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
DRDO Conducts Successful Long-Duration Test of Full-Scale Scramjet Combustor
India’s Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) completed a 1,200‑second long‑duration test of its actively cooled full‑scale scramjet combustor at the Scramjet Connect Pipe Test facility in Hyderabad on May 9. The run surpasses the previous 700‑second trial, confirming the engine’s endurance and stable combustion at hypersonic speeds. The combustor employs an indigenously developed liquid hydrocarbon fuel and a high‑temperature thermal‑barrier coating that can survive temperatures above steel’s melting point. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the achievement as a key step toward India’s hypersonic cruise missile program.
May 22, 1969: Snoopy’s Closest Approach to the Moon
Apollo 10 served as the final dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing, launching on May 18, 1969. The crew named the Lunar Module “Snoopy” and on May 22 brought it within 9 miles (14.4 km) of the Sea of Tranquility, testing radar, flight‑control and docking...
NASA Is Updating Its Artemis Moon Base Plan. You Can Find Out How on May 26.
NASA will brief the public on May 26 about its revised Artemis moon‑base roadmap, shifting focus from the lunar Gateway to a permanent surface outpost. The agency announced that Artemis 3 will now test Orion‑landed docking with private lunar landers in Earth...
Rocket Lab Launches Ninth Synspective Satellite
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from New Zealand on May 22, delivering Synspective’s ninth StriX synthetic‑aperture‑radar satellite into a 572‑km orbit. The launch brings the total Electron missions to 88 and marks the ninth launch for Synspective this year, part of...
Britain’s Next Airborne Radar Plane Begins Final Tests in Scotland
The Royal Air Force received its first Boeing E‑7 Wedgetail, registered WT001, at RAF Lossiemouth, marking the start of the final test and evaluation phase. Built on a 737 Next Generation airframe, the Wedgetail’s multi‑role electronically scanned array radar can...
Teledyne CCD370 Sensors Launch on SMILE Mission
Teledyne Space Imaging has launched two CCD370 imaging sensors aboard ESA’s SMILE mission, which lifted off on a Vega‑C rocket from French Guiana on 19 May 2026. The sensors sit at the core of the Soft X‑ray Imager, capturing photons...
South Korea’s Aegis Ships to Get Long-Range U.S. Interceptors
South Korea approved a $352 million purchase of U.S.-made SM‑6 (RIM‑174) ship‑borne interceptors for its Aegis destroyer fleet, with operational service slated for 2034. The missiles, capable of 460 km range and active‑radar terminal guidance, will equip three destroyers, beginning with the...
Air France Detroit Flight Diverted to Montreal Over Ebola-Related Passenger Ban
Air France Flight 378 bound for Detroit was rerouted to Montreal after U.S. Customs barred a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo under newly imposed Ebola travel restrictions. The incident highlights the clash between public‑health policy and airline operations...
Boeing Lands 200‑plane China Order, Shares Tumble Nearly 5% as Investors Balk
Boeing confirmed a 200‑aircraft purchase from China, its first major sale to the market in almost a decade. The announcement sent the stock down 4.7% on the day of the reveal and a further 1.4% overnight, as investors had expected...
SpaceX Launches Upgraded Starship V3 Mega‑rocket From Texas
SpaceX lifted off its upgraded Starship V3 mega‑rocket from Starbase, Texas, in a debut flight that tests critical engineering upgrades for future moon and Mars missions. The launch, streamed live, is the first test of the new version’s engines and...
Optimism Remains for GCAP and FCAS Future Despite Programme Stumbling Blocks
Industry and government leaders from the UK‑Japan‑Italy Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) remain upbeat despite unresolved funding and strategic decisions. Edgewing’s April 2026 award of a £686 million ($908 million) design‑and‑development contract marks the first...
Austrian Operator Primus Avia Joins Air Charter Association
Austrian charter operator Primus Avia has become a member of the Air Charter Association (ACA), the global trade body for aircraft charter services. The move underscores Primus Avia’s commitment to the ACA’s Code of Professional Practice and aims to strengthen...
