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:
United and American are locked in a fierce capacity battle at Chicago O'Hare, where United has been expanding its footprint and defending gate positions. United CFO Michael Leskinen publicly dismissed American’s Chicago hub as "temporary" and warned that American could lose nearly $1 billion at ORD by 2026. United claims its growth remains profitable, while American is adding flights to reclaim market share. The rivalry highlights a broader shift in Midwest airline dynamics as both carriers vie for dominance at a key gateway.
Swarm Aero inaugurated an 80,000‑square‑foot Advanced Manufacturing Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, dedicated to large‑UAV production. The facility is designed to mass‑produce the Group 5 swarming UAV, which the company claims will cost less than the MQ‑9 Reaper while delivering comparable capability....
Boeing announced it will move the headquarters of its Defense, Space & Security division from Arlington, Virginia back to St. Louis, Missouri, ending a nine‑year stint on the East Coast. The relocation positions senior leaders alongside roughly 18,000 employees at...
Pan American World Airways has signed a Letter of Agreement with Amadeus to serve as its strategic technology partner for the airline’s comeback. Amadeus will provide integrated IT and distribution solutions, covering everything from booking and inventory management to day‑of‑travel...
Agilica has introduced its Agilica Geolocation (AGL) system, a high‑precision local positioning solution for UAVs that operates without GPS. Leveraging ultra‑wideband radio and a mesh of anchor nodes, the system delivers centimeter‑level accuracy even in RF‑rich, jammed or spoofed environments....
Vietnam Airlines just broke their Airbus only narrow body tradition 🔥 Signed for 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8s yesterday + Sun PhuQuoc Airways went all-in on up to 40 787-9s ($22.5B) as their widebody future. In my opinion, this mix of Boeing...
Airbus is poised to launch a stretched A220‑500 variant, potentially at the Farnborough Air Show in July 2026. New commercial‑airplanes CEO Lars Wagner backs the program, echoing his predecessor’s push for a larger‑capacity model. The aircraft would seat roughly 165...
European researchers have demonstrated that aquatic moss, particularly Taxiphyllum barbieri, not only survives but thrives under ionising radiation levels relevant to deep‑space habitats. In controlled tests the moss filtered heavy metals, enhanced photosynthetic activity, and formed denser mats after low‑dose...
SSC Space inaugurated the Orbital Launch Control Center (OLCC) at Sweden’s Esrange Space Center, marking a key step toward orbital launch capability. The OLCC will manage vehicle monitoring, countdowns, and coordination with safety and airspace authorities for future missions. Initial...
U.S. metal‑3D printer maker Velo3D has landed an $11.5 million multi‑year full‑rate production agreement with an undisclosed defense contractor for a sensitive national‑security program. The deal leverages Velo3D’s Rapid Production Solution, which couples large‑format laser powder‑bed fusion hardware with proprietary software...
Airbus delivered 793 commercial aircraft in 2025, up from 766 in 2024, led by A320 Family and A220 deliveries. For 2026, Airbus is targeting around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries, subject to operational and supply chain conditions. Source: Airbus 2025 full-year results press...
Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier, flyadeal has taken delivery of its first aircraft of 2026, an A320neo, increasing its all narrowbody fleet to 45 aircraft. The jet, delivered to Jeddah from Airbus’ Toulouse facility, is the airline’s 34th A320neo. It has been...
Aero Systems West (ASW) has supplied its Parasafe ballistic parachute recovery system to Rainmaker for integration into the company’s high‑altitude unmanned aircraft that operate between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. The parachute system is now part of Rainmaker’s FAA‑approved aircraft architecture,...
Air Astana has appointed Johan Eidhagen as President of FlyArystan, effective March 1, 2026. Eidhagen joins from Wizz Air, where he most recently served as Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and previously held senior roles including Chief People &...
Boeing has secured major aircraft orders from two Vietnam-based carriers — Vietnam Airlines and Sun PhuQuoc Airways — covering up to 90 jets across narrowbody and widebody programmes. The deals signal continued fleet expansion in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing aviation...
Researchers at San Diego State University have used automated tow placement to 3D‑print pseudo‑woven continuous carbon‑fiber skins, called meta‑skins, for foam‑core composites. In low‑velocity drop‑tower tests (4.43 m/s), a monocoque configuration with a single skin absorbed nearly 100 % of the impact...
