In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, May 18, 2022

May 18, 2022

Aurora Tests Aircraft Enabled By Flow Control

Aurora Flight Sciences has completed wind-tunnel tests of a candidate X-plane for a DARPA program to demonstrate a novel aircraft configuration enabled by active flight control. The Boeing subsidiary is one of three companies working on Phase 1 of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (Crane) program. Credit: Aurora Flight Sciences

SpaceX Launches Third Flight In Five Days, Lifts Starlink Satellites To Orbit

SpaceX sent its 47th batch of Starlink satellites into orbit on May 18, marking the company’s third launch within five days. A 229-ft.-tall Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 6:59 a.m. EDT with 53 satellites for SpaceX’s still-growing Starlink broadband communications network in low-Earth orbit. Credit: SpaceX

Boeing Poised For Starliner Flight Test To ISS

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying a Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft was rolled out to its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 18 in preparation for a launch attempt at 6:54 p.m. EDT May 19. The mission, known as Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), follows an abbreviated Starliner flight test in December 2019. Credit: Joel Kowsky/NASA

Space Force To Host Industry Day For Tactical ISR

The U.S. Space Force is meeting with industry representatives in a different way, to see what will be possible for the migration of tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) to orbit. Space Systems Command (SSC) plans to host a “reverse” industry day on May 19 with program managers and executive officers planning to collect information from companies about what capabilities are available to serve the ISR mission. Credit: U.S. Space Force

Lockheed To Build LMXT Tanker Boom in Arkansas, If It Wins KC-Y

Lockheed Martin announced another new production site for its LMXT refueling tanker it is offering to the U.S. Air Force, as it increases its pitch for the uncertain KC-Y competition. Lockheed announced May 18 it intends to build the aerial boom system for the LMXT, a modified Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport, in western Arkansas. Credit: Lockheed Martin

DARPA H6 Program Aims For Alternative To GPS-Based Timing

Searching for an alternative to GPS-based timing, DARPA has launched its H6 program, an effort to develop ultra-small, low-power, fieldable clocks that can maintain their timing precision for one week. In a possible conflict, adversaries such as China and Russia could be eying the jamming or spoofing of GPS signals to disrupt U.S. Credit: U.S. Space Force

DARPA Takes Wraps Off Liberty Lifter Concept Design

Credit: DARPA

DARPA's rendering for a proposed wing-in-ground-effect sealifter scheduled to fly by the end of fiscal 2027.

SDA Issues Draft Solicitation For Experimental Satellites

The Space Development Agency has issued a draft solicitation for its Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES), outlining plans to use an Other Transaction Authority acquisition strategy to buy 12 space vehicles. Previous draft requests for proposals for the T1DES called for 18 of the satellites, which would augment SDA’s Tranche 1 Tracking Layer (TITL) satellites and provide new experimentation capabilities.

From Aurora tests aircraft enabled by flow control to SpaceX launches third flight in five days, lifts Starlink satellites to orbit. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news.

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