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:
Airbus has installed a Norsk Titanium Merke IV Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) machine at its Varel, Germany plant, launching a joint process‑development partnership. The collaboration will evaluate Direct Energy Deposition (DED) manufacturing controls and validation data to shift from part‑specific qualification toward broader, process‑based methods for titanium components, especially for A350 production. Merke IV, a fourth‑generation system, can produce 10‑20 metric tons of titanium parts annually with a 5‑10 kg/h deposition rate. Both firms cite significant cost and time savings as the partnership’s primary benefit.
DIODON has launched VIGILANSEA, a three‑year France 2030‑funded programme with SeaOwl and ISAE‑SUPAERO to create a long‑endurance maritime UAV and the DIODON REEF station that autonomously launches, recovers and recharges the UAV from a USV. Building on prior NATO and Dronathlon integrations,...
Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield recounts his B‑58 Hustler service, highlighting ultra‑low‑level, supersonic training at 500 feet and 628 knots and a secret reconnaissance role kept from adversaries. He describes the Dual Exhaust program where his crew dropped a Mark‑53 nuclear bomb without...
Ursa Major announced the successful hot‑fire of its upgraded Hadley H13 liquid rocket engine, marking the first flight test of the latest variant. The company has integrated additive manufacturing across roughly 80% of the engine’s parts, streamlining production and cutting...
Elon Musk’s decision to block Russia from using Starlink satellites has hampered Russian drone and artillery operations, highlighting the strategic power of private space assets. After initially supplying Ukraine with terminals, Musk later restricted their use against Russian territory following...
Air Tahiti Nui announced a new direct, non‑stop service between Papeete and Sydney, launching its inaugural flight on 14 December 2026. The airline will operate two weekly flights, cutting travel time and simplifying itineraries for both passengers and freight. The route supports...
IATA sharply rebuked AENA Chairman Maurici Lucena for linking airline calls to cut airport charges with safety concerns, labeling the argument as scaremongering. AENA is seeking a 16% increase in airport fees despite airlines’ push for cost‑efficient pricing. IATA highlighted...
The article reviews the limitations of series‑hybrid aircraft, highlighting the significant energy losses when a turbogenerator feeds an electric motor through multiple conversion stages. These inefficiencies make series hybrids uneconomical compared to conventional models like the Cessna Caravan or Saab 340....
Embraer introduced the Praetor 600E and Praetor 500E, the first evolution of its Praetor family, featuring redesigned cabins and advanced passenger‑focused technology. The flagship 600E adds a 42‑inch 4K OLED Smart Window that supports video conferencing and real‑time external views. Both jets...
Lufthansa Airlines will start flying direct 5x weekly Frankfurt-Kuala Lumpur from 25 October 2026. The flight will be operated by its B787-9 with 287 seats in a 3-class configured Alleris cabin. Lufthansa said Kuala Lumpur is the fourth destination for the...
The Deep Space Network (DSN), established in 1963 under JPL, provides continuous 360‑degree coverage through three antenna complexes in the United States, Spain, and Australia. Over six decades it has evolved from 26‑meter dishes to 70‑meter giants, supporting iconic missions...
In August 2025, NIST, NOAA and biotech firm Rhodium launched seven reference materials—including cholesterol, house dust and a freeze‑dried human liver—on a Falcon 9 to the International Space Station. Six of the samples are NIST standard reference materials (SRMs) that meet...
The Air Force will not sign a contract for an additional 75 KC‑46 Pegasus tankers until Boeing fixes key deficiencies, including the Remote Vision System and boom actuator issues. The extra aircraft were intended as a short‑term bridge to keep...
Robert Zimmerman’s new release, *Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8*, chronicles the historic 1968 mission that first took humans to another world. The book launches in three formats—print, ebook, and audiobook—each featuring a foreword by Valerie Anders and a fresh introduction...
India’s Ministry of Defence approved a ₹5,083 crore ($550 million) package that includes the ALH Mk‑III MR helicopter and a ₹2,182 crore ($236 million) contract with Russia’s Rosoboronexport for Shtil‑1 vertical‑launch missiles. The Shtil‑1, a semi‑active radar homing system derived from the Buk family,...
Ukrainian forces on the Donbas front line are confronting a relentless wave of Russian attack drones that patrol the open terrain. Soldiers rely on handheld drone detectors and small‑arms fire to knock out the buzzing threats, while command posts fuse...
The Australian Defence Department has launched domestic production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) at a new facility in Port Wakefield, South Australia. The first batch of missiles is slated for completion by mid‑March 2026, marking the first GMLRS...
Declarations of air superiority are relative. Iran has road mobile air defenses that can hide and pop up out of nowhere. They have exotic stuff like loitering SAMs too. Moving fighters in for direct attacks doesn’t mean they can operate...
Govt caginess about actual damage so enemy can refine their strikes next time is not new/surprising (see V1s vs London). But in this time of instant online OSINT and social media BDA (Bomb Damage Assessment) should they work on assumption...
SatNews unveiled a fully redesigned website that preserves its entire 52,000‑story archive while delivering current headlines such as SpaceX’s pending IPO and Germany’s €35 billion LEO commitment. The platform is divided into seven dedicated channels—Missions & Constellations, Business, Defense, Government, Launch,...
I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for foreign operators of Ukraine’s interceptor drone P1SUN to discover what its seemingly purely technical name actually stands for.
