Defense and Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA has assigned Jessica Watkins to its Crew-4 mission, a planned April launch by Commercial Crew Program contractor SpaceX of four U.S. and European astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month tour of duty.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force wants to help the Japan Air Self-Defense Force with the development of its F-X fighter, to ensure it can be an active part of an effective defense network to protect against China.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A U.K. Lockheed Martin F-35B became the first foreign airframe to be lost Nov. 17 when the aircraft crashed and the pilot ejected into the Mediterranean Sea after takeoff from the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Ministry of Defense said.
Aircraft & Propulsion

A Royal Malaysian Air Force pilot was killed and another injured Nov. 16 when a BAE Hawk 108 aircraft crashed while conducting night training.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Graham Warwick
Mass drivers are a stock in trade in science fiction, a cheap and energy-efficient way to get payloads off a planet or Moon.
Commercial Space

By Graham Warwick
The ability to deliver whole blood by unmanned aircraft over long distances to medics treating traumatic injuries in the field has been demonstrated by L3Harris and Near Earth Autonomy.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Michael Bruno
Xtend, an Israeli-linked UAV operator system startup that aims to use artificial intelligence to help extend the use and range of unmanned vehicles, has raised $20 million in Series A funding, the company announced Nov. 16.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Michael Bruno
Los Angeles-based Inversion, a space startup focusing on the return-to-Earth side of operations, has closed its $10 million seed round, the company announced Nov. 16.
Commercial Space

By Michael Bruno
When there are space-related accidents on Earth, which there will be as the space economy grows, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board wants to be ready with codified procedures for investigating, according to a new announcement from officials.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
Northrop Grumman said it will lead an industry team to design a lunar buggy to support NASA’s upcoming Artemis deep space exploration program.
Space

ROSOBORONEXPORT (Rostec) signed >$1.3b in new contracts at Dubai for combat aircraft, helicopters, drones and engines.
Defense and Space

By Brian Everstine
The U.S. Air Force’s future refueling aircraft, beyond the KC-46 and upcoming bridge tanker, should get smaller, focus solely on refueling and rely more on automation to be more effective in a high-end, Pacific war scenario, a new think tank report argues.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The Air Force Research Laboratory recently awarded its largest-ever contract for space-related technology development, providing up to $1 billion to Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA has awarded the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy a sole-source, $215 million contract extension for operational support of the Hubble Space Telescope. Meanwhile, the agency is also working to recover the orbital observatory’s full science operations.
Space

By Irene Klotz
An Arianespace Vega rocket lifted off from French Guiana on Nov. 16, delivering France’s first signals-intelligence satellite system into orbit.
Space

By Tony Osborne
Three of the aircraft touched down at Al-Udeid airbase near Doha on Nov. 16 after their flight from RAF Mildenhall.
Dubai Airshow

By Steve Trimble
At the Dubai Airshow a Lockheed Martin executive says discussions continue with the Spanish government on orders.
Dubai Airshow

By Steve Trimble
Speaking at Dubai Airshow, a Lockheed Martin executive confirmed the first Block 70 deliveries would be delayed to 2024.
Dubai Airshow

By Irene Klotz
To see back to the universe’s first galaxies, engineers had to develop 10 new technologies for the James Webb Space Telescope.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Satellite servicing startup Astroscale has unveiled a docking plate it hopes will become standard on all future low Earth orbit satellites to enable their capture and removal from orbit.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
Improvements made to the system will improve its capabilities against a range of aerial targets including drones and ballistic missiles.
Dubai Airshow

By Brian Everstine
While defense spending in recent years has been increasing, the share of it going to research and development is not nearly enough to keep the defense industrial base healthy and, most importantly, allow companies to innovate, the head of Northrop Grumman says.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Mark Carreau
Though NASA has recently delayed its estimated target of returning to the Moon with humans from 2024 to 2025, the agency remains overly optimistic in the milestones and costs it associates with the Artemis initiative, the agency’s inspector general says.
Space

By Brian Everstine
An Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Aviation SH-3 Sea King flew within 25 yards of the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship LHD 2 USS Essex as it transited the Gulf of Oman, a move the Pentagon criticized as dangerous and unprofessional.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
A Russian direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test destroyed a satellite on Nov. 15, generating thousands of pieces of space debris that threaten the International Space Station (ISS) and other assets.
Missile Defense & Weapons