Defense One reports, “While Marines wait for new F-35s, officials say recent delivery delays haven’t altered their goal to fully switch to the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet by the end of the decade. The service is replacing its aging F/A-18 Hornets with F-35s, a massive effort complicated by a year-long pause in deliveries of the newest version of the jet. But for that plan to work, Lockheed Martin needs to finish clearing a backlog of deliveries caused by technology-development problems that led the Pentagon to stop accepting the aircraft for a year. In July, Lockheed received the green light to resume deliveries without the full version of the upgrade, dubbed Technology Refresh-3.”
Full Story (Defense One)
Tag: January 2025
U.S. Rocket Launchpads Expecting Record Demand
The Wall Street Journal reports, “SpaceX and other rocket companies are planning to increase flights in the years ahead as they ferry their own satellites or payloads for other customers to space. The problem: Only three sites in Florida and California handle most U.S. rocket launches, and those locations are expected to become increasingly congested as companies and regulators schedule more missions.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Makes Record-Breaking Approach to the Sun, Sends Back 1st Detailed Update
SPACE reports, “NASA’s Parker Solar Probe sent home its first detailed telemetry data soon after its record-breaking closest-ever approach to the sun. On Wednesday (Jan. 1), mission control at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland began receiving the Parker Solar Probe’s first telemetry — or housekeeping data — that confirms Parker’s systems and science instruments are ‘healthy and operating normally’ after its historic rendezvous with the sun, NASA shared in an update on Thursday (Jan. 2).”
Full Story (SPACE)
FAA’s Enhanced Oversight of Boeing to Continue “Indefinitely”
Reuters reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration’s tougher oversight of Boeing will continue indefinitely, the agency’s outgoing head said on Friday, nearly a year after a door panel missing four key bolts flew off a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in mid-air. The Jan. 5, 2024 incident prompted FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker to cap production at 38 737 MAX planes per month and temporarily ground 170 airplanes. The incident exposed serious safety issues at the U.S. planemaker and contributed to the departure of its then-CEO Dave Calhoun.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Florida’s Space Coast Breaks Launch Year Record with 93 Launches
Space News reports, “Florida’s Space Coast capped off a record-breaking year with 93 launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, up from 74 launches in 2023. Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, commander of the Eastern Range and Space Delta 45, credited the accelerated pace to innovations by both Space Launch Delta 45 and the private sector. ‘We’ve been able to reach these crazy numbers by leveraging automation, modernizing infrastructure, and streamlining processes,’ Panzenhagen told SpaceNews.”
Full Story (Space News)
China Unveils New Advanced Combat Aircraft
Aviation Week reports, “New Chinese combat aircraft broke cover in a flood of social media photos and videos on Dec. 26 showing them in flight and revealing two new examples of China’s evolution as an aerospace innovator. One new aircraft appeared in social media posts revealing a large, three-engine warplane with a cockpit and diamond-style wing with no vertical tails. Yaw control appears to be managed by Northrop Grumman B-2-style split rudders.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)