Technicians will remove wing‑mounted engine pylons at 16 locations and ship them to Indianapolis and...
Turkey, Japan Launch Defense Industry Partnership with Eye on Drones
Turkey and Japan signed a letter of intent to deepen defense‑industry cooperation, marking the first formal partnership between the two nations and opening the door to joint unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) projects. The agreement was sealed at the inaugural Turkey‑Japan...
The Exploration Company Fires Up Rocket Engine for Moon Lander
The Exploration Company completed a seven‑week hot‑fire campaign for its 15 kN Huracan rocket engine, achieving 26 firings and 375 seconds of total burn time. The test demonstrated full‑power operation, throttling from 50 % to 100 % and a longest single burn of...
Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes Is Starting A New Airline
Tony Fernandes, co‑founder of AirAsia, announced plans to launch another low‑cost carrier within the next two months. The new airline will draw on AirAsia’s recent 150‑aircraft A220 order, targeting nimble, short‑haul routes across Southeast Asia. To fund the expansion, AirAsia...
Scoot Adds 11 A320neo Family To The Fleet
Scoot, the low‑cost arm of Singapore Airlines, announced an order for 11 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, with deliveries slated to begin in 2028. The deal comprises five firm purchases—four A320neos and one A321neo—and six additional options from a 2014 agreement....
Congress’ Maverick Act Could Bring an F-14D Tomcat Back to the Skies
On May 1, 2026 the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the companion bill to Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s Maverick Act, authorizing the transfer of three surplus F-14 Tomcats to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The legislation creates a...
ASCEND 2026 Program to Launch with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
ASCEND 2026 launches on May 19 with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman delivering the opening keynote. The week‑long event features more than 200 speakers from commercial space firms, national‑security agencies, NASA, and international partners. New event partners add a Classified Day with NRO...
Jet2 to Expand Summer 2027 Jersey Programme with Two New Routes
Jet2 announced that its summer 2027 Jersey programme will grow with two new routes from Birmingham and Bristol, adding three and two weekly flights respectively. The airline also boosted capacity from Manchester and extended the season to the end of...
US Bans Chinese Rare Earths in Defense by 2027
Critical One Energy @Critical1Energy $CRTL.CA $MMTLF "On January 1, 2027, new U.S. defense procurement rules under DFARS and 10 U.S.C. §4872 take effect. After that date, Chinese-origin rare earth materials cannot be used in American defense systems. Every major defense...
Electric VTOL Promises Aviation Revolution, Faces Certification Hurdles
Vertical takeoff like a helicopter. Forward flight like an airplane. The Orb Nomad is one of those projects that makes you realize how much aviation could change over the next decade. The idea is simple: combine the flexibility of a helicopter with the speed...
SatVu’s New HotSat-2 Satellite Captures Cuban Attempts At Oil Refining
SatVu announced that its HotSat‑2 satellite has achieved first‑light, delivering high‑resolution thermal infrared imagery of three strategic energy sites: Jamnagar refinery in India, Gorgon LNG plant in Australia, and the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Cuba. The satellite detected Cuba’s attempt to...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Araz Feyzi, Kayhan Space
Kayhan Space, co‑founded by Araz Feyzi, launched its Satcat Product Suite in February 2025, delivering the first unified platform that merges real‑time space situational awareness with autonomous traffic coordination. The system monitors over 60,000 objects in orbit and claims to slash...
Tinker Brings the B-1 Back to the Fight
Tinker Air Force Base’s Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex completed a two‑year regeneration of B‑1B Lancer tail 86‑0115, returning it to combat‑ready status after storage at Davis‑Monthan. More than 200 Airmen and civilians replaced over 500 components and performed functional‑check flights...
Tinker Brings the B-1 Back to the Fight
The U.S. Air Force announced that Tinker Air Force Base has returned the B‑1 Lancer strategic bomber to active combat operations after an extensive maintenance and modernization effort. The upgrade program refreshed avionics, weapons integration and engine performance, restoring the...
ESA’s Space Rider Passes Critical Hurdles on Path to Spaceflight
European Space Agency’s Space Rider, its first reusable spacecraft, has cleared two pivotal milestones: a high‑temperature reentry test and a precision autonomous landing demonstration. The tests validate the vehicle’s thermal protection system and guidance, navigation and control software, bringing the...
Busy Summer on the Cards for Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport expects to handle roughly 11 million passengers this summer, a 2% increase over the previous year, with more than 3.5 million travelers each month and daily traffic surpassing 100,000. The surge is set to eclipse the airport’s prior record of...
