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
Cyber-Star Wars: Securing Satellites and Critical Infrastructure
Space systems are now classified as critical infrastructure, making them prime targets for cyber‑attacks amid heightened geopolitical tensions such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Iran conflict. Attack vectors include DDoS, spoofing, supply‑chain malware, and command hijacking, with a reported 300% rise in incidents over five years. On 26 March 2026 the IEEE approved Standard P3536 for Space System Cybersecurity Design, aiming to embed protection into satellite architecture. Industry leaders warn that compromised telemetry or propulsion commands could cause catastrophic debris‑generating failures.
SpaceX’s Starship V3 Completes Inaugural Flight, Achieves Controlled Splashdown
SpaceX lifted off its upgraded Starship V3 from Starbase, Texas, at 6:30 p.m. EDT, deployed a test payload and, after more than an hour in space, executed a controlled vertical splashdown. The flight demonstrated the new Raptor 3 engines and hot‑stage system...
40,000 Evacuated as GKN Aerospace Chemical Tank Threatens Explosion in Orange County
More than 40,000 residents of six Orange County cities were ordered to evacuate after a 7,000‑gallon methyl methacrylate tank at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove plant entered a critical thermal‑runaway state. Officials warned the tank could either rupture and spill or...
Pentagon Unveils 222 New UFO Files, Including F‑16 Missile Clip and Apollo 12 Audio
The Pentagon released a second tranche of 222 declassified UFO files, adding 46 never‑seen videos and audio from the Apollo 12 mission. The dump includes an F‑16 shooting a mysterious object over Lake Huron and dozens of unexplained aerial phenomena,...
SpaceX Scrubs Starship V3 Launch, Then Flies Test Flight to Indian Ocean
SpaceX delayed Thursday’s Starship V3 launch after last‑minute pad problems, but the rocket lifted off on May 23, 2026, from Texas, carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites and reaching the Indian Ocean. The flight, the 12th test of the vehicle, highlighted...
China Set for Latest Space Launch, with Hong Kong Astronaut Aboard
China’s Shenzhou‑23 mission will launch Sunday from Jiuquan, carrying three astronauts—including Hong Kong’s first astronaut, Lai Ka‑ying—to the Tiangong space station. The crew will conduct scientific experiments, extravehicular activities and a cargo transfer, while one member will remain aboard for a year‑long...
X-Bow Delivers 600th Rocket Motor for Disruptor Strike Drone
X‑Bow Systems delivered its 600th rocket‑assisted take‑off (RATO) motor to AEVEX Aerospace under a $12.2 million contract, marking the first high‑volume use of additive‑manufactured solid propellant on a Group 3 drone. The motors power the U.S. Army’s Disruptor strike drone, giving it...
New Starship Completes First Successful Mission
SpaceX’s upgraded Starship completed its twelfth test flight, reaching orbit, deploying 20 mock Starlink satellites and two specialized payloads before splashing down in the Indian Ocean and exploding. The Super Heavy booster separated as planned but failed to execute its...
The Royal Thai Air Force Orders Two Airbus C295 Tactical Transport Aircraft
The Royal Thai Air Force has placed an order for two Airbus C295 tactical transport aircraft, with first delivery expected in the first half of 2029. The aircraft will be assembled in Seville, Spain, and operated by the 46th Wing...
Blue Origin Completes Investigation Into New Glenn Launch Failure
Blue Origin has wrapped up the FAA‑led investigation into the New Glenn NG‑3 failure, allowing the heavy‑lift vehicle to fly again. The mishap stemmed from a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line, throttling one BE‑3U engine during the second‑stage burn...
The Fuel-Saving Lunar Trajectory that Looks Like the Long Way Round Could Solve One of Crewed Moon Travel’s Most Awkward...
Researchers have identified a new Earth‑Moon transfer that threads through the L1 Lagrange point, shaving roughly 59 m/s of delta‑v from the best low‑energy routes described in the literature. The trajectory enters the lunar manifold from the far side, a counter‑intuitive...
Hanwha Accelerates to Become Korea’s SpaceX with New Launch Vehicle Plans
Hanwha Aerospace announced an accelerated development program for a next‑generation launch vehicle, positioning itself as the private launch provider for South Korea. The conglomerate now controls the Nuri rocket, the upcoming KSLV‑III, and the entire engine supply chain, while the...
