Via Satellite reports, “U.S. Space Command confirmed that a defunct Russian satellite broke up in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on Wednesday, creating more than 100 pieces of debris. Space Command said the breakup took place on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. MT. It was not clear why the satellite broke up, such as if it was the result of an anti-satellite test.”
Full Story (Via Satellite)
Tag: June 2024
Boeing to Start Flight-Testing Multi-Mission Pod on P-8 in July
Defense Daily reports, “Boeing in July will begin flight-testing its internally-developed Multi-Mission Pod on the P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine warfare and maritime patrol aircraft, a new system that will offer customers more sensor options and potential mission…”
Full Story (Defense Daily – Subscription Publication)
NASA to Partner with SpaceX to Deorbit International Space Station
Ars Technica reports, “NASA has awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX to develop a ‘US Deorbit Vehicle.’ This spacecraft will dock to the International Space Station in 2029 and then ensure the large facility makes a controlled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing into the ocean in 2030.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
ULA Planning September Launch of Vulcan to Qualify for Space Force Missions
Breaking Defense reports, “ULA CEO Tory Bruno explained that Air Force space acquisition czar Frank Calvelli asked Lockheed Martin and Boeing to create an independent review team to ‘help’ Vulcan production rates and launch site readiness remain on track.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Boeing Says Added Inspections Are Raising 737 Max Production Quality
The New York Times reports, “Boeing says it has achieved significant quality improvements in the production of the 737 Max since one of the planes lost a panel in a harrowing flight in January.”
Full Story (The New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Wisk Aero Acquires Aerospace Software Company Verocel
Flying Magazine reports that Wisk Aero “on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Verocel, a software verification and validation (V&V) company focused on the certification of aerospace software—with a particular focus on autonomous designs.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Joby May Perform Air Tours and Market Survey Flights before Starting Commercial Operations
Aviation Week Network reports, “Joby Aviation may fly passengers on air tours and market survey flights before starting commercial air taxi operations, the company says. The flights, done under FAA 91 general operations regulations, could be a sort of soft launch for the electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) developer and operator…”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
China Becomes First Country to Retrieve Rocks from Far Side of the Moon
The New York Times reports, “China brought a capsule full of lunar soil from the far side of the moon down to Earth on Tuesday, achieving the latest success in an ambitious schedule to explore the moon and other parts of the solar system. The sample, retrieved by the China National Space Administration’s Chang’e-6 lander after a 53-day mission, highlights China’s growing capabilities in space.”
Full Story (New York Times)
China’s Chang’e-6 Heads Home Carrying First-Ever Lunar Far Side Samples
Space News reports, “China’s Chang’e-6 spacecraft is on its way to Earth to deliver samples collected from the far side of the moon. The Chang’e-6 service module likely fired its engines for a trans-Earth injection around June 21. The spacecraft is now on the final leg of its complex, 53-day voyage involving a lunar landing, sampling, ascent and docking. A reentry capsule containing the unique samples will be released from the service module shortly before arrival at Earth early June 25.”
Full Story (Space News)
Upgraded Bell CH-146C Mk II Griffon Performs First Flight for RCAF
Vertical Magazine reports that the first Royal Canadian Air Force Bell CH-146 Griffon to have completed the CH-146C Mk II upgrade “has performed its maiden flight, the manufacturer has announced. The modification to the RCAF’s CH-146 Griffons — a variant of the Bell 412EP — is being completed under the Griffon Limited Life Extension (GLLE) project, which is designed to extend the fleet’s service life to at least 2031.”
Full Story (Vertical Magazine)
ESA’s Ariane 6 Moved to Launch Pad for First Flight
SpaceWatch.Global reports, “The ESA has transferred Ariane 6’s upper composite with the payloads it will launch to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The upper part of the rocket journeyed from the encapsulation hall in Europe’s Spaceport to the launch pad in the morning and placed on top of the rocket … Ariane 6 is on schedule to launch on July 9”
Full Story (SpaceWatch.Global)
AeroVironment Successfully Flight Tests Heavy Fuel VTOL UAS
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “AeroVironment (AV) has successfully demonstrated its JUMP® 20 uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) with a heavy fuel engine. The higher horsepower and lower fuel burn rate provided by the heavy fuel engine expands the capabilities of AV’s proven JUMP 20 platform.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Techology)
FAA Approves Joby Aviation’s Use of In-House Software for Air-Taxi Operations
Reuters reports, “Joby Aviation said on Thursday the FAA has authorized the use of the air-taxi maker’s in-house software to perform tasks such as managing pilot workload and matching passengers with aircraft similar to ride-hailing apps. The nod for the operating system, known as ElevateOS, comes as Joby gears up to launch its commercial air-taxi operations as early as 2025.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Will the Air Force Proceed with a Next-Gen Fighter Jet?
Defense One reports, “Delays in Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program and Boeing’s lackluster performance on its own defense efforts could be driving recent—and unexpected—comments from Air Force leaders that it might not build a next-gen fighter jet. Aviation observers were thrown for a loop last week when service chief Gen. David Allvin declined to commit to building the future Next Generation Air Dominance aircraft…”
Full Story (Defense One)
Airborne Lasers Offer New Hope for Missile Defense Agency
Breaking Defense reports, “Airborne lasers are back in the sights of the Missile Defense Agency — a decade after the first attempt to build a system collapsed, having swallowed 16 years and $5 billion in research and development.” Mark Lewis, formerly “the Pentagon’s senior scientist now CEO of the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI), gave MDA a thumbs up for taking a new look at the concept, noting that the technology has come a long way since 2014.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Perseverance Rover Finds Mysterious Boulder “Never Observed Before” on Mars
CBS News reports, “While exploring a crater on Mars that may give scientists insights into life that potentially once existed there, NASA said its Perseverance rover made an unprecedented discovery. The rover, which landed on the Red Planet in 2021 specifically to probe the ancient Jezero crater, found a mysterious light-toned boulder earlier this month that was the first of its kind seen on Martian land.”
Full Story (CBS News)
Powerful Solar Storm Shows Radiation Will be a Real Challenge for Mars Colonists
SPACE reports that a powerful solar storm in May 2024 created auroras on Mars that have provided scientists with crucial information that could aid future crewed missions. “Researchers with NASA’s MAVEN orbiter, 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter, and Curiosity Mars rover each played key roles in capturing data from the event that will help us better understand our neighboring planet and plan for future crewed visits to it.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Aurora’s Centaur Aircraft Completes In-Air Data Collection
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Aurora Flight Sciences has carried out flight testing with its Centaur optionally piloted aircraft (OPA), based on a certified twin-engine general aviation aircraft. Centaur is equipped with an EO/IR camera, maritime surveillance radar, and Automatic Identification System payloads.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)
Cessna Citation Ascend Completes First Test Flight
Flying Magazine reports, “The second Cessna Citation Ascend test article has completed its first test flight, advancing development of the business jet program, according to Textron Aviation. The milestone flight for the aircraft—called P1—on Wednesday over Wichita, Kansas, follows that of the Ascend prototype, which completed its first flight in 2023, making the P1 aircraft the first conforming production flight test aircraft, Textron said.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Blue Origin Permitted to Bid on National-Security Launches
Defense One reports, “The Pentagon has picked three companies—Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance—for its new satellite launch competition that was built to usher new entrants into the market … This marks a big win for Blue Origin, which has yet to fly a national security mission.”
Full Story (Defense One)