Tag: Aerospace News

Falcon 9 Lifts Off from Vandenberg with First West Coast Starlink Mission of 2026

Spaceflight Now reports the Starlink 17-30 mission sent the batch of satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket from pad 4E “at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 9:47:29 p.m. PST.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg. (Launch takes place at the 29:15 mark)
Spaceflight Now; YouTube

Leonardo’s Proteus Naval Autonomous Helicopter Makes First Flight

Aviation International News reports, “Leonardo has made the first flight of what it described as the UK’s ‘first autonomous full-size helicopter,’ the ‘Proteus’ technology demonstrator. The milestone was reported on January 16 by the Royal Navy, which is working with the Italy-based aerospace and defense group on the project.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

Video
Viral Vantage Vista; YouTube

Blue Origin Set for Six-Person Suborbital Mission on Jan. 22

SPACE reports Blue Origin will launch six people “to the final frontier on Thursday (Jan. 22), and you can watch the space tourism mission live. Blue Origin is scheduled to launch its NS-38 suborbital mission from West Texas on Thursday, during a window that opens at 9:30 a.m. EST (1430 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local Texas time). You can watch it live via Blue Origin.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Grey Wolf Helicopter Makes First Operational Flight

Defense News reports, “Two MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters completed their first operational mission Jan. 8, escorting a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile convoy, the U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday.”

Full Story (Defense News)

NASA’s Giant Moon Rocket Rolls Out for Artemis II

The New York Times reports, “On Saturday morning, a mammoth crawler began transporting the Space Launch System vehicle, the Orion capsule and the launch tower — 14 million pounds altogether — from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launchpad 4.2 miles away. It reached the launchpad at 6:42 p.m. Eastern. Now, final preparations will begin — hooking up connections for electrical power and propellants and performing checks of key systems. That will lead up to a dress rehearsal of the countdown in early February.”

Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

My Daily Launch

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we will not publish on Monday, 19 January. Service will resume on Tuesday, 20 January.
More Info (My Daily Launch)

Textron Aviation Delivers First Citation M2 Gen2 as Jet Enters Service

Aviation Week reports, “Textron Aviation announced delivery and entry-into-service of its Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 light jet equipped with Garmin autothrottles. The Citation M2 Gen2 received FAA certification in October 2025. First delivery and ferry flight took place on Nov. 24 to a customer in Wausau, Wisconsin, according to Aviation Week Network data.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Video
MotorPowerForce; YouTube

Isaacman Meets With SpaceX, Blue Origin to Explore Faster Artemis Timeline

Aviation Week reports, “NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman this week met with SpaceX and Blue Origin officials to get a better sense of how to speed up the timelines around efforts to return to the Moon and look beyond. The meeting took place Jan. 13, ‘to understand the latest plans to accelerate NASA’s Artemis timeline,’ Isaacman said via social media.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Army’s First HADES ISR Jet Set for Spring Flight Tests, SNC Confirms

Defense Daily reports, “The Army’s first prototype aircraft for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program will begin flight testing this spring, lead integrator Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) confirmed to Defense Daily. SNC noted the first Bombardier Global 6500 jet outfitted for the HADES program will then be delivered to the Army this fall to support operational testing.”

Full Story (Defense Daily)

The ISS National Laboratory Seeking Research Submissions for Technical Sessions at ASCEND 2026

The ISS National Lab invites abstracts for technical sessions at ASCEND 2026 (19–21 May 2026, Washington, D.C.), covering biology and medicine, physical and materials science, and commercial innovation. Submissions close 23 January 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET). In-person technical sessions take place 20–21 May 2026.

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