Top UK Drone Startup Wins Pentagon Test, Yet Departs Britain
Yesterday a Russian warship escorted sanctioned tankers through the English Channel, unchallenged. Today we're about to lose one of the most exciting defence startups in the country to America. > A small British team just topped the Pentagon's own Drone Dominance Gauntlet. Score: 99.3/100. Nearly 12 points clear of 2nd place. 1st in long-range strike, perfect score in urban strike. > The winning system: the Shrike 10 Fiber, built with Ukrainian partner SkyFall. Fibre-optic guided, immune to GPS and radio jamming. Already battle-proven on the Ukrainian front line where drones now account for ~87% of casualties. > Largest order in the program goes to Skycutter: 2,500 units from a $150M pool across 11 winners. Phase II in August targets 50,000+ more. > And they're about to pack up and move to America. Not because they want to. Because the MoD procurement cycle is glacial and there's no pathway in Britain from "company the world wants" to "company the British state buys from at speed and scale." > The MoD's response was a statement saying it wants the UK to be "the best place in the world to start and grow a defence business." A serious country fights tooth and nail to hold onto her winners...
ClearSpace Launches Robot to Clean Space Debris
ClearSpace Unveils #Robotic Spacecraft to Capture and Remove Dead Satellites by @spaceandtech_ #SpaceTech #AI #Robots #Engineering #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/cmG85VPICD
Forgotten Vent Plug Caused Wing Collapse From Overpressure
Ever seen what happens when a fuel tank gets way too pressurized? This old C-141 Starlifter had its entire wing bend and collapse like cheap cardboard during ground refueling... all because a vent plug was accidentally left in after a...
Boom Supersonic’s Relentless Grit Defies Every Setback
Happy investor in @boomsupersonic since the beginning The company - and its leader @bscholl - redefine grit. Like the old Chuck Norris joke: they’ve died a few times already but Death hasn’t found the balls to come get them… 💪🫡
Pilots Fear Retaliation After Refusing Middle East Flights
Airline pilots fear retribution over refusing to fly in Middle East, aviators' group says https://t.co/swrPhjoFwK
Astronaut Honors Late Wife with Moon Crater Tribute
Nobody told Reid Wiseman that astronauts aren’t supposed to be poets. 🤧 He lost his wife Carroll to cancer in 2020. Raised his two daughters alone. Then flew to the Moon as Artemis II commander — and named a crater after...
Boom Shifts to Video Investor Updates During Engine Build
As we enter the build phase for our first engine, Boom is moving to video updates for our investors. Here is our most recent investor update (financial info redacted). Hint: there is an Easter egg 🥚 https://t.co/RyE1syw6Pn
From 5,000°F Fireball to Splashdown in 13 Minutes
Tomorrow, Orion slams into Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 24,000 mph. 13 minutes later? Splashdown off the coast of San Diego where the US Navy is already waiting. In those 13 minutes, the spacecraft goes from a 5,000°F fireball to a controlled ocean...
NASA to Fix Orion’s Leaky Helium Valves Before Artemis
NASA will likely redesign Orion's leaky helium valves before sending the next Artemis crew to the Moon. https://t.co/ZB5x5JbH0t
Worst‑case Sonic Booms Differ
FWIW these kinds of trajectories are worst case sonic booms, very different from what are created by supersonic jets cruising at ~60,000’.
Old Saudi 787 Misidentified as Pakistan‑Iran Escort
This video has been circulating, but the aircraft shown is clearly a Saudi Boeing 787. Neither Pakistan nor Iran operate the B787. While reports about the Pakistan Air Force escorting an Iranian delegation may be accurate, the footage itself is...
Orbital Mechanics Keep Artemis II Crew Far From Earth
Listening to Rob Navias on the Artemis II livestream, it amazes me every time he says that the crew is not yet half way back to Earth from the Moon. Even though they're landing this time tomorrow. "It's just...
Pride in Building My Own Supersonic Engine Stand
There's no grin like the "I'm building the supersonic engine stand I designed" grin. If you want to be in the next version of this pic, https://t.co/QkgtLNyUcw https://t.co/PFpRTufh3C
Cygnus Soars on Falcon 9 XL, Showcasing Massive Payload Capacity
Still wild to me seeing Cygnus flying on Falcon 9. The XL really packs that available payload area.
Denver Airport Swamped: Extra Laps and Diversions
Lots of extra laps in the sky if you’re flying into DEN this afternoon. The blue tracks are the ones coming here. Diversions are happening too.
Blue Checks Second-Stage Impacts Despite Unrelated Hardware
This is not hardware for the third New Glenn launch scheduled for later this month, but I'm sure Blue is checking for any effects on the second stage on that vehicle.
