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.
The European Space Agency announced it will purchase a dedicated SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the International Space Station, creating the ESA Provided Institutional Crew (EPIC) mission. The EPIC flight is planned as a medium‑duration stay of roughly one month, longer than the typical 8‑18‑day private missions. ESA astronauts will not only conduct experiments but also perform station maintenance, logistics and cargo operations. The agency is seeking to involve international partners, with Australia already in talks, to broaden participation before the ISS is retired around 2030.
Frankfurt Airport has deployed AI‑driven computer‑vision to monitor more than 30 turnaround events, delivering real‑time timestamps and predictive insights. The system provides unprecedented visibility, allowing precise crew and equipment deployment and improving aircraft ready‑time forecasts. Implementation emphasized human‑centred design, data...
The United Kingdom’s defence secretary said Britain is open in principle to discussing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) with additional nations, as Poland signals interest in joining. Healey stressed that the core partnership of the UK, Japan and Italy...
Etihad has rolled out business‑class fares to major Asian and Australian cities, with prices ranging from £1,562 to £2,549 and a booking deadline of 24 March. Hyatt opened Masana Algarve, a 33‑suite, 4‑star resort in Olhos de Água, expanding its Destination by...
🎱 Peering inside the Apollo Lunar Module 8-Ball There are just two known examples in private hands, and Curious Marc's intrepid crew are trying to revive the remains of a damaged one (left). Mine is on the right, and the image...
Old school GEO satellites were assembled in a facility that housed the product in a "high bay" as if it was a giant religious icon. PhDs in bunny suits assembled the satellite piece by piece. The legacy manufacturers didn't believe...
A US F‑35 stealth fighter was reportedly struck by suspected Iranian fire and performed an emergency landing at a regional American base, with the pilot emerging in stable condition. US Central Command confirmed the landing but did not verify the...
The worst military aviation commentary of all time from the masses on X is the F-35 deal today. (Maybe outside of the India-Pakistan stuff) That’s really saying something.
I had missed that @D_Orbit had deployed seven cubesats from the IONs launched Nov 28; deployment dates not given but 2 Lacuna and 2 Lemur were ejected on or before Feb 16 from Stellar Stephanus, and 2...
A near‑miss occurred at Newark Liberty International Airport when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 and a FedEx Boeing 777 approached intersecting runways simultaneously. Air traffic control instructed the Alaska pilot to abort the landing after the FedEx cargo plane received clearance for...
Delta Air Lines’ A350 from Los Angeles to Sydney encountered extreme turbulence during its descent, jolting passengers and crew. Four flight attendants reported injuries, and three were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for evaluation, while the airline said no passengers...
Ryanair remained Europe’s largest airline group in 2025, transporting 206.4 million passengers, its seventh consecutive year at the top. The airline’s lead over Lufthansa Group, the second‑largest carrier with 135.0 million passengers, widened to 71.4 million, surpassing the combined traffic of all but...
In case you haven't been following Le Monde's "Stravaleaks" reports — today the newspaper found the location of a French aircraft carrier because someone on board was logging their runs. https://t.co/vZjwJYppcn https://t.co/jt5Ob6kDT4
NASA’s Artemis II crewed lunar flyby is slated for April 2026, marking the first human deep‑space mission in over five decades. The program’s flagship landing mission, Artemis III, has been pushed back, with a crewed touchdown now expected in 2028 under the Artemis IV...
China is targeting a crewed lunar landing in 2030 and has identified the volcanic Rimae Bode region as the preferred site after evaluating 106 candidates and narrowing them to 14. The area’s mix of dark pyroclastic deposits, mare basalts, rille...
The U.S. Army’s 2-159th Attack Battalion employed AH‑64E Apache helicopters to shoot down unmanned aircraft during Operation Skyfall at Germany’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, marking the first European air‑to‑air drone engagement. The Apaches used 30mm APEX proximity rounds, a capability previously demonstrated...
