Tag: September 2025

US Air Force’s New ‘Doomsday Plane’ Begins Flight Tests

Defense News reports, “The Air Force and aerospace firm Sierra Nevada Corp. have started flight tests on the service’s next-generation ‘doomsday plane.’ Flight tests for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Control, or SAOC, are being held at the Aviation Innovation and Technology Center in Dayton, Ohio, the company said in a Wednesday release.”
Full Story (Defense News)

Cargo Dragon Completes First “Boost Kit” Maneuver to Help Maintain Space Station’s Altitude

Aviation Week reports, “NASA’s 33rd SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply mission to the ISS has completed its first “boost kit” propulsion maneuver to help maintain the orbital laboratory’s altitude. The maneuver, conducted on Sept. 3, lasted 5 min. and 3 sec., raising the low point of the nearly 1 million-lb. ISS’s orbit by about 1 mi., a NASA mission update said. The maneuver positioned the orbital lab in a 260- by 256.3-mi.-high orbit as it circles the Earth at a 51.6-deg. inclination to the equator.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

To Succeed, Space Startups Must Leverage Agility and Their Unique Value

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Space startups must set themselves apart from established competitors by delivering something distinct – whether it’s better technology, reliability, or price – and leveraging their agility and passion. “That means offering a higher level of reliability and mission services to your customers,” said former SpaceX space mission engineer Laura Crabtree, who is now CEO and co-founder of software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup, Epsilon3.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Joby Conducts Successful Demonstration of its Superpilot Autonomous Flight Technology

Military Aerospace reports Joby Aviation Inc. “announced a first-of-its-kind demonstration of its autonomous flight technology. As part of the Resolute Force Pacific (REFORPAC), a Department-Level Exercise led by Pacific Air Forces, Joby conducted a successful demonstration and validation of its Superpilot autonomous flight technology over the Pacific Ocean and Hawaii, logging more than 7,000 miles of autonomous operations across more than 40 flight hours.”
Full Story (Military Aerospace)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 28 More Starlink Satellites into Orbit from Cape Canaveral

SPACE reports a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Wednesday morning, Sept. 3, carrying 28 Starlink wireless internet satellites “into low-Earth orbit (LEO), deploying the satellites about an hour after liftoff,” which took place at 7:56 a.m. EDT.
Full Story (SPACE)

Video

SpaceX launches 28 Starlink Satellites from Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Launch at the 0:14 mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube

US Army Apache Helicopters Show Counter-UAS Capabilities

Aerotime reports the US Army demonstrated the AH-64E Apache’s ability to detect, track, and defeat drone threats, underscoring its value as a mobile counter-UAS platform. “The tests, conducted with the South Carolina Army National Guard, involved the Army’s Program Manager Apache, Program Manager Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions, and the team responsible for the helicopter’s 30mm proximity-fused ammunition.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Space Command Headquarters to Move from Colorado to Alabama

CBS News reports, “President Trump announced Tuesday afternoon that U.S. Space Command headquarters is moving from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama. In 2018 he had signed an order reestablishing U.S. Space Command, after it had been absorbed in 2002 into U.S. Strategic Command. Its main goal is to find ways to defend U.S. interests in space.”
Full Story (CBS News)

SpaceX Marks 2,000 Starlink Satellites Deployed in 2025

Spaceflight Now reports the Starlink 17-9 mission added another 24 broadband satellites to its low Earth orbit constellation of more than 8,300. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg took place “Saturday morning … at 11:06 a.m. PDT (2:06 p.m. EDT / 1806 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)



Video

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California on Falcon 9 (Launch at 30:04 mark)
Spaceflight Now; YouTube

SPHEREx Mission: Mapping the Universe in Unprecedented Detail

From the Institute
In the vast expanse of space, a revolutionary observatory no larger than a small car is quietly transforming our understanding of the cosmos. SPHEREx, NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, represents a remarkable achievement in astronomical engineering—a mission that delivers extraordinary science from a deceptively modest package.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Air Taxis at Major Airports a Step Closer to Reality

Aviation Week reports, “The prospect of flying premium passengers di­rect to airport terminals in clean, quiet electric air taxis has moved a step closer, but significant progress must still be made if it is to become a reality. In early August, Joby Aviation agreed to ac­quire the passenger business of urban helicopter service provider Blade Air Mobility.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Protecting U.S. Leadership in Space Commerce: Funding at Risk

FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has cut the FY25 spend plan for the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to $37 million, down from $65 million. This represents a 47% budget reduction from FY24 and eliminates the two-year funding authority Congress provided for OSC to purchase commercial space situational awareness (SSA) data.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

SpaceX Launches Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL on its First Mission

SPACE reports, “SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s new “Cygnus XL” cargo ship on its debut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday evening (Sept. 14). A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Cygnus freighter lifted off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:11 p.m. EDT (2211 GMT).” NG-23’s Cygnus XL “is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Wednesday (Sept. 17) at 6:35 a.m. EDT (1035 GMT).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Video

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launches CRS NG-23 to the ISS. (Launch occurs at the 58:58 mark)
NASASpaceflight; YouTube

Beta’s All-electric Alia Aircraft Performs Intercity Test Flight in Norway for First Time

Aerospace Testing International reports, “Beta’s Alia electric aircraft flew a route between Stavanger and Bergen in Norway for the first time last week – the start of several months of flight tests looking to build knowledge about operating battery-electric aircraft before they are commercialised.” The three-phase flight campaign is expected to run until January 2026.
Full Story (Aerospace Testing International)

Parallel Flight Technologies to Develop Maritime-Capable Firefly Heavy-Lift UAS for Office of Naval Research

Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “Parallel Flight Technologies has received a $3.74 million ONR Sequential Phase II SBIR contract to adapt its Firefly hybrid-powered heavy-lift UAS for maritime operations, enhancing naval logistics, surveillance, and research missions.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)

Video

Firefly hybrid-powered heavy-lift UAS.
Parallel Flight Technologies; YouTube