Japan’s transport ministry will ban the use and charging of power banks on all domestic and international flights operating to, from, or within Japan starting April 2026. Passengers may still bring up to two power banks, each capped at 160...
In 1985 the Soviet Vega program deployed two helium‑filled balloons that became the first free‑floating probes to operate on another planet. The aerostats floated for roughly 46 hours at about 54 km altitude in Venus’s middle cloud layer, where a global...
Robynne Trueman’s PAX Perspective review details Porter Airlines’ PorterClassic economy on a Toronto‑Los Angeles flight. The Embraer E195‑E2 offers a 132‑seat, two‑by‑two cabin with guaranteed aisle or window seats, 30‑inch pitch and six‑inch recline. Passengers receive free Viasat Wi‑Fi, universal AC power...
GE Aerospace traces its roots back to Thomas Edison. Founded in 1892, it started with electricity and industrial technology before building its first aircraft engine during World War I. Today, GE Aerospace and its partners power around 50,000 commercial aircraft engines...
In April 2025, an autonomous racing drone equipped with a neural‑network AI outperformed three human FPV champions at the A2RL Drone Championship in Abu Dhabi. The AI‑controlled craft completed the complex aerial course faster than the pilots, marking the first...
Legacy inflight entertainment (IFE) systems are being re‑engineered through software rather than costly hardware replacements. Airlines such as Delta and United are upgrading seat‑back screens with modern interfaces, faster DRM, and new features using IdeaNova’s two‑decade expertise. The company’s Inplay AI...
Russia Eyes Balloon Communications System To Fill Massive Gap Left After Losing Starlink SpaceX has cut off Russia's access to Starlink and now Moscow is scrambling to find a replacement. https://t.co/YIhWYjTEhE
ICBM-Guarding Security Forces Will Need Fresh Tactics To Defend New Sentinel Silos Security Forces tasked with defending Minuteman III ICBMs currently train for everything from retaking captured silos to repelling ground assaults. https://t.co/6zokg3hmvu
Blue Origin is positioning its TeraWave satellite‑communication system as a cost‑effective alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Leo. The analysis breaks down TeraWave’s technical architecture, launch cadence, and projected unit economics, highlighting lower capital expenditure per gigabit. It also contrasts...
Iridium Communications reported Q4 2025 results that met guidance, with full‑year service revenue up 3% and OIBDA reaching $495.3 million, a 5% year‑over‑year increase. Pro forma free cash flow hit $296 million, supporting a 3.3% dividend yield and a share‑repurchase program that...
Digital Surface and Terrain Models from Vantor’s Precision3D Product Line Added to Satellite Data Explorer https://t.co/wwaePneP9X 4 min read Digital Surface and Terrain Models from Vantor’s Precision3D Product Line Added to Satellite Data Explorer N… https://t.co/GyiCqb3Lrp
NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition Program Releases Archived and Tasked Multispectral Data from Satellogic https://t.co/5hA84hrb1m CSDA Menu CSDA Commercial Data Commercial Datasets Commercial Satellite Data Explorer Satellite Data Eval… https://t.co/QN5MKM4S4J
The Atlantic Council’s 2026 strategic analysis warns that the United States must overhaul its commercial partnership model with African nations to counter China’s accelerating foothold in the continent’s space economy. China’s 2025 handover of a telemetry, tracking and command station...
United Airlines CFO Michael Leskinen hinted at a possible United‑JetBlue merger during a Barclays conference, suggesting the airline sees value in industry consolidation. He also disclosed that United will ground its Pratt & Whitney‑powered 777 fleet this summer, temporarily curbing...
Watching the PR comms from Rocket Lab and Blue Origin on Mars Telecommunications Orbiter has been fascinating.
JetBlue announced a new twice‑daily nonstop service between Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) launching on May 21. The route restores a key connection for JetBlue, complementing its existing daily IAH‑Boston flight. Tickets are...
Sprite’s aviation securitization platform is launching a $495 million asset‑backed securities (ABS) program backed by lease contracts on 30 aircraft. The issuance comprises three fixed‑rate tranches with an anticipated repayment date in March 2033 and a final legal maturity in March 2041. World...