Air New Zealand Expands Christchurch Network
Air New Zealand announced three new nonstop flights from Christchurch to Singapore, Tokyo and Perth, slated to begin in late October 2026. The routes are enabled by the return of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and a fleet expansion. The airline highlighted...
Countdown Glitch Delays World's Biggest Rocket as SpaceX Targets Friday Retry
SpaceX postponed the launch of its upgraded Starship V3 on May 21 after a hydraulic pin failed to retract, causing multiple countdown interruptions. The company now targets a Friday, May 22, 5:30 pm local (2230 GMT) launch from South Padre Island, Texas....
Bjorn’s Corner: Aircraft Structures Part 2. The History Is Governed by Materials.
Leeham News’ Bjorn’s Corner series continues with Part 2, tracing how aircraft structures evolved as material science advanced. The article reviews the transition from wood‑and‑fabric frames to all‑metal aluminum airframes, then to composites and titanium that dominate today’s designs. It highlights...
New Fixed-Wing VTOL UAV Launched for Weather Modification Operations
JOUAV unveiled the CW-80E, a VTOL fixed‑wing UAV built for weather‑modification missions such as cloud seeding, hail suppression and fire prevention. The drone weighs up to 100 kg, carries a 25 kg payload, and can stay aloft for roughly eight hours, cruising...
HAL-IAF Tejas Mk1A Review Pushed to June as Radar, Engine, and Weapons Integration Challenges Compound
India’s indigenous Tejas Mk1A fighter program has pushed its mandatory review to June 2026 after HAL failed to meet key operational milestones. The delay stems from unresolved integration of the Israeli‑made EL/M‑2052 AESA radar with the aircraft’s electronic‑warfare suite and...
Trump Wants Ukraine’s Drone Technology
Ukraine’s wartime drone sector has scaled dramatically, now capable of producing up to 4 million units a year. Companies such as SkyFall are field‑testing advanced interceptors like the P1‑S amid ongoing conflict. The rapid industrialization has turned drones into a cornerstone...
SpaceX's $80B War Chest Enables Rapid Revenue Surge
If SpaceX is valued at $1.5T on $20b revenue run rate, which increases to $32b with the Anthropic data center leases, then its valued at 46x revenues Cursors is doing $3b in revenue and with its $60b acquisition of 20x revenues,...
SpaceX Reschedules Starship IFT‑12 Launch for Tonight
SpaceX's website says they are "preparing to launch" Starship IFT-12 today, Friday, May 22, after yesterday's scrub. Same launch window (6:30-8:00 pm ET). https://t.co/WmDymzCeJd
Starpath Global Expands Multi‑Orbital Leasing Network, Cutting Satellite Entry Costs
Starpath Global announced the expansion of its Satellite-as-a-Service platform, now backed by a virtual constellation of more than 100 satellites. The move lets commercial users and regional governments lease orbital capacity with minimal upfront capital, turning space access into an...
South Korea Gears Up for Lunar‑Orbit Communications with New Industry Meeting
The Korea Aerospace Administration (KAA) held a lunar‑orbit communication satellite industry meeting on May 20 at its Sacheon headquarters, bringing together seven domestic satellite and communications firms. The gathering aims to shape support measures for Earth‑Moon communication and navigation technologies,...
Space Force Allocates $20 Million to Orbital Logistics Challenge
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command and its SpaceWERX innovation arm announced a $20 million Orbital Logistics Challenge aimed at accelerating commercial technologies for on‑orbit servicing. The effort brings together multiple defense agencies and follows recent contracts for refueling and...
Rocket Lab Secures $90 Million U.S. Space Force Contract for GEO SDA Satellites
Rocket Lab has been awarded a $90 million contract by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to design, build and operate two geostationary satellites carrying the Heimdall space‑domain awareness payload. The deal marks the company’s first production program for GEO...
GE Aerospace Cuts Hypersonic Ramjet Design Time to Seconds with Generative AI
GE Aerospace announced that its generative‑AI app generated a preliminary hypersonic dual‑mode ramjet design in seconds, a task that previously took weeks or months. The speed boost aims to accelerate DoD weapon programs and commercial jet engine projects such as...
