In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Aug. 24 2023

Credit: Alamy Stock Photo.

An initial U.S. military assessment has concluded that Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin likely died in an aircraft crash inside Russia on Aug. 23, but the aircraft was not shot down by a surface-to-air missile, a Pentagon spokesman says.

Credit: PaulPaladin/Alamy Stock Photo.

Parsons Corp. (PSN) says it has acquired Sealing Technologies in a deal valued at up to $200 million that is geared to bolster its cyber capabilities and broaden its presence with the Pentagon and intelligence customers.

Credit: Rocket Lab.

Rocket Lab took another step toward reusing its Electron small-satellite launch vehicles by flying a recovered engine for the first time.

Credit: Lockheed Martin.

Five companies have submitted bids for a $220 million (400 million Lev) contract to supply seven 3D air surveillance radars for the Bulgarian Air Force, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) said Aug. 24.

Credit: NASA.

Hours from the planned Aug. 24 arrival of Russia’s Progress MS-24 resupply capsule, thrusters on the International Space Station (ISS) Russian segment’s  Zvezda service module were commanded to fire for an orbital debris avoidance maneuver.

Credit: CarbonCapture.

CarbonCapture and a team of partners, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Twelve, have received $12.5 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to start front-end engineering and design work for a megaton-scale direct-air-capture (DAC) hub in southwest Wyoming.

Credit: KCNA.

A second North Korean attempt to launch a spy satellite failed on Aug. 23, but the country’s space agency reaffirmed plans to try again in October, a state-run news agency says. 

Credit: KAIST.

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have developed a humanoid robot capable of understanding flight manuals and flying an aircraft without requiring modifications to the cockpit.