Ex‑Pentagon Official Explains LUCAS Drones' Rise to Indispensability
Former Pentagon official Michael C. Horowitz, who pushed for the creation of LUCAS drones, provides unique insights into how they became what CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper told me are an "indispensable" weapon of war. https://t.co/d8E8tnI1tv
America's Shahed-136 Clone Emerges as Indispensable War Weapon
How America’s Shahed-136 Clone Became An “Indispensable” Weapon Of War Michael Horowitz, who pushed for the LUCAS drone program while at the Pentagon, offers unique insights into its genesis and future. https://t.co/DC5BtHgsGK
Blue Moon Mk1 Exits NASA Vacuum Chamber, No Issues Reported
Amit Kshatriya of NASA said Blue Moon Mk 1 has “just” come out of the vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center and will soon be shipped back to Florida. No comment on how it performed but he did not indicate...
OneWeb UK Cuts Costs, Boosts Revenue, Secures Eutelsat Backing
.@EutelsatGroup OneWeb UK reports 44.5% rev boost in FY 2025; opex down 17%; staff costs down 33%; operating loss, at $456M, down sharply from 2024. Letter from Eutelsat guarantees financial backing through June 2027 if needed. @AirbusSpace @defis_eu.https://t.co/m1k5YGix9u https://t.co/iTbKQhShKk
Unexpected Celestial Glitch Becomes Artemis II’s Greatest Gift
It was an accident of celestial mechanics, but ended up becoming one of the "greatest gifts" of the Artemis II mission. https://t.co/Tg8VGfIpjl
Board Liquidated Teledesic Despite $4/Share Payout, Shaping NGSO Regulation
Wrong. A decision was made by the board In 2002 to liquidate Teledesic even though there was enough capital to pay out shareholders almost $4 a share. Hundreds of millions paid. No bankruptcy. Teledesic's win at WRC created regulatory category...
SpaceX Pioneers First Sovereign AI – Deep Dive
For a deep dive on our @SpaceX Is Building the World’s First Sovereign AI thesis, check out @dougclinton and I on Pressure Points:
Artemis II’s Success Sparks Excitement for Future Missions
I’m really happy to see all the love for Artemis II. I hope we can keep it going for the following missions. The fly by was great mission, but there is some spectacular stuff coming.
Delta, JetBlue Begin Charging $3.50 for Curbside Bag Checks
Delta And JetBlue Quietly Started Charging To Check Bags Curbside At Some Airports — $3.50 For What Used To Be Free - View from the Wing https://t.co/p7MyKru9ax
Senator Cantwell to Address Artemis II Crew Tonight
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees NASA, will speak to the Artemis II astronauts at 7:50 pm ET tonight (Apr 9). https://t.co/I7NKrWIWQG
Intuition Foresight Enables Seamless LEO Integration in Multi‑Orbit Satcom
ST Engineering iDirect's launch of Intuition Foresight underscores the rapid changes occurring in satcom since LEO broadband came on the scene. With Foresight, ST uses standard APIs to integrate LEO into multi-orbit networks in a 'fundamental shift' https://t.co/evhgolvaok
SpaceX Poised to Own Every Layer of Tech Stack
SpaceX, across Musk’s constellation of assets, has a plausible path to owning every single layer. Chips. Models. Data. Internet delivery. And the rockets to put it all wherever physics allows. No other company has that opportunity. https://t.co/W4WPXCFNsz
South Korea Deploys 24‑Hour High‑Altitude Strategic Drone
Busan, April 8, 2026. South Korea rolls out its first production strategist drone... the MUAV/KUS-FS. 13m fuselage, massive 25–26m wingspan, powered by a 1,200 hp turboprop. Developed domestically with 90% local parts by Korean Air, Hanwha, and LIG Nex1. It can...
Amazon Leo's Claimed Speed Edge Lacks Clear Benchmark
.@amazon CEO @ajassy's April 9 shareholder letter on @Amazonleo performance. Unclear what his point of reference is when comparing Amazon Leo to competing services available today - 6x-8x faster uplink, 2x better downlink and lower cost. @Starlink is a moving...
FCC May Boost Starlink Power for Faster Broadband
D.C. Memo: @BrendanCarrFCC Planning to Allow @Starlink to Increase Power Levels, Yielding Much Faster Download Speeds: 'By discarding last century’s satellite regulations, we could see billions of dollars in benefits for the [U.S] economy and broadband speeds many times faster...
Delta CEO: Lower Oil Prices Won’t Cut Ticket Fares
Delta CEO Says Fares May Not Go Down Even If Oil Prices Drop, And That’s Fine https://t.co/li464FU5CB
Artemis 2 Crew Set to Become Fastest Humans Ever
Imagine having this view as you’re commuting home. The Artemis 2 crew is now falling to Earth, picking up speed every second as gravity relentlessly pulls them. When they plow into the upper atmosphere they’ll be the fastest humans in history...