U.S. Space Force Aims for 1,200 Launches a Year by 2036, Boosting Space‑Control Infrastructure
The U.S. Space Force announced that Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will be prepared to support roughly 1,200 launches per year by 2036. The goal is tied to a record‑high budget request for fiscal 2027 and a three‑pronged priority set...
Space 42: D2D Market “Massive”
Abu Dhabi‑based Space42, owner of the Al‑Yah/Yahsat and Thuraya constellations, announced a joint venture with California’s Viasat called Equatys to tap the Direct‑to‑Device (D2D) market, which it estimates at $50 billion (about €43.4 bn). The partnership will fund a 2,800‑satellite fleet spanning...
UK University Develops First AI Benchmark for Satellite Collision Avoidance
Northumbria University, together with the University of Sheffield and industry partners, has launched the SSA‑LaMB project – the first standardized AI benchmark for satellite collision avoidance. The initiative addresses the growing risk posed by more than 40,000 tracked objects and...
Better Moon-Tech Tops NASA Stakeholder Wishlist
NASA released its FY26 civil space technology shortfall prioritization, revealing that better Moon infrastructure topped the stakeholder wishlist. Over 450 space community members evaluated 187 proposals, narrowing them to 32 shortfalls, with lunar surface mobility, payload landing, and cislunar transport...
NASA's AWE Instrument Completes Mission to Study Earth's Effect on Space Weather
NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE) completed its 30‑month mission on the International Space Station on May 21, 2026, after surpassing its two‑year design life. The instrument captured over 80 million infrared images of atmospheric gravity waves generated by severe weather such as...
New Space System Will Better Protect UK Satellites as New Imagery Released
The UK has launched Borealis, a space‑surveillance software suite, six months ahead of schedule, using data from the newly operational Noctis‑1 military telescope. Borealis fuses imagery and telemetry to track debris, adversary satellites and UK assets, feeding the National Space...
Sixth Varda Mission Successfully Returns
Varda Space Industries successfully completed its sixth re‑entry mission (W‑6) on May 18, landing at Australia’s Koonibba Test Range. Funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Prometheus program, the flight tested autonomous navigation, temperature sensors for hypersonic heat‑shield validation, and carried...
Quvia: Aviation's Real Problem Was Never Bandwidth
Aviation’s connectivity upgrades lag behind rapid satellite evolution, causing fleet‑wide installations to become outdated by the time they’re completed. Quvia’s SVP Mike Moeller explains that traditional deployment cycles, which can span years, clash with fast‑moving GEO, Ka‑band, Ku‑band, and emerging...
From Conflict to Cleaning, Expo Showcases China's Drone Dominance
The Drone World Congress in Shenzhen drew over 1,200 exhibitors and an expected 150,000 attendees, showcasing China’s end‑to‑end dominance in the drone supply chain. Chinese firms, led by DJI, control roughly two‑thirds of the global commercial market and offer a...
NASA to Showcase Mission to Boost Swift Spacecraft’s Orbit
NASA will showcase a June 2026 mission to boost the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory using Katalyst’s LINK robotic servicing spacecraft. The LINK vehicle will be encapsulated in Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL launch vehicle and released from the L‑1011...
NASA Opens Cubesat Slots on Artemis, Deadline June 1
Organizations interested in launching cubesats on any of the next three Artemis missions have until Monday, June 1, to reply to this RFI: https://t.co/q4Npxb5b9r NASA press release: https://t.co/VnqdXPK62d
The Qantas Fleet Order In 2000 That Locked It Out Of The World's Most Popular Widebody
In 2000 Qantas, led by CEO James Strong, placed a landmark fleet order that favored Airbus—12 A380s, 13 A330s, and six 747‑400ERs—while rejecting the Boeing 777, citing the aircraft’s size for domestic routes and Australia’s strict ETOPS limits that made...
Extreme Lunar Conditions Need an Extreme Test Rig
NASA’s Glenn Research Center has unveiled the Lunar Environment Test Rig (LESTR), a vacuum chamber that reproduces lunar‑night temperatures from 40 K to 125 K (‑233 °C to ‑148 °C). The rig uses a dry cryocooler, eliminating the need for liquid nitrogen, helium, or...
