Industry News

SPACE reports that NASA “raised concerns about SpaceX’s new Starlink satellites, including an increase of the risk of collision in orbit, in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).” NASA has “concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions.

Inside Defense reports that Sikorsky and The Boeing Company announced Thursday that they have chosen “Honeywell’s HTS7500 turboshaft engine to power their DEFIANT X helicopter, one of two contenders for the Army’s Future Long Range-Assault Aircraft.” In a statement, Ricky Freeman, President of Defense & Space at Honeywell Aerospace, said, “We’re confident our HTS7500 engine

Space News reports that the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation “aims to launch at least 140 spacecraft across more than 50 launches in 2022 following its busiest year in space so far.” Major missions “will include six launches to complete the construction phase of the Tiangong space station.” Full Story (Space News)

Air Force Times reports that the US Air Force “said this week a contract to buy a replacement for the aging E-3G Sentry…could come in fiscal 2023.” The US Air Force released a RFI Tuesday, asking “how a potential contractor would deliver at least two prototype aircraft to replace the AWACS, including ground support and training

Aviation Week reports that DARPA and Sikorsky “have conducted the first fully autonomous flights of a UH-60 Black Hawk with no one on board the helicopter. The flights involved a modified S-70A optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) testbed fitted with Sikorsky’s Matrix autonomy system under DARPA’s Alias program.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

SPACE reports that the Ingenuity helicopter “aced a 100-second sortie on Tuesday (Feb. 8), its 19th Red Planet flight overall but its first since Dec. 15.” The flight had been planned for January 5 but was delayed due to a dust storm near the Jezero Crater on Mars. Full Story (SPACE)

Space News reports that Astra Space “aborted and then scrubbed a launch of its Rocket 3.3 small launch vehicle” seconds before the planned liftoff Monday. Astra “counted down to a launch of the Rocket 3.3 vehicle, designated LV0008, at 1:50 p.m. Eastern but aborted just as the engines started up. The company took nearly 90

Aviation Week reports that South Korea’s “ambition to launch urban air mobility (UAM) services in 2025 has been boosted by the signing of a strategic collaboration agreement between air taxi developer Joby Aviation and Korean telecommunications giant SK Telecom (SKT).” Full Story (Aviation Week)

Spaceflight Now reported that Astra “has become the first company to receive a commercial launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration through a streamlined regulatory regime, clearing a procedural hurdle before launching a small rocket and four NASA-sponsored CubeSats into orbit Saturday from Cape Canaveral.” Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Aviation International News reported that Bell successfully demonstrated its Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) eVTOL “with the use of ground-based detect-and-avoid (DAA) sensors as part of a NASA Systems Integration and Operationalization project.” Full Story (Aviation International News) Bell Video: Bell Autonomous Pod Transport 70 Makes First Autonomous Flight

SPACE reports that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission team members “have begun the three-month process of aligning the $10 billion Webb.” For the first time, “photons from distant stars traveled through the entire telescope and were detected by Webb’s Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.” NASA officials wrote Thursday, “This milestone marks the first of

Air Force Times reports that the F-35A “could start flying near thunderstorms again soon, once the Air Force finishes upgrading its first jet for extra protection against lightning strikes.” The F-35A was banned “from flying within 25 nautical miles of lightning or thunderstorms after finding that a crucial system may not function correctly if hit by

Space News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 “launched a U.S. government spy satellite into orbit Feb. 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.” The NROL-87 payload, launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at 3:28 p.m. Eastern, “was the National Reconnaissance Office’s first space mission of the year and the first orbital launch of 2022

Aviation Week reports that “Northrop Grumman has delivered the first production version of the MQ-4C Triton to the U.S. Navy that comes equipped with low- and high-band signals intelligence payloads.” According to Aviation Week, the “delivery is a key milestone in the Navy’s plan to replace the Lockheed EP-3E Aries II with a family of

In an online report, Sky News (UK) says, “NASA has published plans for the future of the International Space Station which could see the 444,615kg structure taken out of orbit in January 2031 and crashed into a ‘spacecraft cemetery.’” The ISS “will continue operating until 2030 following a commitment made by President Biden and Vice President

Aviation Today reports that Ryanair “plans to add up to 6,000 new employees to its global workforce within the next five years to support a massive Boeing 737 MAX fleet expansion.” Full Story (Aviation Today)

