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
FCC Updates Starlink Spectrum Rules, Targeting Up to Seven‑Fold Capacity Boost
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced on May 4, 2026 that it is revising its spectrum rules for SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, a change that could raise the system’s capacity by as much as seven‑fold. The policy shift is the latest effort to accommodate growing demand for low‑Earth‑orbit broadband services.
Lockheed Martin, Firefly and Seagate Team Up for Sea‑Based National‑Security Launches
Lockheed Martin, Firefly Aerospace and Seagate have formed a three‑way partnership to deliver sea‑based launch services for U.S. national‑security payloads. The effort centers on Seagate’s Gateway semi‑submersible launch platform and Firefly’s Alpha rocket, with a target to field a permanent...
OroraTech Launches Greece’s First National Wildfire‑Monitoring Satellite Constellation
OroraTech placed four dedicated wildfire‑monitoring satellites into a 590‑km sun‑synchronous orbit on May 3, 2026, creating Greece’s first sovereign constellation for real‑time fire intelligence. The system, built for the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance and the Hellenic Space Center with...
Why NATO's Most Advanced American Fighter Jet Is Now Being Built In Italy
Lockheed Martin’s F‑35 Lightning II is now assembled in Italy’s Cameri plant, the only non‑U.S. facility capable of producing the carrier‑compatible F‑35B. European aerospace firms contribute roughly a quarter of every jet’s parts, while the Italian site handles final assembly, stealth...
Enpro Inc (NPO) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
EnPro Industries reported fiscal 2025 sales of $1.14 billion, a 9% year‑over‑year increase, driven by strong aerospace, food‑biopharma, and semiconductor demand. Both Sealing Technologies and Advanced Surface Technologies posted double‑digit revenue growth, with Sealing Technologies EBITDA margin expanding to 32.8%. The...
Leonardo DRS Inc (DRS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Leonardo DRS reported 13% organic revenue growth to $3.6 billion in 2025, with adjusted EBITDA up 13% to $453 million. Backlog reached $8.7 billion and book‑to‑bill stayed above 1.2, supporting 2026 revenue guidance of $3.85‑$3.95 billion. The company boosted R&D by 40% and capex...
Telesat Corp (TSAT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Telesat Corp reported 2025 revenue of $418 million and adjusted EBITDA of $213 million, but posted a $530 million net loss as the GEO segment faced goodwill impairment and the LEO Lightspeed program incurred higher capitalized labor. The company announced a three‑month delay...
VSE Corp (VSEC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
VSE Corp announced a definitive agreement to acquire Aero 3 for $350 million in cash, a deal slated to close in Q4 2025. The acquisition adds a global wheel‑and‑brake MRO platform that generated $120 million in trailing‑twelve‑month revenue, with over 20% EBITDA margins. VSE...
D2D
The article revisits the early failure of Iridium’s $5 billion satellite phone venture, attributing its collapse to regulatory pushback and high handset costs. It then outlines how falling launch prices, improved digital signal processing, and new business models have revived interest...
USAF Plans $3 Billion-Plus for Executive Airlift, Air Force One
The U.S. Air Force is allocating roughly $3.4 billion over the next five years to modernize its executive airlift fleet, including $2.19 billion for 17 new C‑37C jets and $1.17 billion for the long‑delayed VC‑25B "Air Force One" replacement. The aging C‑37, C‑32...
U.S. Space Force Awards $3.2 Billion for Space-Based Interceptor Layer
The U.S. Space Force announced up to $3.2 billion in OTA contracts to 12 firms for the Golden Dome Space‑Based Interceptor program, a proliferated low‑Earth‑orbit constellation aimed at neutralizing ballistic and hypersonic missiles during boost, mid‑course and glide phases. Simultaneously, the...
Jet Fuel Shortages Might Hurt Your Summer Travel Plans but Could Bring Advancement to the Aviation Industry
Lufthansa Group has slashed 20,000 summer flights, retired its most fuel‑intensive aircraft and grounded a subsidiary as jet‑fuel prices doubled following the Iran conflict. The surge in fuel costs has already forced airlines to cancel more than 150,000 international flights...
