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Magazine Issue

Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, October 8, 2026

VOL. 298 NO. 6 October 08, 2026

Daily Briefs

Daily Briefs
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Daily Briefs

Oct 07, 2026
X-BOW qualifying new SRM... AMENTUM wins aerial target work... New appointments at MUON...

In Brief

Briefs logo
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In Brief: Airbus Secures ESA Sentinel-3 Next-Generation Topography Contract

Oct 07, 2026
Airbus Secures ESA Sentinel-3 Next-Generation Topography Contract

trouble
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Troublemaker Revealed For U.S. Navy One-Way Attack Arsenal

Oct 07, 2026
Ideal Aerosmith revealed Oct. 7 the one-way attack Troublemaker uncrewed aircraft system now in low-rate initial production for the U.S. Navy.
snc athena prototype
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U.S. Army To Buy Contractor-Owned ISR Bizjets

Oct 07, 2026
The U.S. Army plans to bring a fleet of contractor-owned aircraft in house to continue flying reconnaissance missions as it stands up its own fleet of business jets for the role.
lockheed martin agm-158C long range anti-ship missile (LRASM)
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U.S. Air Force B-52s To Get Stealthy Anti-Ship Missile

Oct 07, 2026
The U.S. Air Force’s venerable B-52 bomber will soon be able to carry the stealthy maritime strike cruise missile, according to a new announcement.
a render of flotta platforms flying in formation
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C3S To Develop ESA-Backed End-Of-Life-Focused Constellation Spacecraft

Oct 07, 2026
Hungarian space startup C3S will serve as prime contractor for an ESA program to develop microsatellites with greater focus on their end-of-life and on mass production.
SpaceX Caption: The Starship spacecraft that flew on July 24 was loaded onto a semi-submersible ship on Aug. 25 near Christmas Island. It reached Starbase, Texas, on Oct. 7.
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Salvaged Starship Returns To Starbase

Oct 07, 2026
The Starship spacecraft that SpaceX launched for a suborbital flight test nearly 11 weeks ago returned to the company’s Starbase, Texas, complex on Oct. 7.
linse
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VC Firm Linse Capital Shifting More To Early Stage From Late

Oct 06, 2026
Linse Capital said Oct. 5 it was putting more attention on early-stage aerospace and defense companies.
nasacld
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Concerns Loom Amid Space Station Successor Program Delay

Oct 06, 2026
Companies vying to win NASA funding to build a successor to the International Space Station cite schedule and budget uncertainties.
Aero-Mach facility in Wichita
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Ontic Acquires Wichita-Based Aero-Mach

Oct 07, 2026
Aerospace supplier Ontic has acquired Wichita-based Aero-Mach, a 55-year-old company which provides aviation parts distribution and aftermarket support through three divisions.
ah25
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Airbus Eyes Offshore H225 Sales, Starts Netherlands Caracals Work

Oct 07, 2026
Airbus Helicopters is eyeing a potential new wave of offshore orders for its H225 heavy helicopter in the early 2030s.
nuri rocket launch
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South Korea Launches Most Complex Nuri Rocket Mission Yet

Oct 07, 2026
South Korea has launched the fifth mission of its KSLV-II Nuri rocket, carrying the first five satellites of a new Earth-observation constellation and 10 CubeSats.
esa cargo spacecraft
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ESA Awards Airbus, OHB European LEO Outpost Studies

Sep 29, 2026
The European Space Agency has awarded Airbus- and OHB-led teams studies for a potential European low-Earth-orbit station after the International Space Station retires.
monitors and crew in spacecraft
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NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon Departs ISS

Oct 07, 2026
NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon mission undocked from the International Space Station on Oct. 7, prepared to return its four crewmembers to Earth.

The Debrief

Debrief: When Will the U.S. Space Force Get Its Optical Mesh Network? Vivienne Machi, vivienne.machi@aviationweek.com Seven years ago, SpaceX launched its first 60 Starlink satellites on May 23, 2019, using radio frequency (RF) bands to connect the spacecraft to consumer dishes and internet gateways. Two years later, the company added optical intersatellite links to its systems, then scaled and refined the architecture over the next several years with its V2 satellites. On Sept. 26, SpaceX’s Starship r
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Debrief: When Will The U.S. Space Force Get Its Optical Mesh Network?

Oct 07, 2026
Even with more than 60 satellites launched and another 21 waiting in the wings, the Space Development Agency's so-called orbital mesh network has proven elusive to establish.