Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic said May 14 it remains on track, technically and financially, to start commercial flights of its next-generation suborbital spaceplane before the end of the year. In a first-quarter earnings call, company executives said work on its first SpaceShip vehicle is on schedule, with the completed airframe recently moving from its assembly hangar to a testing hangar at its production facility near Phoenix.”
Full Story (Space News)
Tag: aerospace engineering
ASCEND 2026 Puts “Need for Speed” at the Center of National Security Space
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Space is no longer a benign operating environment. It is a contested warfighting domain, where adversaries are rapidly expanding counter-space capabilities and testing U.S. resilience on orbit and across the industrial base. Against this backdrop, ASCEND 2026 will feature its most robust national security programming to date showing how the United States can outpace adversaries, harden critical space infrastructure, and transform its space industrial base.
Digital Engineering Helps Restore B-1B Bomber in Record Time
Air Force Times reports that the US Air Force “finished retiring 17 B-1B Lancer bombers this week, its first step toward divesting the entire fleet within the next two decades.” The US Air Force announced Friday that the 17 bombers left Edwards Air Force Base on Thursday for the aviation graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Of the original 100 B-1Bs, 45 are still operational “and are housed at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, and Dyess AFB, Texas.
Full Story (Air Force Times)
Novaspace Adds Market Intelligence Lens to ASCEND with New Programming on Key Trends
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Novaspace will make its ASCEND debut this year with a dedicated half day aimed at unpacking three of the space sector’s fastest-moving trends: direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity, cloud-enabled space infrastructure, and the next AI-fueled era of remote sensing. The programming on 21 May, marks the first time the consultancy has served as a programming partner for ASCEND.
Boeing Reports Strong April With 57 Widebody Orders
Aviation Week reports, “Boeing booked 109 unidentified orders in April, including commitments for 57 widebodies, the company said May 12. The unidentified orders, released as part of its monthly orders and deliveries report, comprise 28 777Xs, 29 787s and 52 737 MAXs.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Starship V3 and Launch Pad 2 Set for Debut Mission May 19
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19, for the long awaited debut of the third major iteration of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket.” The mission will test a host of changes made to both the launch vehicle and the launch infrastructure as SpaceX prepares to support the Artemis 3 mission.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
MQ-9 Reaper Demonstrates Precision Rocket Strike Capability
Aviation Week reports, “MQ-9 Reapers fired BAE Systems precision-guided rockets during a recent demonstration by General Atomics Aeronautics Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Air Force. The medium-altitude, long-endurance uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) launched several Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II rockets at ground and aerial targets on the Nevada Test and Training Range, the MQ-9 manufacturer said.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
SpaceX Launches New Wave of NRO Reconnaissance Satellites
Spaceflight Now reports, “The National Reconnaissance Office flew its 13th mission supporting an intelligence-gathering constellation it calls the “proliferated architecture” on Monday night. As with the first dozen missions, this batch of satellites (of an undisclosed quantity) flew to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, dubbed NROL-172, launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff happened at 7:13:50 p.m. PDT (10:13:50 p.m. EDT / 0213:50 UTC), nearly four hours after the opening of the window.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NROL-172 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Launch occurs at 30:26 mark)
Spaceflight Now: YouTube
“>
BryceTech to Steer Investment and Innovation Conversation at ASCEND 2026
FROM THE INSTITUTE
When ASCEND 2026 convenes in Washington, D.C., 19-21 May, BryceTech will step into a new role: curating a dedicated two-day track that aims to connect investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders across the commercial space ecosystem. “We set this up … with the theme of investment and innovators,” said Elaine Gresham, director of the Space Center of Excellence at BryceTech, explaining that 19 May is designated as Investors Day and 20 May as Innovators Day.
NFL Veteran Joshua Dobbs Pursues Aviation Dreams in a Cirrus SR22
Flying Magazine reports, “Most professional athletes talk about life after football in vague, distant terms, something they’ll figure out when the time comes. Joshua Dobbs is unlike most professional athletes. The 31-year-old NFL quarterback, now entering his 10th professional season, holds an aerospace engineering degree from the University of Tennessee, has interned at NASA, runs a STEM-focused charitable foundation, and recently completed his private pilot license in a Cirrus SR22. He’s now weeks away from his IFR check ride.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)