Starship and SLS Can Achieve 4K Orbit without Extra Hardware
Some interesting notes besides the amazing 4K streaming from orbit (YES PLEASE), the inclination and altitude mentioned tells us two things. 1. Starship could do this from Starbase, so it wouldn't require 39A pad to be operational. 2. SLS could do...
Early Landings Waste Time; Gate Wait Stays Same
Why do airlines think we GAF about landing early if we still have to wait for a gate which means we get off the plane at the same time? Like time in the sky is not our key metric it’s...
May 4, 2026 Quick Space Links
The post curates a set of recent space‑related links, including a video of a Soyuz‑2 fairing unintentionally returning from orbit, a 3D‑printing firm highlighting Sierra Space’s use of its printers for the Dream Chaser vehicle, and historical notes on the...
Delta Continues Cutting Back Its Route Network
Delta is also going to continue cutting down the number of routes they have available, btw.
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Moment Partners with SCAT Airlines to Deliver Wireless IFE Across Fleet
Moment announced a partnership with Kazakhstan‑based SCAT Airlines to install its wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) system across the carrier’s fleet. The deal, signed on March 4, makes SCAT the first Central Asian airline to adopt Moment’s Flymingo Box, a compact, autonomous...
Navy EA-18Gs over Iran, Venezuela Show Rise in Aerial Electronic Attack
U.S. Navy’s EA-18G Growler fleet has seen unprecedented operational use, flying from the carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford to jam and strike Iranian air‑defense systems and to support the January seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro....
Trump's Proposed NASA Budget Is a 'Horrible Threat to Our Future' In Space, Planetary Society CEO Says
Planetary Society CEO Jennifer Vaughn warned that the Trump administration’s proposed 23% cut to NASA’s FY 2027 budget—dropping funding to roughly $18.8 billion—poses a "horrible threat" to U.S. space science. Vaughn, who succeeded Bill Nye earlier this year, said the cuts jeopardize...
A Boeing 767 Darn Near Landed on a Tractor Trailer Full of Bread. Everybody’s OK
United Airlines Flight 169, a Boeing 767‑400 arriving from Venice, clipped a light pole and the top of a Baker’s Express truck loaded with bread as it touched down at Newark Liberty International Airport. The impact left a gash in...
STMicroelectronics Expects Its Space Business to Reach More than $3B Over Three Years
STMicroelectronics said its space division will generate more than $3 billion in cumulative revenue between 2026 and 2028, driven largely by low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) programs. Revenue from LEO chips rose 243% from $175 million in 2021 to an expected $600 million in 2025, giving...
U.S. Space Force Integrates Domain Awareness Capabilities Into Balikatan 2026
The U.S. Space Force Indo‑Pacific (SPACEPAC) deployed personnel and space‑based assets to the Philippines for Balikatan 2026, running from April 20 to May 8. The exercise focused on integrating space domain awareness, theater missile warning and satellite communications into the Philippine defense framework....
Coalition Urges FCC to Reverse Ligado-AST SpaceMobile L‑Band Approval
A coalition of aerospace, aviation and weather groups sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the FCC to rescind its 2020 approval of Ligado Networks' L‑band partnership with AST SpaceMobile. The letter cites Ligado's failure to meet a commercial‑service...
Future-Proofing Satellite Networks With ST Engineering iDirect Sales SVP Brian Jakins
Brian Jakins, senior vice‑president of sales at ST Engineering iDirect, discussed how satellite operators can future‑proof their networks amid rapid advances in 5G, non‑terrestrial networks, multi‑orbit architectures, and AI‑driven services. He highlighted the paradox of abundant technology choices creating decision...
Israel's First KC-46 Tanker Arrives, Replacing Aging Fleet
Israel’s First KC-46 Tanker Is Now Flying The first new tanker is set to arrive in Israel in around a month and will help relieve pressure on the IAF's tiny and very old KC-707 tanker force.. https://t.co/aNU4CtLODo
Boeing’s Comeback Challenge: Safety Fears, Airbus Rivalry, and Lost Trust
Boeing is confronting a pivotal recovery phase as lingering safety scandals—most notably the 2024 737 MAX 9 door‑plug failure—have prompted FAA production caps and delayed certification of the MAX 10. The setbacks have allowed Airbus to accelerate A321neo sales and widen its single‑aisle...
