In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Oct. 31 2022

Credit: NorthStar. NorthStar Earth & Space’s initial three space situational awareness (SSA) satellites are scheduled to launch into orbit in mid-2023.

Velis Electro electric-powered light aircraft.

Credit: Lift Aircraft. Self-piloted recreational flights over the Hudson and East Rivers in New York could begin as early as 2023 using Lift Aircraft’s single-seat, semi-autonomous Hexa electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.

Credit: EHang. As it looks ahead to certification and operation of its urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles, China’s EHang has formed a partnership with commercial aircraft maintenance provider HAECO Group to develop after-sales support for its autonomous air vehicles.

Credit: Tier 1 Engineering/Dan Megna. A Robinson R44 converted to electrified propulsion by Tier 1 Engineering has completed the first helicopter flight between airfields solely on electric power.

Credit: SpaceX. NASA plans to add a crewed lunar landing on its Artemis IV mission—previously a dedicated assembly flight for the lunar Gateway—and award a contract to SpaceX to ferry astronauts to and from lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface.

Credit: Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin upgraded a Stalker uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) during a flight demonstration with new software code that enhanced the processing ability of the onboard sensor to identify and track a target, the company said. 

Credit: Antonio Segovia. The first Lockheed Martin KC-130R Hercules with an NP2000 propeller system was delivered to the Chilean Air Force’s (FACH) Aviation Group 10 in September. 

Credit: U.S. Air Force. A phased withdrawal of Boeing F-15C/D fighters from Okinawa, Japan, will begin in November as the U.S. Air Force continues reviewing options for a permanent replacement on the strategic island in the East China Sea, a service spokeswoman says. 

Credit: BAE Systems. On the heels of listing publicly, startup Amprius has signed a 3-year agreement to supply its high-energy-density batteries to BA Systems’ Air business for use in electrically powered flight applications.

Credit: NASA/Daniel Rutter. Small-satellite maker Terran Orbital has formally aligned with Lockheed Martin, receiving a $100 million investment boost and signing a three-year strategic cooperation agreement, while it focuses manufacturing in Irvine, California, instead of Florida’s Space Coast.

Credit: CNS/AFP/Getty Images. China has successfully launched the Mengtian space module to space, the third and final piece of the Tiangong space station program.