Polish Defence Minister Calls for 24/7 Arms Production
Polish defence minister Władysław Kosiniak‑Kamysz urged the domestic arms sector to adopt 24‑hour, seven‑day production at the Defence24 Days conference. He highlighted the need to rapidly scale munitions, drones, and missile output as Poland prepares for a larger, high‑readiness force....
Two Blue Origin Operators Just Joined a MACH 2+ Air-Launch Platform
Starfighters Space (FJET) announced the appointment of two senior leaders from Blue Origin’s New Glenn program—Jose Arias as Vice President of Space Operations and Catrina L. Medeiros as Director of STARLAUNCH Operations. Arias previously slashed integration cycles from 76 to 13 days, while Medeiros...
Pentagon Tells Satellite Builders: Good Enough Now Beats Perfect Later
The U.S. Space Force is redefining satellite acquisition by making speed the top priority, urging contractors to deliver "good enough" capabilities now and improve them later. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman framed this as a shift from an all‑or‑nothing model to...
Scoot Becomes First SE Asian Budget Airline with Embraer E190‑E2
Fun fact ✈️ Singapore’s low-cost carrier Scoot is the first budget airline in Southeast Asia and currently the only one that operate smaller narrowbody aircraft - the Embraer E190-E2. The airline started operating the E2s since May 2024.
Airbus Leads Record Euro‑Bond Surge with First Issue in Six Years
Airbus SE issued its first corporate bond in nearly six years, anchoring a record‑breaking day in Europe’s bond market where 17 companies sold 24 tranches. The surge reflects heightened demand for euro‑denominated funding as investors brace for higher rates amid...
Delta Is Eliminating This Perk for Passengers — And It’s the Only Airline Doing It (So Far)
Delta Air Lines will stop providing free snacks and beverages on economy flights under 350 miles, affecting roughly 9% of its daily schedule starting May 19. The move is framed as a consistency effort but is widely seen as a...
Airlines Are Grappling with Dwindling Supplies of Jet Fuel
Airlines are confronting a sharp decline in jet‑fuel availability after the near‑total shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for both crude oil and refined products. The blockage has halted the export of Gulf‑sourced jet fuel, driving prices...
Scoot Adds 11 A320neos, Total Fleet Reaches 20
Singapore’s Scoot has ordered 11 A320neo family aircraft, comprising five new firm orders and six exercised options from its 2014 order with Airbus. The new aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM engines, will start arriving from 2028. Following the latest...
Space Force Awards Booz Allen Prototype Contract for Space‑Based Interceptor
The U.S. Space Force has granted Booz Allen Hamilton an Other Transaction Authority agreement to develop a prototype for the Space‑Based Interceptor (SBI) under the Golden Dome for America initiative. The contract aims to create a low‑Earth‑orbit constellation capable of...
Luxembourg Air Rescue to Complete MD902 to H145 Transition
Luxembourg Air Rescue (LAR) announced it will finish swapping its legacy MD902 Explorer helicopters for a fleet of Airbus H145 aircraft by the fourth quarter of 2026. The transition involves six new H145s, funded partly by a €30 million ($32 million) government...
ESA's Space Rider Clears Thermal Test and Drop‑Model Assembly, Paving Way for First Flight
The European Space Agency announced that its Space Rider reusable spacecraft has survived a high‑heat re‑entry test and that a full‑scale drop‑test model is now assembled. The milestones shift the program from component validation to mission simulation, bringing Europe closer...
Uzbekistan And China Explore Possible Space Cooperation
Uzbekistan’s space agency, Uzcosmos, met with Chinese Ambassador Yu Jun to explore cooperation on space technology. The talks highlighted China’s civil‑space expertise as a catalyst for integrating space tools into Uzbekistan’s agriculture, water management, and infrastructure planning. Both parties discussed joint...
Roadmap for a Space-to-Space Economy
The space industry’s growth is now limited by orbital congestion rather than launch capacity, as low‑Earth‑orbit satellites double every two years. This bottleneck drives up propellant use, shortens mission lifespans, and raises costs. Analysts propose a space‑to‑space (S2S) economy built...
Odin Space Opens U.S. Office in Los Angeles
Odin Space, a British startup that maps sub‑centimeter orbital debris, announced the opening of its first U.S. office in Los Angeles, led by former Iceye CEO Jerry Welsh. The office will serve commercial and government satellite operators needing data on debris...
Why Deploy an F/A‑18 to Shoot a Rudder?
I have some questions about this. Why use an F/A-18 to shoot out a rudder? I am not an aviator but that does not seem like the appropriate system to use. Also, if you are using a jet, does this indicate...
