Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

Aviation Week Staff
A Russian Proton heavy rocket has successfully orbited the first Angolan telecommunication satellite.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Navy’s new effort to link uncrewed assets across the Middle East for improved maritime surveillance will grow next month when the service includes uncrewed aircraft along with more vessels for an expansion in numbers and capability.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
The competing teams led by Lockheed Martin/Boeing and Bell must self-fund the costs or disband the industry teams until the delayed contract award is finalized.
AUSA

By Mark Carreau
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite—launched nearly 4 1/2 years ago to search for extrasolar planets—has suspended science operations in response to a suspected flight computer reset, a mission status update says.
Space

By Michael Bruno
With business partnerships sweeping across the new space and commercial space marketplace–for survival, growth or both–relative newcomer Sierra Space has opened its own corporate venture capital (VC) office to facilitate strategic tie-ups with other space upstarts.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA and SpaceX on Oct. 13 delayed the departure of the Crew-4 Dragon Freedom astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) for a second day due to unfavorable weather in the recovery zones.
Space

By Tony Osborne
France, Spain and the UK have committed to supplying additional air defense equipment to Ukraine.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
A group of 15 nations led by Germany have signed an initiative to strengthen European ground-based air defense capabilities.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Chen Chuanren
Japan’s Space Cotan Ltd. and the Hokkaido town of Taiki have begun the expansion of Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO), part of its vision to create a space Silicon Valley in Japan.
Commercial Space

By Garrett Reim
Xwing has signed a 3-year contract with NASA to study performance, procedures and risks for flight automation.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Chen Chuanren
The launches suggest that North Korea is in the process of developing or already has the capability to develop small nuclear warheads suitable for munitions like cruise missiles.
Missile Defense & Weapons

By Michael Bruno
Venture capital groups for Airbus and Boeing have teamed with others to provide a $10 million seed funding round for Arizona-based Solestial, a startup working on solar panel technology for satellites and spacecraft.
Commercial Space

By Victoria Moores
French startup Aura Aero is looking to acquire a small carbon-fiber specialist as it intends to use the material for the wing of its planned 19-seat Electric Regional Aircraft.
Advanced Air Mobility

BOEING gets P-8A engine maintenance award... BELL delivers to first Greek 505 customer... MARITIME LAUNCH SERVICES taps former CSA president...
Defense and Space

By Michael Bruno
Eutelsat Communications said Oct. 12 that its proposed acquisition of OneWeb would grow its annual expected revenue to almost $2 billion by fiscal 2027, from less than $1.2 billion in fiscal 2021.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA has awarded two companies contracts to undertake capability studies that assess and demonstrate communications and navigation services in support of the agency’s Artemis initiative.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. and international partners are focused on providing an integrated air defense system to help Ukraine protect itself, in light of a barrage of Russian military attacks this week and the long-term need for Kyiv to build up its forces.
AUSA

By Garrett Reim
Ispace of Japan plans to launch the world’s first private lunar lander mission, dubbed Mission 1, during a target window of Nov. 9-15.
Commercial Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. must effectively compete with China through military modernization, including strengthening the defense industrial base, broad military modernization and new technologies in space, the Biden administration outlines in a long-awaited National Security Strategy.
AUSA

By Irene Klotz
Pioneering space tourist Dennis Tito, who 21 years ago became the first privately paying passenger to visit the International Space Station, has booked two seats aboard a planned SpaceX Starship mission around the Moon.
Commercial Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force has declared its new combat rescue helicopter, the Sikorsky HH-60W, combat-ready.
AUSA

By Steve Trimble
The Long Range Maneuvering Projectile (LRMP) is scheduled to perform the first wing-extension test during a launch test next week.
AUSA

By Tony Osborne
It can take nearly 7 years to train a rotary-wing pilot in the UK’s flight training system, figures released by the country’s defense ministry show.
Light Attack and Advanced Training

By Graham Warwick
Energy management company KULR Technology Group has acquired a vibration reduction capability originally developed to balance helicopter rotors that it plans to expand to “anything that spins,” from electric motors to wind turbines.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Irene Klotz
A Rocket Lab Electron booster has arrived at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia in preparation for the company’s first launch from the U.S.
Commercial Space