Florida Today reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket “finally broke a scrub streak Monday, vaulting an Earth observation satellite into skies so clear that the entire process from launch to landing back at Cape Canaveral was easily visible to watchers along the coast.” The rocket carried the Italian Space Agency’s COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG-2)

Air Force Times reports that the F-15EX Eagle II on Friday successfully fired “an AIM-120D missile at a BQM-167 target drone over the Gulf of Mexico.” The F-15EX, “which was taking part in an air-to-air weapons system evaluation program known as Combat Archer, found the drone with its sensors, tracked it and fired the missile at

24HTECH Asia reports that Hyundai Motor Group appointed Dr. Jaiwon Shin “as executive vice president and head of its newly established Urban Air Mobility Division.” Dr. Shin is a “Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society of Britain.” Full Story (24HTECH Asia)

CBS News reported that United Airlines “has launched a program to train the next generation of pilots, including promoting other workers to fill those vacancies.” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said, “We’ve got over 100 regional aircraft that effectively aren’t flying because there are not enough pilots to fly them.” CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg

Bloomberg reports that the US Air Force’s “latest schedule for fixing, verifying and installing improved versions of key equipment on its refueling tankers built by Boeing Co. shows the work won’t be complete before early 2026, or 15 years after the company won the contract.” Full Story (Bloomberg)

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX “scrubbed the planned launch of an Italian radar remote sensing satellite Thursday due to dismal weather at Cape Canaveral.” The Falcon 9 rocket is to launch at 6:11 p.m. EST Friday. The rocket is to carry a COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) radar surveillance satellite “into a polar orbit for the Italian

The AP reports that Boom Supersonic “announced Wednesday that it has chosen a North Carolina airport as the manufacturing site for next-generation supersonic passenger jets.” Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro will be the home for Boom Supersonic’s “first full-scale manufacturing plant, including the final assembly line, testing and delivery center for its proposed Overture supersonic airliner.”

Florida Today reports that US Space Force calculations “show a downgraded forecast for SpaceX’s next launch from Cape Canaveral on Thursday, a mission that will include sonic booms as the Falcon 9 booster returns to the Space Coast for landing.” The weather could “begin to clear before the liftoff window at 6:11 p.m. EST Thursday.” The

Aviation International News reports that Airbus “is launching its own cargo airline operation to capitalize on rising air freight demand and the ability of its Beluga transporters to carry super-sized loads.” By 2024, “the new Airbus Beluga Transport service will use five of the A300-600-based BelugaST widebodies for ad hoc charters carrying large, heavy items

Space News reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “will move its next Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) weather satellite into position over the Western United States soon after launch to speed up data delivery to the National Weather Service.” After the GOES-18 satellite is deployed into geostationary transfer orbit, “the satellite will spend

SPACE reports that the Dragon CRS-24 “cargo ship splashed down today (Jan. 24) in the Atlantic Ocean at 4:05 p.m. EST (2105 GMT), off the coast of Florida near Panama City.” The SpaceX cargo ship “returned nearly 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of science to Earth, including a ‘cytoskeleton’ that studies cell signaling in humans, and returning

Aviation Week reports that Ethiopian Airlines “has confirmed that its Boeing 737 MAXs will return to the skies in the coming days, nearly three years after the carrier’s fatal accident involving the type.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

The Hill reported that scientists “have created the largest and most detailed 3D map of the universe using an instrument that has mapped out more galaxies than all other three-dimensional surveys combined.” The map “was created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which is managed by the United States Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that The Boeing Company is investing another $450 million into Wisk, its joint venture with Kitty Hawk Corp. aiming to develop pilotless air-taxis. The Journal says Airbus and Embraer have their own air taxi units. Full Story (Wall Street Journal)

Florida Today reports that a “nearly 200-foot Atlas V rocket rolled to its pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, setting the stage for liftoff from Launch Complex 41 a little more than 24 hours later.” Just before noon, United Launch Alliance confirmed that the “rocket’s mobile platform secured itself on four “piers”

Aviation Week reports that Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation “electric aircraft has secured the world electric aircraft speed record following verification by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).” Full Story (Aviation Week)

Aviation Today interviews Avionics International CEO and co-founder Rani Plaut on the company’s “approach to designing its personal aerial vehicle and achieving FAA certification by the end of 2023.” AIR has already “received pre-orders for over 50 units” of its AIR ONE eVTOL. Full Story (Aviation Today)

SPACE reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has deployed all 18 primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror as of Wednesday. Full Story (SPACE)