Canada and Japan have signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that merges their space and defence industrial bases. The deal expands the earlier Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement, targeting joint development of space communications, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. By moving...
EgyptAir has launched its new A350‑900 equipped with Panasonic Avionics’ full IFEC suite, becoming the first carrier worldwide to operate the Modular Interactive (MI) authoring platform. The cloud‑based MI tool lets the airline swiftly customize and deploy content, while the...
A new tiered architecture of air‑defense systems now protects everything from short‑range rockets to near‑space threats. Russia’s S‑500, the U.S. Patriot and THAAD, Israel’s Iron Dome, Europe’s SAMP/T, China’s HQ‑9 and India’s Akash each occupy distinct range and cost niches....
The Royal Navy’s Project HORUS is launching a fast‑track effort to acquire uncrewed picket ships equipped with advanced sensors for persistent air‑search capability. The Ministry of Defence demands delivery within four to six months, with platforms capable of autonomous operation...
Clara Kaluderovic’s recent Foreign Policy piece highlights the accelerating attrition of Iranian drones deployed across the Middle East. While Iran continues to mass‑produce low‑cost loitering munitions, battlefield losses are outpacing its output, forcing Tehran to tap deeper into regional supply...
China’s PLAAF J-16D electronic warfare jet was photographed on March 17, 2026, carrying two PL-15 beyond‑visual‑range air‑to‑air missiles and three RKZ930‑xx jamming pods, marking the first known flight appearance of this weapons combination. The J-16D, a specialized variant of the...
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions won a $446.8 million U.S. Space Force contract to build and operate ground systems for a new medium‑Earth‑orbit missile‑warning constellation. At the same time, Finnish maker ReOrbit sealed a €150 million agreement with SLI Aerospace for two...
AirInsight’s March 2026 subscriber update shows both Boeing and Airbus struggling to keep narrow‑body production ahead of deliveries. Boeing resolved a 737 MAX wiring fault, produced 120 jets through March 18 and delivered 113, with a short‑term delivery lag expected to clear...
NASA has proposed a new Artemis architecture that moves translunar injection and lunar landing responsibilities from the SLS/Orion stack to SpaceX's Starship. Artemis III in 2027 will serve as a low‑risk LEO docking rehearsal that mirrors the new flow. Artemis...
True Anomaly, a stealth‑born startup, is building the Jackal satellite platform— a refrigerator‑sized, highly maneuverable spacecraft designed for low‑cost, mass‑produced space‑to‑space engagements. The company has already flown two test missions and plans a third, while securing roughly $400 million in venture...
Ethiopian Airlines announced the resumption of scheduled flights between Addis Ababa and Atlanta, launching service on May 21, 2026 with Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 aircraft. Economy seats are priced as low as $999, but tickets must be purchased...
Two former Designated Pilot Examiners have filed a class‑action lawsuit in federal court in Florida against the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that recent policy changes eliminated the appeal process for examiner terminations. The complaint claims the FAA’s new enforcement procedures...
The surge in AI and cloud workloads is straining global electricity grids, prompting industry leaders to explore orbital data centers as a potential solution. SpaceNews and StarCatcher, together with the Commercial Space Federation, are hosting a virtual panel on March 31...
The Royal Air Force has unveiled Rapid Sentry, a short‑range air‑defence system built to counter hostile drones. It fires Thales‑manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM/Martlet) capable of reaching Mach 1.5 and engaging targets up to 8 km away. The system is expected to...
The European Space Agency has re‑established communication with the Proba‑3 coronagraph satellite after it lost contact in February. The spacecraft entered survival mode when its solar panels turned away from the Sun, draining its batteries. ESA engineers used a brief...
Quecon, an 8(a) service‑disabled veteran‑owned firm, secured a potential $295 million, seven‑year Second Level Engineering Support contract for the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. The award, selected from three proposals, covers a broad portfolio including engineering studies, system assurance, safety...