FAA Will Begin Making Space Rockets Pay Tolls
The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation will start charging a payload‑based toll on every U.S. commercial launch, set at $0.25 per pound of payload and capped at $30,000 per flight. The fee can rise to $1.50 per pound with...
Lockheed Martin Hits Core‑Mate Milestone for GPS IIIF Satellite SV11
Lockheed Martin announced that Space Vehicle 11 (SV11) has passed the core‑mate phase, the first GPS IIIF block to reach full assembly. The milestone accelerates the rollout of upgraded navigation capabilities for the U.S. Space Force, including a 60‑fold anti‑jamming boost.
Spire Global Loses $52.7M Canadian Wildfire Satellite Contract
Spire Global disclosed that the Canadian Public Works and Government Services ministry terminated a CAD 71.8 million ($52.7 million) contract to build a WildFireSat constellation. The loss equals about nine months of Spire's projected 2025 revenue, pushing back its path to profitability.
Firefly Aerospace’s SciTec Selected for Space-Based Missile Defense “Golden Dome”
Firefly Aerospace’s subsidiary SciTec has secured an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement to support the U.S. Space Force’s Golden Dome space‑based missile‑defense architecture. The contract makes SciTec one of 12 firms receiving a share of the $3.2 billion Space‑Based Interceptor (SBI)...
944th Fighter Wing Sharpens Readiness During Desert Hammer 26-2
The Air Force Reserve’s 944th Fighter Wing participated in the Desert Hammer 26-2 exercise, deploying a fleet of F‑16 fighter jets to sharpen joint air‑space readiness. Over a two‑week period, more than 1,500 personnel engaged in simulated cyber‑defense, satellite‑tracking, and...
Electric Air Taxis Promise Grid‑Free Skies, New Urban Shadows
#WhatsNext? This electric air taxi could be coming to the skies near you. Bye Bye traffic gridlock and exhaust fumes. Hello to more shadows in the downtown core? (Mashable) #FutureOfTransportation #EV #Transportation https://t.co/t1C7Q3Nuj2
SpaceX Starship Flight 12 Likely Late May After Generator Explosion and Deluge Damaged
SpaceX’s new Orbital Launch Pad 2 suffered a methalox gas‑generator explosion during a high‑volume deluge test, sending roof panels and debris airborne. The incident was confined to the generator and overhead cover, leaving the pad’s core structure and flame trench undamaged....
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This European Airline Has Hotel-Like First-Class Suites—Including Double Beds
Lufthansa’s Allegris brand, launched in 2024, now offers a hotel‑like first‑class Suite Plus with a private door, ceiling‑high walls and two seats that convert into a double bed. The suite is included in the fare but single‑occupancy reservations incur a surcharge....
Why the Spirit Airlines Shutdown Matters Even If You Never Flew With Them
Spirit Airlines announced its complete shutdown on May 2 after a failed $500 million bailout and prolonged bankruptcy restructuring. The carrier’s exit eliminates a major player that accounted for roughly 14.5% of the U.S. budget‑airline market, reducing competitive pressure on basic‑economy fares....
SpaceX’s Space Data Centers Face Massive Technical, Cost Barriers
SpaceX wants to put data centers in space. Watch an engineer break down the biggest technical hurdles and costly barriers it would face. https://t.co/QtaUsm5ztM via @WSJ
Air Force Wants to Arm Tanker, Cargo Aircraft with Active Defenses
The U.S. Air Force is allocating more than $500 million through 2031 to develop the Large Aircraft Survivability System (LASS), a modular suite of sensors, processors and kinetic or non‑kinetic effectors that will give tankers and cargo planes the ability to...
NTSB Expands Accident Dashboard With Findings Data
The National Transportation Safety Board has upgraded its U.S. Civil Aviation Accident Dashboard to incorporate accident findings, giving users direct insight into the agency’s conclusions on causative factors. The new interface consolidates the former General Aviation Accident Dashboard, expanding coverage...