Lufthansa Strike Friday—Verify Flights, Many Delayed
There is a Lufthansa cabin crew strikes taking place Friday. If you’re flying via Germanythat day, double-check that you still have a flight. My flight to Kazakhstan was moved to Saturday.
Orbiting Compute Becomes Real Infrastructure
𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗱. Until you notice who is already moving. And the economics are changing fast. Launch costs have fallen from roughly $10,000/kg to around $1,000/kg, with some projecting near $200/kg by 2027. The moment orbit starts competing with prime terrestrial infrastructure,...
Chemical Reaction Clogs Orion’s $23M Toilet, Crew Uses Backup
A chemical reaction in Orion’s urine treatment system has clogged the spacecraft’s $23 million toilet, prompting astronauts to use contingency devices while the fecal disposal system remains unaffected. spaceflight
China’s Solar Drone Redefines Strategic Infrastructure Power Shift
China just made one thing very clear: the future of strategic infrastructure will not be built only in space. It may also fly for months in the stratosphere, powered only by sunlight. That is why this matters. China has fielded a fully independent solar-powered...
Artemis II May Only Teach Us How to Explore Again
So what, exactly, is Artemis II's contribution to our knowledge of the Moon? Maybe it's just relearning how humans can explore. https://t.co/yslyyDUYUA
Astronauts Rehearse Every Mission Moment in Advance
What do people think the astronauts do for the years leading up to their mission? They have scripted out and walked through every moment of the flight.
Samart Aviation Scales to 200k Flights, Keeps 50% Margins
Samart Aviation's management team confirmed last week that they'll be able to serve 200,000 flights per week without needing to hire a single additional staff. That means that any additional revenue will come at ~50% incremental margins. https://t.co/i1hCzD9b3E
Moon Mission Needs Thousands of Unique Careers
It took the dedication and passion of thousands of people to make humanity’s return to the Moon possible. 🌑✨ Here are just a few of the countless out-of-this-world jobs required to pull off a mission of this magnitude. 🚀 Let...
Redwire Lands Share of $1.8B Andromeda Contract
Redwire $RDW among the awardees of a new $1.8 Billion US Government contract for for the space Andromeda program from the Dept of War Air Force contract. Mentions several other co's $RDW most noteworthy https://t.co/cEThY0jpWC
Travel Update: Fees Rise, Strikes, Storms, Merger Talks
12 Things in Travel Today: — Delta, Southwest Raise Bag Fees Amid Fuel Surge — Lufthansa Cabin Crew Call One-Day Strike — Hawaii Braces For Another Major Kona Storm — US Transportation Chief Signals Openness To Airline Mergers + More https://t.co/Jo2IaZruVw
From 747 Night Beasts to All‑777F Fleet
Throwback to when the skies still had these beasts at night 🔥 This shot from Guangzhou Baiyun Qatar Cargo B 747 freighter glowing under the floodlights, cargo pallets ready, oryx tail shining bright. Back then these 747-8Fs were regular visitors on...
Eurofighter Typhoon Tests Laser‑guided Anti‑drone Rockets Amid Gulf Tensions
Eurofighter Typhoon Test Fires Laser-Guided Counter-Drone Rockets The trial couldn't come soon enough as Typhoons battle Iranian drones in the Persian Gulf. https://t.co/DjdvVq9e34
Your Space Career Roadmap: Grab My Book Now
Y’all are blowing up my DMs asking about careers in the space industry and honestly? It means everything. 🥹 Follow my IG — more content on this is coming. And if you want the roadmap in detail, my book is...
Delta to Slash Routes, Hike Fees Amid Fuel Surge
DELTA AIR LINES plans to cut routes and raise charges to recoup higher fuel costs: https://t.co/3BUCmFXcYF
Artemis 2 Updates: NASA, Canada Host Evening Conferences
Today, Apr 8: NASA's Artemis 2 Daily News Conf is at 5:00 pm ET. Canadian Space Agency will have one at 7:00 pm ET incl Prime Minister Carney. Then a crew media conf at 9:45 pm ET. The NASA...
Lynk Awaits US Approval, Launch Access Delays 640‑sat Launch
.@LynkTheWorld: We're waiting for US regulatory OK of merger w/ @omnispace, which triggers @SES_Satellites investment, but plans are for early ops of our 640-sat constellation in mid-2027. Access to launch is biggest issue. @FCC.https://t.co/hXoS3DuQUf https://t.co/fFvAavyR4J
New Dreamliner Scrapped After 13 Hours Due to Wing Issues
Imagine building a brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner… only for it to fly just 13 hours before getting scrapped for parts 😔 This is N947BA (serial 35507), the 17th Dreamliner ever built.... one of the 'terrible teens' with early structural issues...