In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, Mar 22, 2022

March 22, 2022

Germany’s Polaris To Flight-Test Scaled Aurora Spaceplane

Credit: Polaris Raumflugzeuge


Germany-based space startup Polaris has been awarded a contract by the country’s defense ministry to build and flight-test a scaled demonstrator of its proposed Aurora reusable space plane. The contract, announced by Polaris on March 17, builds on a €250,000 ($275,000) study contract awarded in 2021 to look at adapting the Aurora into a rapidly deployable reconnaissance system. The value of the latest contract has not been disclosed.

War In Ukraine Boosts Business For Satellite Services, SpaceX

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Australia Stands Up Defense Space Command To Counter Threats

Credit: Australian Department of Defense


Australia has officially stood up its Defense Space Command less than a year after it first expressed plans to do so. The Australian defense department is also gearing up to increase its capabilities by partnering with the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

Northrop Offering Mission Extension Capability To Government

Northrop Grumman’s Space Logistics is trying to let the U.S. Space Force know that it could extend the lives of older geosynchronous satellites or potentially add new capabilities to them.

Isotropic Completes Multi-Orbit, Multi-Link Tests

Credit: Isotropic Systems


Isotropic Systems has completed all tests demonstrating that its GM2000 series military standard satellite terminal can track and link to satellites in multiple orbits from a single, solid-state, software-defined communications platform. The company announced on March 22 that it had proven the terminal’s ability to conduct traffic to a satellite in low Earth orbit at the same time it was connected to a geostationary orbit link, proving the company’s ability to maintain multiple links in multiple orbits.

NNSA Pick To Review Plutonium Pit Plan As Goal Appears Out Of Reach

Credit: U.S. Department of Energy


The Biden administration’s pick to lead the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) military programs told lawmakers he would review the plan to increase production of plutonium pits at two NNSA locations, as it becomes increasingly evident the administration will likely fall short of the goal. The 2018 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) outlined the goal to produce no fewer than 80 plutonium pits at two sites—30 per year beginning in 2026 at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and 50 per year in 2030 at Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Pentagon Nominees Look Ahead To F-35 Sustainment Challenges

Credit: U.S. Navy


The White House’s pick to take over weapons buying for the Pentagon will, if confirmed, come into a department that is continuing to grapple with high sustainment costs on its biggest acquisition program. And it won’t be the first time that William LaPlante has had this battle with the F-35.

Vulcan’s BE-4 Flight Engines Now Expected Midyear, ULA Says

Credit: Blue Origin


A minor production issue will delay the arrival of the first flight engines for United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) new Vulcan rocket to the middle of the year, paving the way for the booster’s debut launch no earlier than late 2022. The production issue, which entails replacing a housing, will cost engine manufacturer Blue Origin about a month, ULA CEO Tory Bruno told Aerospace DAILY on the sidelines of the Satellite 2022 conference, underway in Washington this week.

SpaceX Cuts Rideshare Broker Spaceflight From Manifests

Credit: Spaceflight


SpaceX has abruptly severed its long-standing relationship with customer Spaceflight Industries, which purchases rideshares and dedicated missions from launch service companies. In a March 18 email sent to an undisclosed number of Spaceflight employees and customers, SpaceX wrote, “For awareness, we will no longer be flying or working with Spaceflight Industries after currently manifested missions. We look forward to reliably launching all customers currently on manifest and growing our relationships with new operators as well.”

AEI Leads Firefly Aerospace Back To Unicorn Status, U.S. Growth

Credit: Irene Klotz


AE Industrial Partners (AEI), a private equity firm active in U.S. aerospace and defense, has led a $75 million Series B funding round in Firefly Aerospace, a space access startup recently caught up in Ukraine-related issues. Concurrently, AEI completed its acquisition of Noosphere Venture Partners’s stake in Firefly, according to the announcement.

DOD Pick Wants More Production Lines For Drones, Munitions

Credit: U.S. Air Force


The U.S. defense industry needs multiple, simultaneously running production lines for key equipment such as munitions and drones to maintain a healthy stockpile for potential conflicts and avoid supply chain problems that could damage national security, the nominee to lead Pentagon acquisition told lawmakers.

OneWeb, Eutelsat Partner To Combine LEO-GEO Services

Credit: Arianespace


Building on its $550 million investment in startup OneWeb, Paris-based Eutelsat Communications on March 22 announced a partnership agreement to distribute broadband services from OneWeb’s satellite constellation in low Earth orbit (LEO) to its maritime, aviation, business, government and other customers.

Science, Exploration Go Hand In Hand, NASA Official Says

Credit: NASA


Whether it’s on the Moon with astronauts or in Earth orbit observing climate change, NASA intends to advance its science and technology and widely share the data from its efforts to benefit humanity as a whole, Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy says. Melroy spoke as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) Space Studies Board kicked off its four-day Space Science Week on March 21.

Leonardo Sells Government Satcoms Business To SES

Credit: Kristoffer Tripplaar / Alamy Stock Photo


Leonardo has sold its U.S.-based Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) government satellite communications business to Luxembourg-based SES. SES is spending $450 million on the GES acquisition, helping it to strengthen its U.S. government business, the company announced March 22. Leonardo says the DRS-run GES business is the largest provider of commercial satellite communications to the U.S. government.

Air Greenland Eyes Sustainable Tourism With eVTOLs

Credit: Avolon/Vertical Aerospace


With the goal of being able to develop tourism sustainably, Air Greenland has partnered with lessor Avolon to explore the potential for zero-emission domestic air travel using Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 electric air taxi. The Greenland flag carrier and Avolon are forming a working group to assess the opportunity for commercial zero-emission flights in the region and to identify local infrastructure and certification requirements.

UK Looks To Industry For VIP Helicopter Solution

Credit: Sloane Helicopters


The UK defense ministry is looking to industry to provide it with a helicopter for VIP transportation. Requirements for the Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport (RWCSAT) capability call for a twin-engine helicopter capable of flying three passengers 250 nm and operating in visual and instrument flight rules.

From the latest from start-up Polaris, to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a boost in business for the space industry. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news. 

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