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)
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Re-Entry and Splashdown
(NASA; YouTube)
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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)
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)
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)
SpaceX Transporter 13 Launch
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)
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)
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)
Reuters reports, “NASA and SpaceX are proceeding with plans to launch the space agency’s Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station on Friday, March 14 at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT), the U.S. agency said in a blog post on Thursday.”
Full Story (Reuters)
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Aviation Week reports, “Bell’s 214ST is set to become the latest legacy helicopter to go back into production to address global shortfalls in rotary-wing firefighting capability. Australia’s McDermott Aviation, which owns the type certificate to the twin-engine, 8-metric-ton helicopter, is planning to produce new-build versions of the rotorcraft. It will be powered by either the General Electric CT7/T700 or Safran’s Aneto turboshaft. McDermott currently owns all 24 of the remaining operational 214STs of the 85 that were built. It has been using them on firefighting contracts, most notably in Greece, where the company had 14 aircraft deployed last year.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Reuters reports, “NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday delayed the launch of a replacement crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station that would have set in motion the long-awaited homecoming of U.S. astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. NASA had been set to launch a SpaceX rocket from Florida carrying a replacement crew for the International Space Station in a mission that would set up the return to Earth of Wilmore and Williams – stuck in space for nine months after a trip on Boeing’s faulty Starliner.”
Full Story (Reuters)