CNBC reports that space infrastructure companies “received $14.5 billion of private investment in 2021, a new annual record that was up more than 50% from 2020.” Full Story (CNBC)

Aviation Week reports that Lockheed Martin “says it has completed a series of mission profile tests of the Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant rotorcraft demonstrator as the U.S. Army continues evaluating competing bids for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) contract.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

Space News reported that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to “send to orbit a spacecraft powered by a nuclear propulsion system.” The technology “could give the U.S. military an advantage over enemies by making satellites more maneuverable and less vulnerable to attack.” DARPA’s Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft is scheduled

Reuters rreported that the Philippines “is buying 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from Poland-based Sikorsky Aircraft subsidiary PZL Mielec to beef up its existing fleet of 12.” A notice of award was issued December 28 “for the purchase of brand new helicopters under a project that comes with logistics support and a training package for pilots

Aviation International News reports that Tupolev performed the first flight of the first new-production Tu-160M strategic bomber Wednesday. The flight “was undertaken at the Kazan Aviation Plant airfield, and lasted for around 30 minutes.” The first two new-production aircraft are to be handed over to the Russian air force in 2022. The Tu-160M features a

Space News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 “placed more than 100 smallsats into orbit Jan. 13 as the company accelerates the pace of its dedicated rideshare missions.” Thursday’s launch was dubbed Transporter-3. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 “lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 10:25 a.m. Eastern.” The

Aviation Week reports that a “long-range infrared search and track (IRST) sensor, manned-unmanned teaming capability and a Thales Scorpion helmet-mounted display are on a list of new upgrades by third-party vendors sought by the U.S. Air Force for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that Virgin Orbit “is set to fire seven satellites into space later today, when RAF pilot [Matthew Stannard] ‘Stanny’ unleashes the LauncherOne rocket from a Boeing 747.” The jet “will fly up to 35,000ft over the Pacific Ocean for an hour, before deploying the Launcher One rocket and roughly 660lb of satellites

CNET News reports that NASA’s InSight lander “went into safe mode – a mode designed to protect the lander – on Jan. 7 after a dust storm reduced sunlight to the solar-powered machine.” NASA JPL said Tuesday, “The mission’s team reestablished contact with InSight Jan. 10, finding that its power was holding steady and, while low,

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company “bounced back to win the traditional annual order race against Airbus SE (AIR.PA) on an adjusted basis, but its European rival remained the world’s largest planemaker based on the number of jets delivered, data showed on Tuesday.” Shares in Boeing “rose around 2% after the closely watched data showed it

Aviation Week reports that the Boeing MQ-25 Stingray “program used 2021 to prove its prototype of the unmanned refueling aircraft can perform the basics for the U.S. Navy, and now is looking to ramp up production under the initial engineering and manufacturing development contract and put those aircraft to the test.” More Info (Aviation Week)

CNN reports 2022 “promises to be yet another year solidifying the private sector’s grip on modern space travel.” SpaceX is planning “to put its colossal 400-foot-tall Starship rocket – intended to eventually reach Mars – into Earth’s orbit for the first time.” The article also mentions concerns over the overcrowding of space with debris and satellites.

CNET News reported that NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter “is getting ready to take its first flight of the year, and its 19th flight overall. The Ingenuity team anticipates takeoff could be tough due to the terrain it’s sitting on.” The flight is “scheduled to take place no earlier than Friday.” Full Story (Air Force Magazine)

Air Force Magazine reported that The Boeing Company “has revealed an updated concept for its Valkyrie reusable, unmanned hypersonic aircraft that indicates new design approaches for inlets and shaping.” The revised Valkyrie was shown “in the form of a model at [last] week’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics [SciTech] meeting in San Diego.” The aircraft

SPACE reports that the James Webb Space Telescope deployed its Aft Deployable Instrument Radiator (ADIR) Thursday at about 8:38 a.m. EST. The ADIR “is a 4 foot (1.2 meters) by 8 foot (2.4 m) panel attached to the back of the observatory and connected by aluminum foil straps to Webb’s instruments. The radiator is covered in

Aviation Today reports that “FAA Special Airworthiness Certification and U.S. Air Force Airworthiness Approval were both awarded to Joby Aviation for the company’s second pre-production prototype aircraft.” Due to the certification, Joby “will be able to ramp up flight testing in 2022 and continue working towards a commercial operations launch date in 2024.” Full Story (Aviation