Mysterious Russian Satellites
A mysterious cluster of Russian satellites is reported barging in on amateur radio for unknown reason DETAILS: https://t.co/DQwY8BwFyJ
SYPAQ Systems Announces Successful Delivery and Entry Into Service of Corvo X
SYPAQ Systems delivered its Corvo X small‑uncrewed aerial system to the Australian Army, marking the entry into service under the DEF129 Small Uncrewed Aerial System Program. The rollout includes a multi‑year sustainment contract covering spares, maintenance, training and future upgrades. Corvo X...
Trump’s 90% Demand Kills Spirit Airline Bailout
Spirit Offered Taxpayers 80% Of The Airline — Trump Demanded 90% And The Bailout Died - View from the Wing https://t.co/sSfwKTcKma
Three Nations Deploy Secret Inspector Satellites, Escalating Space Militarization
It looks like for the first time, a three-side race broke out between secret Russian, Chinese and US "inspector" satellites 36,000 kilometers from Earth, marking an unprecedented surge of military activities in space. DETAILS, CONTEXT: https://t.co/Jn70BeFqgI https://t.co/a6yJN4FkTo
AirData UAV Joins the Commercial Drone Alliance Ahead of Historic Part 108 Rule
AirData UAV announced its membership in the Commercial Drone Alliance as the FAA prepares to implement the landmark Part 108 Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) rule later this year. The rule will impose rigorous pre‑flight, in‑flight, and post‑flight documentation, risk...
US Airlines' March Fuel Costs Surge 30% to $5B
JUST IN: US airlines spent over $5 billion on fuel in March, up 30% compared to last year
Safety Over Savings: APU Essential for Passenger Health
And…having the APU powered up makes sure everyone is safe on the airplane, and the airline is meeting Federal Aviation Regulations. Sorry - doesn’t make sense to me to save energy and fuel at the expense to human health and comfort....
Where Are Those 12,000 Artemis II Images?
A recent NASA Watch post highlights that the claimed 12,000 Artemis II images are virtually inaccessible. Searches on NASA’s Earth Observing Laboratory portal return only a single result, and the official Artemis and Moon webpages contain no links to the collection....
Volarious VIGIL V1 Airborne Drone Detection Payload
Volarious, a Singapore‑based drone technology firm, will exhibit at AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2026 in Detroit (May 12‑14) showcasing its V‑LINE PRO tethering system that stretches drone flight from minutes to multiple hours. The company will also debut the VIGIL V1 airborne drone detection payload, which provides...
Anthropic to Consider Using SpaceX Orbital Data Center Satellites
Anthropic announced it will purchase the entire capacity of SpaceX’s new Colossus 1 terrestrial data center, delivering more than 300 MW of compute power for its Claude AI suite. The agreement also gives Anthropic early access to SpaceX’s planned orbital data‑center satellites,...
Starfighters Hires Blue Origin Veterans to Accelerate Air-Launch Platform
Starfighters Space has recruited two former Blue Origin New Glenn managers—Jose Arias as vice president of space operations and Catrina Medeiros as director of operations for its Starlaunch air‑launch service. Arias previously cut integration cycle time from 76 to 13...
Thaicom Partners with Amazonleo for Thailand LEO Broadband
.@THAICOMPLC selcts @Amazonleo as its LEO broadband partner in Thailand. Thaicom will be authorized distributor and landing-rights holder for consumer and corporate services. https://t.co/d06DeNKdGX
Pierce Aerospace Selected to Build Remote ID Network for NASA, Paving the Way for Drone and Air Taxi Flight in...
Pierce Aerospace has been selected by Metis Technology Solutions, the prime contractor for NASA’s ARTS program, to deploy its YR1 and YR2S Remote ID sensors across Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. The multi‑year effort will feed real‑time...
Chinese Laser Weapon System Spotted in the UAE
A Chinese vehicle‑mounted laser counter‑drone system, likely the Guangjian‑21A, was photographed at Dubai International Airport, marking its first visible deployment in the United Arab Emirates. The system, showcased at the 2022 Zhuhai Airshow, is designed to engage low, slow, small...
Emirates Group Achieves Record Profit of AED 24.4 Bn (US$ 6.6 Bn) in 2025-26
Emirates Group reported a record profit before tax of AED 24.4 bn ($6.6 bn) for the 2025‑26 fiscal year, a 7% increase year‑over‑year, alongside record revenue of AED 150.5 bn ($41.0 bn) and cash assets of AED 59.6 bn ($16.2 bn). The airline division posted a PBT of AED 22.8 bn...