The Pentagon and at least one Gulf government are in talks to buy Ukrainian-made interceptors to fend off attacks by Iranian drones, @charles_clover and @ChristopherJM report https://t.co/hV2ixGhKjx
Virgin Galactic has become the sole commercial sub‑orbital tourism operator after Blue Origin announced it will cease space‑tourism activities. The company’s newly upgraded Delta spacecraft, designed for a two‑day turnaround, is slated for its inaugural flight by the end of...
MQ-9 Reapers appear do be doing a LOT of the heavy lifting against mobile ground targets and vessels in Epic Fury.
"Operationally, the two most powerful air forces in the world, the United States and Israel, are dominating the skies over the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,"
The Government Accountability Office released a critical review of the Space Development Agency’s missile‑warning satellite program, highlighting a heavy reliance on contractor‑provided technology‑readiness assessments and an aggressive two‑year acquisition cadence. GAO found that SDA lacks an enterprise‑wide schedule, has limited...
Apparent FAILURE of Kairos during first stage flight, for the third time in a row Failure appeared to be about 1 min into flight.
LAUNCH at 0210 UTC Mar 5 of Kairos rocket flight 3 from Kii spaceport, Japan
Pentagon officials assured that the United States holds a "nearly unlimited" stockpile of stand‑in weapons, such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions, after depleting precision‑guided standoff munitions in the opening days of the Iran conflict. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint...
A year and a half ago I published a story with my simple plan for saving Artemis. https://t.co/q8yk0zTW3O Here it was in a nutshell: https://t.co/jSbtdKb3zE
Got to get the Supers FALCO APKWS (air-to-air laser-guided rockets for swatting down drones and some cruise missiles) ASAP. Surprised this isn't a thing still after the Red Sea and the USAF going all in on it. The remaining roughly...
More than a third of the Air Force’s dwindling E‑3 AWACS fleet is currently deployed to support operations against Iran, exposing the strain on the service’s airborne battle‑management (ABM) capability. A new Center for a New American Security report urges...
Amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, roughly 1,600 Americans are stranded across the Middle East, prompting the State Department to arrange charter flights and consider military options. The Air Force has deployed C‑17 Globemaster III cargo planes to evacuate civilians, offering a...
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and MD-11 share an iconic tri‑jet silhouette, but their flight decks diverge dramatically. The older DC-10 retains a traditional analog cockpit with mechanical gauges, while the MD-11 introduced a glass cockpit featuring digital displays and integrated...
NASA has launched the NASA Force program, in partnership with the Office of Personnel Management, to recruit high‑impact technical talent from the private sector for two‑year federal assignments. The initiative mirrors OPM’s Tech Force effort and offers participants a pathway...
Airbus is actively testing quantum navigation, known as MagNav, which leverages the Earth’s magnetic field and quantum sensors to pinpoint aircraft location. The approach matches real‑time magnetic readings against a pre‑built magnetic anomaly map, offering centimeter‑level accuracy without satellite reliance....
Nvidia announced a senior hire for an orbital data‑center system architect, offering a base salary between $224,000 and $356,500. The role will design end‑to‑end AI compute solutions that operate from the GPU chip through satellite platforms and inter‑satellite links. The...
Operation Epic Fury, a joint U.S.–Israeli strike against Iranian infrastructure, relied on coordinated space‑based uplink/downlink jamming and cyber disruption before kinetic weapons were employed. The campaign highlighted how militaries exploit a legal gray zone where non‑kinetic effects avoid the traditional...
There were quite a few changes to the Senate Commerce NASA Auth bill compared to the draft that was circulating last week, plus the amendments adopted today. https://t.co/Ad2s6yclcs
Spirit Airlines announced a sweeping reduction of its international network, cancelling 11 routes and trimming frequencies on 22 more beginning mid‑April 2026. The cuts focus heavily on Florida gateways, with Fort Lauderdale and Orlando losing several Caribbean and Central American...
Ukraine will send experts in drone warfare to help the Middle East and Gulf states
The NASA authorization act approved by the Senate Commerce Committee today includes a study of a human Mars mission—sort of. https://t.co/EAOJaNPxtN
The FAA temporarily halted all arriving flights at New York LaGuardia Airport after a bomb threat was reported on Scandinavian Airlines flight SK 907, which had just landed at Newark Liberty International Airport. Authorities quickly determined the threat was unfounded, allowing...
Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg discussed the rollout of the ViaSat-3 constellation in a Thursday Morning Conversation with Via Satellite. The second ViaSat-3 satellite is set to enter service within weeks, with a third slated for a spring launch and later...
Looks like these F-16Is flew up and over Deir ez Zur, Syria, on the way to Iran
Had a great time with the @BreakingDefense team talking about the air war against Iran. A few conversations worth your time. 🧵
Delta Air Lines announced its largest‑ever summer schedule, operating an average of 95 daily nonstop flights across the North Atlantic in Q3 2026 – a 1.6% increase over its previous record. The airline will serve 28 European airports, including new seasonal...
Washington state lawmakers are moving to repeal a 10% luxury aircraft tax slated for April 1, 2026, which would have applied to non‑commercial aircraft sales or leases above $500,000. Strong pushback from the aviation community, including Paine Field tenants, led the bill’s...
This is going to be the conversion to direct strikes I have been talking about. Major acceleration of the air war. Lots untouched in the east, likely AD too.
Strikes Hobble Iranian Missile Threat As Concerns Over Interceptor Stockpile Mount There is a war of attrition ongoing between Iran's stockpiles of standoff weapons and the U.S. and its allies' supplies of interceptors. The latest, updating live: https://t.co/qjIQG0zn3Z