Air Force Greenlights T-7A Red Hawk for Production Following Milestone C
The U.S. Air Force has cleared the T‑7A Red Hawk for low‑rate production after Milestone C approval on April 23, awarding Boeing a $219 million contract for the first 14 advanced‑trainer aircraft, spares and training equipment. The program, managed jointly by the Air...
Air Force Greenlights T-7A Red Hawk for Production Following Milestone C
The U.S. Air Force has granted Milestone C approval, clearing the T‑7A Red Hawk for full‑rate production. The decision follows successful flight‑test milestones and a recent contract worth roughly $2.5 billion for 351 aircraft. Boeing and Saab will ramp up manufacturing at...
Chinese Model Claims B‑21 Aerodynamic Gains, Accuracy Questioned
A Chinese simulation tool modeled the B-21 using public data, claiming aerodynamic gains while raising questions about accuracy and intent. https://t.co/onBJF6kLWp
'Flaws Identified in the B-21 Configuration': Chinese Scientists Claim Their Mysterious PADJ-X Stealth Design Software Exposed Major Weaknesses in the...
Chinese researchers claim their PADJ‑X stealth‑design software has identified aerodynamic and stability weaknesses in the USAF B‑21 Raider using digital twins and 288 simulation parameters. The study suggests a 15% lift‑to‑drag improvement is possible while reducing shock‑wave signatures. A 20 GB...
Space Weather Could Cost the Satellite Industry $40 Billion in a Single Storm. A 15-Person Startup Is Building the Forecast.
A single geomagnetic storm could cost the satellite industry $40 billion. Mission Space, a 15‑person startup, is building a 24‑sensor ZOHAR constellation to deliver high‑resolution, real‑time space‑weather data, launching its fourth payload on HEX20’s Maya‑V1 rideshare. The space‑weather forecasting market is...
STMicroelectronics Targets More than $3bn From Space, Riding the Satellite Constellation Boom
STMicroelectronics announced it expects its low‑Earth‑orbit (LEO) semiconductor business to generate more than $3 billion in cumulative revenue between 2026 and 2028. The unit grew from $175 million in 2021 to about $600 million in 2025 and is projected to near $1 billion by...
Coalition Asks FAA To Review Slackline Obstruction Risks
A coalition of 37 aviation associations, led by Vertical Aviation International, has asked the FAA to review how slacklines and other temporary obstructions are handled under current marking, lighting, and pilot‑notification procedures. The request follows a Jan. 2 helicopter crash near...
What the F-47’s Projected Budget Suggests About Its Development
The Air Force’s FY2027 budget requests over $5 billion for F‑47 research, development, test and evaluation, up from $3.5 billion in FY2026, with spending projected to peak at $5.25 billion in FY2028 before tapering to under $3 billion by FY2031. A similar pattern appears...
Do Spinning Wind Turbines Really Mess With Radar Systems?
Pentagon officials have paused reviews of 150 onshore wind farms, citing concerns that turbine structures can interfere with military and civilian radar. Studies spanning more than a decade confirm that steel towers reflect radar waves and rotating blades create false...
Wisk Reports First Flight of Its “Second Generation 6” Aircraft
Wisk Aero announced the successful first flight of its second Generation 6 autonomous eVTOL at its Hollister, California test site. The flight demonstrated vertical takeoff, hover and chirp maneuvers, expanding Wisk’s test fleet to two active aircraft. Dual‑aircraft testing will now...
Tech Firms Partner up to Push Intelligence Processing Closer to the Battlefield
A coalition of defense and technology firms, led by DeNovo Solutions, has launched Coalition Edge to bring commercial satellite imagery and geospatial intelligence directly to forward‑deployed units. The partnership combines edge‑computing hardware from Nvidia and HPE, AI analytics from GRVTY,...
NASA Welcomes Malta as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
NASA announced that Malta has become the 65th signatory to the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Kalkara. The agreement commits Malta to the accords’ principles of peaceful, transparent and responsible space exploration, aligning it with the United States and...