Russia’s UAC Flies Su‑57D Two‑Seat Fighter Prototype, Expanding Fifth‑Gen Capabilities
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) successfully completed the maiden flight of the Su‑57D two‑seat fighter on May 19, 2026. The 40‑minute test, piloted by chief test pilot Sergei Bogdan, validates a platform intended for combat, advanced training, and airborne command...
The Cassini Spacecraft Was Deliberately Flown Into Saturn in 2017 because NASA Refused to Risk Contaminating Enceladus, and in Its...
On September 15, 2017 NASA deliberately steered Cassini into Saturn’s atmosphere to eliminate any chance of contaminating the ocean‑bearing moon Enceladus. After 13 years of orbiting Saturn and revealing active geysers, subsurface oceans, and complex chemistry, the probe ran low...
Starship FT12 Perigee Estimated at -7 ± 8 Km
Attempt to fit Starship FT12 orbit from webcast data: I estimate -7 x 194 km x 28 deg with an uncertainty of about +/- 8 km on that perigee value, so between -15 and +1 km....
Starship V 3.0 First Flight
SpaceX launched the Starship V 3.0 prototype on May 22, 2026, featuring the new Raptor 3 engines and a complete vehicle redesign. The first stage climbed successfully but suffered engine problems on descent, culminating in a planned splash‑down in the Gulf of Mexico. Ship 39...
Parker‑Hannifin to Buy KKR‑Owned Circor Aerospace for $2.55 B
Parker‑Hannifin announced a definitive agreement to purchase the aerospace division of Circor International from KKR for $2.55 billion. The cash‑free, debt‑free transaction values Circor Aerospace at roughly 22.7 times 2026 EBITDA and is slated to close in the second half of 2026,...
SpaceX's Upgraded Starship V3 Launches For First Time
SpaceX successfully launched the upgraded Starship V3 from a brand‑new pad at Starbase, Texas, deploying 22 dummy Starlink satellites and two instrumented payloads. The 40‑story vehicle completed a sub‑orbital cruise, survived the loss of one upper‑stage Raptor engine, and performed...
SpaceX Completes Mostly Successful Starship Rocket Flight
SpaceX’s Starship completed its 12th integrated test flight on May 22, 2026, reaching orbit and surviving re‑entry despite two engine failures. The upper‑stage spacecraft performed a simulated ocean landing over the Indian Ocean using only two of the planned three engines before...
Vertical Aerospace Starts Hybrid‑Electric Tests and Rolls Out First All‑Electric Valo Battery
Vertical Aerospace announced that testing of its next‑generation hybrid‑electric powertrain for the Valo eVTOL has begun at Cotswold Airport, and the company has produced its first all‑electric Valo battery on a new assembly line. The hybrid variant aims for a...
The National Space Society Congratulates SpaceX on Successful Starship Flight 12 Test
SpaceX successfully completed Starship Flight 12, the first integrated test of the next‑generation Version 3 Starship and Super Heavy booster, launching from the newly built Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas. The vehicle achieved lift‑off, ascent, stage separation and deployed 22 Starlink simulator payloads,...
Vast Unveils 15 kW Satellite Bus Leveraging Haven‑1 Heritage
Vast introduced its Vast Satellite line, a 15 kW high‑power bus derived from Haven‑1 space‑station technology, securing an initial order for four satellites with an option for 200 more and planning a debut launch in late 2027. The move expands the...
Will We Really Put Data Centers in Space?
Major tech firms are eyeing orbital data centers (ODCs) as a way to sidestep terrestrial power bottlenecks and regulatory delays. The economic case hinges on SpaceX’s Starship achieving launch costs near $50 per kilogram, which would make space‑based solar power...
V3 Starship's First Re‑entry Delivers Impressive Results
Re-entry has been freaking amazing so far. This is a great great result on the first V3 Starship phase. Pity about that missing vac on ascent, but will be interesting to see how close they get to the target soft...
