In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Jan. 10 2023

Credit: SpaceX. The launch was the 16th devoted to deploying OneWeb’s initial 648-member constellation into low Earth orbit.

Credit: Pipistrel. The UK Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) is advancing work to support technologies for greener training aircraft.

Artist's concept of FCAS.

Credit: USAF. Conversations about whether to deliver Western-made combat aircraft to Ukraine are ongoing, and the former top NATO commander in Europe says he is confident that deliveries will happen eventually. 

Credit: Konstantin von Wedelstaedt. Slovenia is prioritizing defense investments, with plans to acquire additional transport aircraft and new helicopters as the country increases its defense budget to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP). 

Credit: NASA. NASA has selected 14 projects under the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program to receive $175,000 Phase I grants to advance technologies that shape future deep space exploration, the search for life beyond Earth, and Earth’s changing environment.

Credit: U.S. Air Force Photo / Alamy Stock Photo. The air arms of the U.S., Taiwan and Japan would together suffer more than 640 aircraft losses in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, according to a worst-case scenario wargaming simulation conducted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS).

Credit: Mynaric. U.S. Space Systems Command is looking for an existing laser communications system to network spacecraft from low Earth orbit (LEO) to as far as two times the distance of geostationary orbit (GEO).

A U.S. Air Force F-35A has begun flight testing a package of major avionics upgrades known as Technical Refresh-3 (TR-3), with a schedule to complete the evaluation by year’s end, the Joint Program Office (JPO) said on Jan. 10. 

About 1 hr. 6 min. after takeoff, Virgin Orbit confirmed that an anomaly had prevented the LauncherOne rocket from reaching orbit.

Credit: Virgin Orbit