Defense One reports, “While Marines wait for new F-35s, officials say recent delivery delays haven’t altered their goal to fully switch to the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet by the end of the decade. The service is replacing its aging F/A-18 Hornets with F-35s, a massive effort complicated by a year-long pause in deliveries of the newest version of the jet. But for that plan to work, Lockheed Martin needs to finish clearing a backlog of deliveries caused by technology-development problems that led the Pentagon to stop accepting the aircraft for a year. In July, Lockheed received the green light to resume deliveries without the full version of the upgrade, dubbed Technology Refresh-3.”
Full Story (Defense One)
Tag: 2030
NASA’s 2030 UVEX Mission to Explore the Ultraviolet Universe
SPACE reports that NASA’s UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX) spacecraft “will launch in 2030 to conduct an all-sky survey in ultraviolet light to bring new understanding of how stars and galaxies evolve.” The report notes that the space observatory will be designed with a capability of quickly pointing toward ultraviolet light sources, and “will also include an ultraviolet spectrograph for studying massive stars and stellar explosions.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Canada Commits to 2030 ISS Extension
Space News reported that the Canadian government “formally committed March 24 to an extension of the International Space Station to 2030, joining other Western partners but not Russia.” As part of last week’s meeting between US President Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Canada confirmed it would participate in the ISS through 2030 “as part of a renewed commitment to space exploration that includes contributions to the NASA-led lunar Gateway.” The US announced that it intended to make the same commitment in 2021.
Full Story (Space News)
NASA Looks to Develop a ‘Deorbit Tug’ to Bring ISS in Controlled Destruction in 2030
SPACE reports that NASA is looking “to develop a spacecraft capable of steering the International Space Station (ISS) to a controlled destruction in Earth’s atmosphere when its time in orbit is up.” The plans were revealed when NASA’s $27.2 billion allocation included $180 million “to initiate development of a new space tug” that could safely “deorbit the ISS over the open ocean after its operational life ends in 2030, as well as potentially perform other activities.” NASA’s human spaceflight chief Kathy Lueders said the cost estimate was just under $1 billion and added, “Our goal is to go out with an RFP [request for proposals], and then, obviously, when we get the proposals, then we’re hoping to get a better price than that. But this gives us a healthy start in ‘24 to get that critical capability onboard.”airplanes.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Congress Approves ISS Mission Extension to 2030
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reported that Congress has passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, authorizing NASA to keep the ISS operational until 2030. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “This act shows continued bipartisan support of NASA’s many missions, including our Moon to Mars approach, as well extension of U.S. participation in the International Space Station to 2030.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)
NASA Warned to Avoid Space Station Gap
Space News reports that industry officials warned NASA that it “needs to ensure that commercial space stations are ready before the International Space Station is retired to avoid a ‘space station gap’ with geopolitical consequences.” NASA currently plans to retire the ISS around 2030 and calls for a new commercial space station by the end of this decade.
Full Story (Space News)
US Air Force to Determine How Many F-35s to Purchase
Air Force Times reports that the US Air Force is considering cuts to the number of F-35 jets it had planned to buy as the service seeks to reduce the types of fighter aircraft it flies from seven to four platforms by 2030. The four platforms are likely to include the Next Generation Air Dominance system, the F-35A, the F-15EX, and either the F-16 or a possible low-cost aircraft intended to replace the F-16. If the F-16 is retained or a successor is introduced, then the Air Force is likely to reduce the number of F-35A aircraft it plans to purchase in the future.
Full Story (Air Force Times)