Vantor Archive Imagery Added to Satellite Data Explorer https://t.co/q2bK2cqs0t 4 min read Vantor Archive Imagery Added to Satellite Data Explorer A high-resolution multispectral image of Washington, DC from Vantor. Visible are the Washington Monumen… https://t.co/gwPfl3Kxxv
CSDA Program Announces Eight New Data Agreements https://t.co/buqxRt5wTH CSDA Program Announces Eight New Data Agreements This Spotlight Mode SAR image from Capella Space shows a portion of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 21, 2021. Cre… https://t.co/UyfPwDeyuS
In this episode, host T‑Minus chats with Michelle Lucas, CEO of Higher Orbits, about China’s surge in private‑sector space funding, highlighting iSpace’s $730 million raise to develop reusable rockets, Space Epoch’s new capital for a 2026 launch and sea‑recovery test, and...
Amazon has signaled its interest in allowing trusted government and third-party customers to use their own antenna hardware to integrate Amazon LEO into existing systems, in a move that would greatly enhance optionality, while hastening market entry for the service....
Loft Orbital and Australia’s SmartSat Cooperative Research Center have begun a joint mission to test AI‑driven wildfire detection software on Loft’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellites. The system uses hyperspectral imaging to differentiate smoke from ordinary cloud cover and to flag nascent blazes,...
Firefly Aerospace saw a massive influx of bullish options as traders bought 10,700 February‑27 $25 calls, a ten‑fold increase over existing open interest. The contracts surged in value, delivering up to 163% unrealized gains within 24 hours while the stock...
Lockheed CEO Taiclet says LMT never considered spinning off part of biz to allow for direct DoD ownership stake: L3Harris "didn't have, I guess, apparently, the resource to manage the scaling themselves." If regulators had allowed LMT to buy Aerojet "we...
Notes from the Field https://t.co/xwDzaniIAE 2 min read Notes from the Field Looking at Chlorophyll from Space By Compton “Jim” Tucker Tucker began his ground studies using a handheld instrument built by one of his classmates. “The instrument was l… https://t.co/kJTrbVQZ7o
John Crane announced its support for NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission, slated for launch no earlier than February 2026. The company will supply specialized filtration sieves for the Orion spacecraft’s propellant‑management devices, critical for separating liquid and gas phases in micro‑gravity. This...
Measuring the Big Bang with the COBE satellite https://t.co/gJB6QAzHt0 4 min read Measuring the Big Bang with the COBE satellite By John Mather The Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE) went up on a Delta rocket on Nov. 18, 1989, into a polar …...
42 Years of Measuring the Sun, the Earth and the Energy in Between https://t.co/uZalndm6yv 5 min read 42 Years of Measuring the Sun, the Earth and the Energy in Between By Denise Lineberry NASA’s Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), a part of th…...
ALM Services, a specialist in airport logistics, has secured two new contracts: a Loading Dock Management agreement for Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and a Central Receiving and Distribution Center (CRDC) services contract at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall...
The Sky Belongs to All of Us https://t.co/n9KwxP7yJV 6 min read The Sky Belongs to All of Us By Hashima Hasan How did a little girl born in India soon after its independence from the British Empire, become a program scientist for NASA’s...
Boeing just announced the move of its defense unit HQ back to St. Louis, where McDonnell Douglas was headquartered (and where Boeing continues to build fighters and weapons). Industry always welcomes a SecDef visit but real question for workforce will be...
Red Cat Holdings (NASDAQ: RCAT) has retreated about 8% from its January 22 peak, settling near $12.39. The stock sits within 0.75 of its 50‑day moving average’s 20‑day ATR, a bullish signal that historically preceded a 5.9% average gain after one...
New design (left). First Trump admin (right). Much larger flag on the tail, different color on the engines--possibly related to the thermal concerns raised a couple years back. https://t.co/e5GPwczads
Major Deployment Of Rickety E-3 Sentry Fleet For Iran Crisis Highlights Worrisome Gaps The shrunken E-3 fleet isn't getting any younger, and a replacement is still far off while demand for its services would be far greater in the Pacific. Story: https://t.co/bX9Y8kMlqE