Space Force Awards Viasat, SES $437 Million for Military Satellite Network
The U.S. Space Force has awarded Viasat and SES a combined $437.6 million contract to build communications satellites for the Protected Tactical Satcom‑Global (PTS‑G) program. The first “Swarm 1” batch will consist of four smaller geostationary satellites—two per contractor—targeted for delivery by...
SpaceX Launches Its Biggest Starship Mega Rocket yet on Test Flight
SpaceX launched the upgraded Starship V3, its largest and most powerful iteration, from Texas on a test flight carrying 20 mock Starlink satellites. The 407‑foot vehicle features bigger grid fins, a larger fuel transfer line, and enhanced avionics, marking the...
Six-Engine Ship Loses Engine, Super Heavy Boostback Cut Early
Looks like one of the six ship engines shut down shortly after ignition. Also premature shutdown of the Super Heavy boostback burn, although SpaceX did not plan a booster catch on this mission.
SpaceX Starship Flight 12 Good Launch and Simulated Landings
SpaceX is set to launch the twelfth flight test of its Starship system on Friday, May 22, with a 90‑minute window opening at 5:30 p.m. CT. The mission will debut next‑generation Starship and Super Heavy hardware, featuring an upgraded Raptor engine and a...
Boom Completes Fuel Subsystem Test for Inaugural Symphony Engine
Today the Boom team finished testing the fuel subsystem for the first Symphony engine. https://t.co/RAhEkveYAZ
The War in Ukraine Has Become the World’s Largest Live Test of Autonomous Drone Warfare — and What Both Sides...
The Ukraine‑Russia war has become the largest live test of autonomous drone warfare, with Ukraine producing over 4.5 million UAVs in 2025—more than the entire NATO alliance—and Russia churning out 50,000 fiber‑optic‑guided drones each month. Both sides have rapidly iterated tactics,...
SpaceX Faces A Crucial Launch Test Ahead Of Its IPO
SpaceX submitted its long‑awaited IPO filing, positioning the company for a market debut that could value it in the trillions despite reporting $18 billion in revenue and nearly $5 billion in losses. Central to the offering is Starship, the fully reusable heavy‑lift...
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Bucher Group Puts Airline Identity at the Center of Sustainable Cabin Innovation
Bucher Group used the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg to unveil its new G1B galley platform, developed with Airbus and compliant with CS 25.795 safety standards. The company announced retrofit programs for Swiss International Air Lines, updating 12 777‑300ER and 14 A330‑300 aircraft...
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet Announces Quadruple THAAD Production at New Alabama Munitions Center
Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, alongside Under Secretary of War Michael Duffey, broke ground on Munitions Production Center Building 47 in Troy, Alabama, pledging to quadruple THAAD interceptor output and triple PAC‑3 missile production. The move reflects a new demand‑signal model...
Airbus A350 Delivery Delays Deepen as Kinston Plant Faces Staffing Shortage
Airbus has told airline customers that A350 deliveries will be delayed again because the former Spirit AeroSystems plant in Kinston, North Carolina, cannot meet output targets for fuselage and wing components. The shortage stems from a talent drain after the...
Axelspace to Launch Seven Nikon‑Equipped Earth‑Observation Satellites on SpaceX Falcon 9
Tokyo‑based Axelspace announced that seven Nikon‑equipped GRUS‑3 satellites will ride a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg after July, creating a daily‑imaging constellation for commercial and defense customers. The launch expands Japan’s domestic EO capability and signals rising demand for medium‑resolution imagery.
Pentagon Looks To Expand Supersonic Aircraft Industrial Base
The Pentagon has issued a SAM.gov notice seeking innovative manufacturing solutions for next‑generation supersonic military aircraft. The solicitation targets additive manufacturing, advanced materials, robotics, automation, digital engineering, reverse‑engineering of legacy parts and advanced repair techniques. The aim is to lower...
US's Northern Jet Adds Brand-New Challenger 650
Northern Jet, a Grand Rapids‑based charter operator, has added a brand‑new Bombardier Challenger 650 to its Part 135 fleet. Delivered on March 19, the jet seats up to 12 passengers and offers enhanced performance, connectivity, and cabin comfort. The aircraft joins an...
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman Workforce Message Signals a Mission-Centered Agency Realignment
On May 22, 2026 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman issued a workforce message that reshapes the agency around mission delivery. The realignment moves all mission directorates to report directly to the administrator, merges several directorates into Human Spaceflight and Research & Technology units, and...
