The Space Development Agency has rescinded its request for proposals for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer and reissued the solicitation on Oct. 28 under Other Transaction Authorities in an attempt to avoid a perception that the competition was limited.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. John Hyten is expected to sign off this week on the latest Joint Requirements Oversight Council “strategic directive” on integrated air and missile defense, outlining capability gaps that the services need to fill for their future forces.
As the Pentagon’s No. 2 military officer prepares to retire next month following decades of service, including leading key strategic and space commands, Gen. John Hyten’s biggest regret is how vulnerable the nation’s defense satellite system is to attack.
A Northrop Grumman census is now tracking 164 small-satellite launch programs, although 46 of the projects are effectively defunct and the status of nine others is unknown.
A video of a twin-seat variant of the Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” stealth fighter has emerged on the internet, suggesting China has developed the world’s first
Russia’s MS-18 Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station was on course for a late Oct. 29 docking with a nearly 3-ton cargo of food, water, crew supplies and propellant following a successful launch from Kazakhstan.
Russia plans to spend about $1 billion to develop and flight test a partly reusable, methane-powered orbital launch vehicle known as Amur SPG (“liquid natural gas” in Russian) with a first stage designed to return to its launch site.
With target dates for the launch of electric air taxi services drawing closer, more manufacturers are striking deals aimed at ensuring infrastructure will be in place when their aircraft are ready.
Automated flight control system startup Skyryse has raised $200 million in funding and signed partnerships with five fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft manufacturers, including Robinson Helicopter.
Two senators are urging the White House to waive impending sanctions on India for purchasing Russian-made S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missiles, saying punishing the country for the buy would derail cooperation at a time when the U.S. needs the partnership in the Indo-Pacific region.
Avantus Aerospace has sold off its remaining composite business lines to other private equity investors and to Latécoère so it can focus on fasteners and C-class parts for the metal-friendly narrowbody production ramp-up.
The Pentagon is hoping there are no schedule delays or overruns if defense industry employees do not get COVID-19 vaccines and leave their jobs as the deadline under President Joe Biden’s executive order approaches.
The planned launch of the NASA-contracted SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon mission to the International Space Station promises to boost from nine to 11 the number of astronauts with spaceflight experience named to the agency’s Artemis Team.
UK electric air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace has secured additional funding tied to its planned going-public merger with blank-check company Broadstone Acquisition.
The Japan Air Self Defense Force has opted to participate in the International Flight Training School in Italy and will be sending its pilots for advanced-level fighter training.
A day after awarding Kratos a similar deal, the Air Force Research Laboratory signed a $17.8 million contract with General Atomics-Aeronautical Systems Inc. to spend the next 12 months designing and developing an Off-Board Sensing Station aircraft.
A new satellite launched by China on Oct. 24 will be used mostly for testing an unspecified space debris mitigation technology, state-owned news media and government agencies say.
Wing is expanding its drone delivery operations from smaller towns into more complex urban areas with plans to begin on-demand store-to-door deliveries in metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth.
Embraer subsidiary Eve Air Mobility will launch a month-long simulated urban-air-mobility (UAM) trial in Brazil on Nov. 8, connecting the affluent coastal suburb of Barra de Tijuca with Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport.
Pratt & Whitney will start altitude tests on its experimental XA101 engine in early 2022, though the CEO of parent company Raytheon Technologies warns it would be a difficult and expensive effort to install it on F-35As as some lawmakers are calling for and the U.S. Air Force is exploring.
The four Crew-3 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space Center as scheduled Oct. 26, expressing confidence an assessment of a toilet issue aboard their SpaceX Crew-3 Dragon Endurance and the Crew-2 Dragon Endeavour currently docked to the International Space Station (ISS) will be resolved in time to support their planned liftoff.