Qatar Airways Cargo operated two Boeing 777F flights from Riyadh to Liège, Belgium, carrying 147 horses (mostly Arabians and competition horses) after they were trucked out of Qatar due to the ongoing airspace closure... when even the horses are getting...
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command awarded Kratos Technology & Training Solutions a $446.8 million Ground Management and Integration contract to build the command‑and‑control backbone for the Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking program in medium‑earth‑orbit. The agreement, structured as an...
1. Keep in mind that explosions look much bigger in IR because they oversaturate the sensor. 2. It's not the explosion that does the damage it is the shrapnel so where the warhead fuzes in relation to the aircraft plays a...
Space Force failed to issue a decay notice for VAST's Haven Demo, which was removed from orbit on Feb 5. It's still in the US satellite catalog as 'in orbit'.
NATO launched its first testing, evaluation, verification and validation (TEVV) campaign for unmanned aircraft systems and counter‑UAS technologies at Latvia’s Sēlija Military Training Area from March 9‑13, 2026. The exercise gathered defense‑industry firms from NATO members, Ukraine, operational users and government officials...
“Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s.” https://t.co/vdPDSKfwkt
India Joining One Of Europe’s Fighter Programs Is Anything But Easy India has an urgent need for new combat aircraft but the European next-generation fighter offerings may not be the answer. https://t.co/0P9ONW9sY3
AURA AERO has secured a building permit for its 50,000‑square‑metre AURA Factory at Toulouse‑Francazal Airport, marking a major step toward mass‑producing low‑carbon aircraft. The project is backed by a €95 million European Commission Innovation Fund grant and aims to generate €2 billion...
No serious person every said the F-35 was invincible. It was never sold as invincible. It was absolutely never designed to be invincible.
Once out of hundreds if not over a thousand sorties is pretty incredible. The odds will always eventually be in the enemy's favor. Allies lost aircraft almost daily against the Iraqis and weekly vs Serbia.
Portal Space Systems has teamed with Australian startup Paladin Space to launch a commercial orbital‑debris removal service. The partnership will mount Paladin’s Triton payload on Portal’s highly maneuverable Starburst spacecraft, which can change velocity by one kilometre per second. Scheduled...
If genuine: A pop up attack with an IR sensor tracking the F-35 from the ground. Likely seen flying by day Iran has small IR SAMs derived from Soviet AAMs like R-27T/ET. Might also be Saqr-1/2 (358/359) loitering SAM Q: why didn’t F-35...
A 30-seat commuter first produced in the early ’90s, the 328 turboprop was the wrong plane at the wrong time for the market; only 107 were produced. This is what it's like to fly the only 328 in scheduled pax service:...
Portal Space Systems and Paladin Space have formed a partnership to launch a Debris Removal as a Service (DRAAS) offering that can capture and dispose of 20‑50 pieces of orbital junk per mission. The solution combines Portal’s maneuverable Starburst spacecraft...
Iran damaged a $100 million Fighter Jet… These sophisticated Jets are being used by Trump & Netanyahu to bomb schools and gas fields… They are being used to destroy indiscriminately. Billions wasted on senseless destruction… https://t.co/Dce6MJ7Q0V
.@ESA to shut down Mars Earth Return Orbiter after US budget decision; will meet @NASA next week on Artemis status; ESA-@defis_eu Iris2 negotiations with @SES @Eutelsat @Hispasat to wind up late April; ESA Launcher Challenge adapts to @orbexspace exit.https://t.co/TINqTgL6lQ https://t.co/uSutmbuWTG
SCOOP: Marine Corps F-35Bs are set to deliver in Lot 17 without radars due to delays with the APG-85. Starting in Lot 18, all F-35s delivered to the U.S. military will be awaiting a radar. With @michaeldmarrow and @Diana_Stancy : https://t.co/6HIqluDOZx
USAF F-35 Makes Emergency Landing After Allegedly Being Hit by Iranian Fire The F-35 was flying a mission over Iran when it was forced to divert. A video claiming to show the engagement points to a key threat we have highlighted...