Pentagon Picks Shield AI to Add Swarm Pilot to Low‑Cost LUCAS Drone
The Pentagon has selected Shield AI to integrate its Hivemind swarm software into the Low‑Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drone. The AI pilot will let dozens of inexpensive drones coordinate in real time, a capability the service plans to...
Watch Rocket Lab Launch Private Japanese Earth-Observing Satellite Early on May 22
Rocket Lab will lift off a Synspective synthetic‑aperture radar (SAR) satellite from New Zealand on May 22, 2026, in the “Viva La Strix” mission. The 18‑meter Electron rocket will place the Strix payload into a 355‑mile low‑Earth orbit, adding to Japan’s growing SAR constellation....
CMSSF Bentivegna: The Space Force Needs to Double, and Here's Exactly How It Happens
In this episode, Chief Master Sergeant John Bentivenga, the senior enlisted leader of the U.S. Space Force, explains why the service must double its end strength to roughly 20,000 Guardians and outlines the legislative, budgetary, and organizational steps required to...
Air India Flight From Bengaluru Makes Emergency Landing in Delhi After Engine Fire Alert
Air India flight AI2802, an Airbus A320 from Bengaluru to Delhi, declared an engine fire alert on final approach and performed an emergency landing at Delhi airport on May 21, 2026. The left‑engine fire was confirmed by the cockpit crew, prompting standard emergency...
NASA Wins Four Telly Awards for Artemis Moon Coverage, More
NASA’s Artemis II mission— the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo— earned four 2026 Telly Awards, including a gold in Science & Technology and a silver for Live Events. The agency’s 24/7 livestream combined real‑time data, expert analysis and immersive visuals,...
AirAsia Chief Slams Tax Hike for International Flyers
AirAsia co‑founder Tony Fernandes criticised Thailand’s Airports Authority for raising the passenger service charge (PSC) to 1,120 baht ($31) per international traveler, an increase of 390 baht ($11) effective June 20. He warned that higher fees, combined with a proposed 300‑baht...
SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Celia Pelaz, Spire Global
Spire Global, a space‑to‑cloud analytics firm, has launched over 200 satellites across more than 40 missions and is now shifting focus from constellation building to recurring revenue generation. To steer this transition, the company hired Celia Pelaz, former COO of...
New Report: Time Is Now to Start Work on Guardians in Space to Counter China
A new Mitchell Institute paper authored by retired Col. Kyle Pumroy calls on the U.S. Space Force to begin deploying Guardians in low‑Earth orbit and eventually on the moon to counter China’s expanding human spaceflight program. The report highlights China’s...
Boeing’s Forgotten Jumbo Jet Is Now Worth Less Than $150 Million
The Boeing 747‑100, the original “Jumbo Jet,” entered service in 1970 and saw 167 units built. Today, its market value has fallen to under $150 million, far below the inflation‑adjusted $190 million original price and the $418 million list price of a new...
ONE Bow River Makes Strategic Growth Investment in VTOL UAS Innovator PteroDynamics
ONE Bow River National Defense Fund has made a strategic growth investment in PteroDynamics Inc., the developer of the Transwing autonomous VTOL unmanned aircraft system. The capital will accelerate engineering, flight testing and scale manufacturing of the 89‑lb P4 platform...
Bedford Pushes Back On ADS-B Fee Collection
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told a Senate subcommittee that ADS‑B was created solely as a safety and situational‑awareness tool, not for revenue collection. His remarks come as Congress drafts aviation safety legislation following the January 2025 mid‑air collision near Reagan...
Redwire Names Voyager Subcontractor for DARPA Otter VLEO Mission
Redwire has named Voyager Technologies as a subcontractor for DARPA’s Otter very low Earth orbit (VLEO) mission, tasking Voyager with delivering its Acceleration Measurement System (AMS). The $44 million Phase‑2 contract aims to demonstrate the world’s first air‑breathing spacecraft, which must...