Space

There may be an explanation for the thin atmosphere that seems to come and go from Ceres, the largest of the Solar System’s main belt asteroids.

China’s first international hypersonics conference, held in Xiamen, amounted to a coming-out party for the nation’s swift progress in high speed flight research.

With the Trump administration still finding its way in space, NASA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are proposing concepts for Mars exploration.

Hauling helium by airship, making the Airlander safer, Swiss drone delivers samples, E-volo unveils air taxi, Airbus going Voom in Brazil, NASA flies Prandtl wing.

The United Launch Alliance is close to choosing an engine for its Vulcan rocket between Blue Origin’s BE-4 and Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR-1. Meanwhile Orbital ATK is pitching a solid rocket motor for the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launch system. Aviation Week editors have the details.

In this week's Washington Outlook: Jeff Immelt urges business leaders not to count on government help, ATC reform may not tax GA operators, the NRO seeks more willingness to accept risk and the Air Force and FAA to start space traffic management pilot program.

Orbital ATK is stepping out of the shadows with a next-generation rocket booster.

A California Republican congressman and former Reagan speechwriter recalls the close vote that saved the ISS.

No matter how vital space power becomes to the U.S., if it is relegated to a supporting role inside the Air Force, or any other service or agency, it will always receive short shrift.

The new three-star deputy chief of staff for space will serve as an advocate for space on the Air Staff, which the Air Force hopes will speed decision making and increase responsiveness to emerging threats.

Propulsion engineers at Aerojet Rocketdyne are banking on their company’s long experience building large rocket engines to see its AR1 kerosene engine as the logical replacement for the Russian RD-180 to launch future U.S. national security payloads.

For SpaceX, 100-flight reuse Falcon 9s, providing a hundredfold in savings, is on the company’s active agenda.

Aviation Week has won top honors in the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards, the business-to-business media equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes.

Boeing has adapted amusement park zipline technology to the emergency egress system on its CST-100 commercial crew vehicle.

How the F-15 proposal differs from failed attempts to retire aircraft; another request for regulations; a burning disagreement, and F-35 JPO chief retiring.

Elon Musk achieved a major step toward his goal of lowering the cost of space launch March 30 with the successful relaunch and recovery of a “used” Falcon 9 first stage on a commercial orbital mission.

Space is the only domain where platforms cannot be routinely serviced, repaired and upgraded to keep them operating and up to date with technology advances. Two planned demos, one by NASA and one by DARPA, could change that.

As the nation’s space mission grows, does the service have enough clout to manage it all?

The probe’s mission will finish with a spectacular plunge into Saturn’s clouds, after a wistful look back at our “pale blue dot.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne says there is enough manufacturing work in the ground-bases strategic deterrent missile project for two rocket motor suppliers.

Women have made great inroads in aerospace finance and management, but they remain woefully underrepresented on the technical side of the industry.

French Guianese workers say launchpad construction is not employing enough local workers

In this week’s Washington Outlook: Deterring plausibly deniable attacks in space may involve actions on the ground.

Trump administration’s views on climate change may curtail NASA Earth-observation satellite missions.

Thales Alenia Space sees overcapacity as a factor in the weak telecommunications satellite market, in addition to fast-moving technology and a slow global launch rate.