SPACE reports that SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites late Tuesday night, atop a Falcon 9 rocket that was flying for the first time. Launch took place “from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday (May 20) at 11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT on May 21), carrying 23 of the company’s Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO).”
Full Story (SPACE)
SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on new Falcon 9 rocket
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
The War Zone reports, “We now have our first actual look at General Atomics’ YFQ-42A ‘fighter drone’ prototype. The YFQ-42A, as well as Anduril’s YFQ-44A, are being developed under the first phase, or Increment 1, of the U.S. Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, and both designs are expected to make their maiden flights later this year.”
Full Story (The War Zone)
The YFQ-42A drone by General Atomics
(Techno Thunder; YouTube)
SPACE reports, “At long last, particles of water–ice have been discovered in the frozen Kuiper Belt of another star. The discovery, made by the James Webb Space Telescope, is a major step forward in filling in gaps in our understanding of how exoplanets develop.”
Full Story (SPACE)
CompositesWorld reports, “Joby Aviation Inc. (Santa Cruz, Calif., U.S.) has successfully flown two of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft simultaneously for the first time, marking another important milestone in the company’s flight testing program.”
Full Story (CompositesWorld)
Joby Aviation’s Two Aircraft Flight
(Joby Aviation; YouTube)
SPACE reports, “Houston-based startup Venus Aerospace has completed the first-ever test flight of a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) in the United States. The launch took place on Wednesday (May 14) from Spaceport America in New Mexico. A small rocket equipped with Venus’ RDRE lifted off at 9:37 a.m. EDT (1337 GMT; 7:37 a.m. local time in New Mexico).”
Full Story (SPACE)
SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab launched an Earth-observing satellite for the Japanese company iQPS early Saturday morning (May 17). An Electron rocket lifted off from Rocket Lab’s New Zealand site on Saturday at 4:17 a.m. EDT (0817 GMT; 8:17 p.m. local New Zealand time).”
Full Story (SPACE)
Rocket Lab electron rocket launches private Japanese Earth-observing satellite. (Launch occurs at 19:29)
(Rocket Lab; YouTube)
Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic says production of its new suborbital spaceplanes remains on track to allow commercial flights to begin in the middle of next year as it contemplates restarting ticket sales. The company spent much of a May 15 earnings call talking about the technical progress it has made in the assembly of its first Delta-class vehicles, or SpaceShips, in areas such as structures, propulsion and avionics.”
Full Story (Space News)
Ars Technica reports, “SpaceX fired six Raptor engines on the company’s next Starship rocket Monday, clearing a major hurdle on the path to launch later this month on a high-stakes test flight to get the private rocket program back on track. Starship ignited its Raptor engines Monday morning on a test stand near SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Breaking Defense reports, “The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has added 13 more companies to its pool of contractors developing an ambitious multi-agency effort to create a multi-orbit, public-private satellite communications (SATCOM) network largely impervious to jamming — with the goal of launching a pilot in 2026. The move, announced Monday by DIU, brings the total number of companies, ranging from software startups to big defense primes, participating in the ‘Hybrid Space Architecture’ program to 25.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Reuters reports, “Vertical Aerospace said on Monday it is developing a long-range hybrid-electric variant of its air-taxi VX4, aiming to expand into commercial markets including defense and logistics. U.S.-listed shares of the British electric aircraft firm rose more than 6% before the bell.”
Full Story (Reuters)
VX4 eVTOL Test Flight
Vertical Aerospace