Ars Technica reports, “A NASA spacecraft bound for an unexplored metal-rich asteroid has reignited its plasma thrusters, continuing its cruise deeper into the Solar System after switching to a backup fuel line. The $1.4 billion Psyche mission, built to explore an asteroid with the same name, has four electric thrusters fueled by xenon gas. Psyche’s solar-electric propulsion system is more fuel-efficient than conventional rocket thrusters, and it works by flowing xenon through an electromagnetic field, which ionizes the gas and expels the ions at high speed to produce thrust.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Tag: engineering
Airbus’ Racer Rotorcraft Achieves Speed Target
Aviation Week reports, “Airbus Helicopters has achieved its speed target with its Racer compound rotorcraft, successfully flying the experimental aircraft at 240 kt. (276 mph) in April. The aircraft reached the speed with power margin to spare, test pilots say, and after only 25 flying hours—one-eighth of the flying hours that have been “justified” for the flight-test program—which points to the maturity of the aircraft’s design.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Sat Tracking Firms Say Chinese Satellite Appears to be Trying First-ever On-orbit Refueling
Breaking Defense reports, “A Chinese satellite designed for refueling missions has been dancing awfully close to another Chinese bird in orbit, raising the possibility Beijing is about to pull off — or already has pulled off — the first-ever on-orbit gas-up, according to satellite tracking firms. Last week Slingshot Aerospace watched China’s experimental SJ-25, which Beijing launched in January and has said publicly was meant for refueling missions, approach another satellite, SJ-21. But the view from terrestrial telescopes wasn’t able to confirm docking, much less refueling, so Slingshot concluded the data was ‘inconclusive’ as to what exactly happened.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Video
China launches Shijian-25 satellite
(CGTN; YouTube)
GA-ASI Partners with Saab to Enhance AEW&C System Performance on MQ-9B
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Saab have partnered to integrate an Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) system onto GA-ASI’s MQ-9B Remotely Piloted Aircraft. To validate the new capability, flight demonstrations are planned for 2026. GA-ASI’s MQ-9B line includes the SkyGuardian® and SeaGuardian® models, the United Kingdom’s Protector, and the new MQ-9B STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) model currently in development.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
SpaceX Starship Upper Stage Explodes While Being Prepped for Next Engine Test Firing
CBS News reports a SpaceX Starship upper stage exploded in a spectacular conflagration during ramp-up to an expected engine test firing at the company’s Starbase manufacturing facility on the Texas Gulf Coast late Wednesday, destroying the rocket in what appears to be a major setback for the Super Heavy-Starship vehicle Elon Musk says is critical to the company’s future. “Video from LabPadre, a company that monitors SpaceX activities at Starbase, showed the Starship suddenly exploding in a huge fireball just after 11 p.m. CDT, 10 to 15 minutes before the anticipated engine test firing,” sending flaming debris shooting away into the overnight sky from a churning fireball that engulfed the test stand.
Full Story (CBS News)
Full Story (CBS News)
Video
SpaceX’s Starship explodes at its test site on June 18, 2025
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
SpaceX Completes 75th Falcon 9 Launch of the Year, Deploys 28 Starlink Satellites
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX completed its 75th Falcon 9 rocket launch of the year with a mission that blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the predawn hours of Wednesday. The mission, dubbed Starlink 10-18, included the 9,000th Starlink satellite launched to low Earth orbit to date.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Spaceflight Now Update: June 18, 3:15 a.m. EDT: SpaceX confirms deployment of the 28 Starlink satellites.
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral at 1:55 a.m. EDT on June 18, 2025 (Launch at 1:00:05 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
NASA Chief Says X-59 Will Still Play Key Role in Return to Supersonic Flight
Aviation Week reports, “The X-59 low boom demonstrator remains highly relevant, says NASA’s acting administrator. Although running years behind its original schedule, the NASA aircraft is still expected to play a key role in helping ICAO and the FAA develop a noise certification standard for sonic booms that could clear the way for legal overland civil fight at higher supersonic speeds.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Bristow Doubles Pre-Orders of Vertical Aerospace’s VX-4
Flight Global reports, “Vertical Aerospace is to join forces with Bristow Group to establish what is effectively a wet-leasing operation focused on the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer’s VX4. An expansion of an existing ‘strategic partnership’ dating from 2021, the agreement also sees helicopter operator Bristow double its pre-orders and options for the VX-4, increasing both to as many as 50 units.”
Full Story (Flight Global)
Greek Entrepreneur Hopes to Build Giant Net to Catch Incoming Cargo on the Moon
SPACE reports, “Greece-based entrepreneur has a unique idea for moon-bound deliveries: using a giant net to catch packages launched from lunar orbit. Although there are still many hurdles to clear, the system would address many of the key challenges for moon-bound deliveries and could aid in the future mining of lunar resources. Right now, lunar landers are costly, especially when they fail. Rather than using landers for deliveries to the moon’s surface, Charis Kosmas has developed a concept called the Momentum Absorption Catcher for Express Deliveries on Non-Atmospheric Somata (MACEDONAS).”
Full Story (SPACE)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 23 Starlink Satellites from Florida
Spaceflight Now reports SpaceX landed its 460th booster in the midst of the Starlink 12-24 mission, marking “the 460th booster landing to date.” Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 9:05 a.m. EDT.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, June 10, 2025 (Launch at 1:00:00 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)