Tag: first

NASA’s SPHEREx Space Telescope Captures Its First Cosmic Images

SPACE reports, “On April 1, NASA announced its brand new infrared space telescope, SPHEREx, has officially opened its eyes to the cosmos as well. This first light, as it’s called, shows that all of the spacecraft’s systems are working just as expected. ‘Based on the images we are seeing, we can now say that the instrument team nailed it,’ Jamie Bock, SPHEREx’s principal investigator at Caltech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said in a statement.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Ireland Plans to Buy First Fighter Jets in 50 Years

Aerotime reports, “Ireland’s planned purchase of combat jets and the development of a long-overdue national radar system mark a historic turning point in the country’s approach to air defence, ending decades of reliance on the United Kingdom to protect Irish skies. Since 1998, when the Irish Air Corps disbanded its Light Strike Squadron, which operated aging French Fouga CM170 Magister jets, Ireland has had no combat jets. The country also lacks a primary radar system. Without these capabilities, a ‘secret bilateral pact’ has seen the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) tasked with intercepting and responding to aerial threats in Irish airspace.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

NASA’s Two Stuck Astronauts Perform Their First Spacewalk Together

AP News reports, “NASA’s two stuck astronauts took their first spacewalk together Thursday, exiting the International Space Station almost eight months after moving in. Commander Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore floated out to perform maintenance work and wipe the station’s exterior for evidence of any microbes that might still be alive after launching from Earth and escaping through vents.”
Full Story (AP News)

Latest Boom Supersonic Test Paves Way for 1st Mach 1 Flight

Aerotime reports Boom Supersonic is “determining whether a 12th test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator is needed before its first attempt at breaking the speed barrier. On January 10, 2025, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 during a 44-minute flight over the Mojave Desert with Chief Test Pilot Tristan ‘Geppetto’ Brandenburg at the controls.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

ULA Preparing Vulcan Rocket for First National Security Mission

Spaceflight Now reports, “Less than a month after the second of two planned certification launches, United Launch Alliance is getting a Vulcan rocket ready for its first national security mission: United States Space Force 106 (USSF-106). On Monday, ULA shared photos of the 109.2-foot-long (33.3 m) booster being hoisted into the Vertical Integration Facility to begin the stacking process. In the days and possibly weeks to come, the 38.5-foot-long (11.7 m) Centaur 5 upper stage will be added along with four solid rocket boosters and the payload fairings.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Air New Zealand Becomes First Major Carrier to Pull Back from Climate Goal

BBC News reports, “Air New Zealand has abandoned a 2030 goal to cut its carbon emissions, blaming difficulties securing more efficient planes and sustainable jet fuel. The move makes it the first major carrier to back away from such a climate target. The airline added it is working on a new short-term target and it remains committed to an industry-wide goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.”
Full Story (BBC News)

Embraer’s Eve Unveils First Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “Eve Air Mobility, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi subsidiary of Embraer, this week joined a select group of eVTOL manufacturers. At the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., Eve unveiled its first full-scale eVTOL air taxi prototype, assembled at Embraer’s test facility in Brazil’s São Paulo state.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

BAE Systems Reveals Autonomous Collaborative Platform Demonstrator

FlightGlobal reports, “BAE Systems has revealed the design of an autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) demonstrator which it aims to fly within the next two years.” Showcased as “a sub-scale model at the World Defense Show near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the aircraft builds on the company’s earlier work in designing a Concept 2 vehicle unveiled in July 2022.” According to Steve Reeves, head of business development and strategy (platforms) at BAE’s FalconWorks technology accelerator, “We have been carrying on our many decades of investment in uncrewed systems, and are displaying our latest iteration of an ACP concept.” Roles for the platform “could include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and electronic attack, with the asset also potentially to carry air-to-surface and air-to-air weapons within two internal bays.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal – Subscription Publication)