Defense One reports, “Boeing will develop and build a sixth-generation fighter jet for the Air Force, President Donald Trump announced Friday, ending months of deliberation about whether to proceed with the effort and how much it might cost. ‘After a rigorous and thorough competition between some of America’s top aerospace companies, the Air Force is going to be awarding the contract for the Next Generation Air Dominance platform to Boeing,’ Trump said. Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin, its only rival for the NGAD contract after Northrop Grumman dropped out last year.”
Full Story (Defense One)
Tag: Aerospace
SpaceX Launches its 450th Falcon 9, Sets New Record for Booster Turnaround Time
Spaceflight Now reports, “The National Reconnaissance Office launched its eighth batch of satellites to support its proliferated architecture constellation. The mission includes a number of notable milestones for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket program, including a record-fast turnaround time for its booster. The rocket carried an unspecified number of satellites that are believed to be Starshield, a government variant of the Starlink satellites that are built by SpaceX in partnership with Northrop Grumman. This was SpaceX’s 450th Falcon 9 launch to date.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 for 450th time (Launch occurs at 32:38)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
NASA to Continue Pursuit of Boeing Starliner Certification
Aviation Week reports, “NASA says it wants to stick with the Boeing CST-100 Starliner to give the space agency options in case the SpaceX Dragon system encounters problems. NASA last year had to lean on the SpaceX system when it experienced technical issues with Starliner during a Crew Flight Test (CFT) that turned a days-long mission into a months-long saga. The propulsion issues drove NASA to return the Boeing capsule to Earth uncrewed and make astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams part of the International Space Station (ISS) crew. They returned to Earth March 18along with NASA’s Crew-9 Dragon commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Wilmore and Williams Splash Down Aboard SpaceX Dragon After Nine-month Stay in Space
The Washington Post reports, “The spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore splashed down Tuesday evening in the Gulf of Mexico after a 286-day odyssey that started with a technical problem that forced NASA to swap vehicles and extend the mission from about eight days to nine months.”
Full Story (Washington Post)
Video
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Re-Entry and Splashdown
(NASA; YouTube)
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NASA’s Stuck Astronauts Are Finally On Their Way Back to Earth After 9 Months in Space
AP News reports, “NASA’s two stuck astronauts headed back to Earth with SpaceX on Tuesday to close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled Boeing test flight more than nine months ago. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams bid farewell to the International Space Station — their home since last spring — departing aboard a SpaceX capsule alongside two other astronauts. The capsule undocked in the wee hours and aimed for a splashdown off the Florida coast by early evening, weather permitting.”
Full Story (AP News)
Gray Eagle UAS Performs First Proliferated Low Earth Orbit Flights
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has conducted its first flight test series of the Gray Eagle® Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) using a Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite constellation for aircraft communications. Contracted by the U.S. Army, the flight tests began in January 2025 and mark a significant milestone, reportedly making GE-ER the first long-endurance U.S. Army aircraft to be controlled over the new satellite service. Gray Eagle is also the only U.S. Army UAS capable of leveraging Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and PLEO constellations for secure, inflight adaptable and resilient communication, navigation and data management.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 70+ Payloads in Transporter-13 Mission
Space News reports, “A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched more than 70 payloads in the latest in its series of dedicated rideshare missions that have reshaped the small satellite industry. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 2:43 a.m. Eastern March 15 on the Transporter-13 mission. SpaceX said Transporter-13 carried 74 payloads, including hosted payloads and satellites that will be deployed later from an orbital transfer vehicle by D-Orbit. SpaceX’s website listed 47 separate deployments planned over 90 minutes.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Transporter 13 Launch
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
Joby and Virgin Atlantic to Launch Air Taxi in UK
Aerotime reports, “In a groundbreaking move set to launch air taxi services in the UK, Joby Aviation has announced a strategic partnership with Virgin Atlantic. The new partnership, which was unveiled on March 15, 2025, marks a significant step toward launching zero-emission, high-speed air taxi services across the country. According to the United States venture-backed aviation company, the new air taxi service will initially connect key Virgin Atlantic hubs, including London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester Airport (MAN), with regional cities.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Wilmore and Williams Welcome Their Replacements to the Space Station
AP News reports, “A SpaceX capsule has arrived at the International Space Station, delivering the replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts. The four newcomers — representing the U.S., Japan and Russia — will spend some time learning the station’s ins and outs from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Then the two will strap into their own SpaceX capsule later this week, one that has been up there since last year, to close out an unexpected extended mission that began last June.”
Full Story (AP News)