Accelerating Space Defence: RCAF Generals Call for Sovereign Manoeuvre and Rapid Procurement
At the Space Canada Horizons conference, senior Royal Canadian Air Force leaders warned that space is now a contested domain and Canada can no longer rely on passive orbital assets. Brigadier‑General Christopher Horner called for "sovereign manoeuvre" – the ability...
Golden Dome Needs a Price Tag and a Clear Objective to Succeed
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Golden Dome for America missile‑defense program will cost about $1.2 trillion, far higher than the Pentagon’s $185 billion figure. The system relies heavily on space‑based interceptors, which the CBO says could require thousands of units and...
A‑10 Warthog’s New Refueling Probe Deployed in Six Weeks
A-10 Warthog’s New Aerial Refueling Probe Is Now Operational In The Middle East In just six weeks, the probe went from its first flight to being deployed to a place where fighting could erupt again at any moment. https://t.co/8CQCSf2olJ
Nibe Vayu Astra-1 Loitering Munition Completes 100 Km Precision Strike and High-Altitude Trials
Pune‑based Nibe Limited successfully completed a series of trials for its indigenous Vayu Astra‑1 loitering munition, demonstrating a 100 km precision strike with sub‑meter accuracy and dual anti‑personnel/anti‑armour capability. The system proved command‑and‑control flexibility by transferring control to a forward station...
To Avoid Forced Retirement, MHI RJ Prepared to Retrofit CRJ Fleet with Traffic Awareness Tech
MHI RJ announced it will retrofit the North American CRJ regional jet fleet with ADS‑B In, a traffic‑situational‑awareness system that the FAA may soon require. The move aims to keep the out‑of‑production CRJ‑700/900 series operational and avoid forced retirements. The...
NASA Unveils Sweeping Reorganization
NASA announced a major restructuring on May 22, consolidating its Exploration Systems Development and Space Operations directorates into a new Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate (HSMD) and merging the Space Technology and Aeronautics Research directorates into a Research and Technology Mission Directorate...
Japan Hopes This Hypersonic Engine Can Make 2 Hour Flights To The US A Reality
A Japanese research team led by JAXA, Waseda, the University of Tokyo and Keio University successfully tested a Mach 5 hypersonic engine at the Kakuda Space Center, simulating conditions at 80,000 feet. The team aims to commercialize the technology in the 2040s,...
Voyager 2 Photographed Neptune in Light so Dim that some Exposures Lasted Seconds or Even Minutes, While the Spacecraft Was...
On 25 August 1989 Voyager 2 flew past Neptune, delivering the sharpest close‑up images of the distant planet. Because sunlight at Neptune is only about 0.1 % of Earth’s, exposures ranged from 15 seconds to several minutes. To prevent motion blur while the spacecraft raced...
ISS Russian Segment Leaks Again, Prompting Fresh Safety Review
NASA announced Thursday that the International Space Station’s Russian PrK module has begun leaking atmosphere again, reviving worries about the aging orbital platform. The leak, traced to microscopic cracks in the module’s structure, comes despite sealant work completed earlier this...
US Approves $108m Hawk Missile System Sustainment Sale to Ukraine
The U.S. State Department has cleared a $108.1 million Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for Hawk medium‑range surface‑to‑air missile system sustainment. The package includes erectable mast trailers, major modifications, spare parts, consumables, and repair‑return support for Ukraine’s FrankenSAM Hawk batteries, with...
How SpaceX Is Making a Quiet Bet on Africa
SpaceX’s $1.75 trillion IPO prospectus reveals a quiet bet on Africa, positioning Starlink as a tool to bridge the continent’s digital divide. By sidestepping costly fiber and tower build‑outs, satellite internet could lower access costs for over 3 billion people. Yet affordability...
Rocket Lab Launches Radar Satellite for Japanese Company Synspective
Rocket Lab successfully lifted off its Electron rocket from New Zealand, delivering the ninth radar satellite for Japan’s Synspective under a 27‑launch contract. The launch marks Rocket Lab’s seventh launch worldwide in 2026, placing it behind SpaceX, China and Russia in...