In Pictures: Top Aerospace & Defense Stories, May 25, 2022

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Departs Space Station For Earth

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner departed the International Space Station’s (ISS) U S. segment as scheduled, setting up its autonomous return to Earth under parachute at New Mexico’s White Sands Space Harbor late May 25 to end NASA’s six-day Commercial Crew Program Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). The uncrewed, reusable Starliner backed away from the ISS Harmony module’s forward port at 2:36 p.m. EDT to conduct a fly around of the orbital science lab. Credit: NASA

SpaceX Launches Fifth Rideshare Mission

SpaceX continued its weekly launch pace with liftoff of a Falcon 9 rocket on May 25 carrying 59 small satellites and hosted payloads, marking the company’s fifth rideshare mission. Following launch at 2:35 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the rocket’s first stage returned to the launch site while the upper stage fired to place the Transporter-5 payloads into a preliminary polar orbit. Credit: SpaceX webcast

China, Russia Conduct Joint Bomber Flights As Quad Meets

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the Russian Air Force carried out a combined bomber sortie along the East China Sea and Sea of Japan on May 24, as leaders from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India wrap up a high-level Quad meeting in Tokyo. The mission prompted the scramble of Japanese and South Korean fighters, as it skirted territorial airspaces. Credit: Japanese Ministry of Defense

Walmart, DroneUp Expanding Drone Delivery Across U.S.

Walmart and DroneUp are to extend their drone delivery network to 34 sites across six U.S. states by the end of the year. The expanded network will have the potential to reach 4 million households and deliver more than 1 million packages a year. Credit: Walmart

Botched Formation Approach Caused Fatal T-38 Crash, Investigation Shows

A botched formation approach caused two T-38s to crash upon landing in November 2021 at Laughlin AFB, Texas, shortly after the U.S. Air Force had banned formation landings of the aircraft because of another fatal crash. An Air Force Accident Investigation Board report into the crash says the pilots’ failure to communicate during the maneuver prompted the T-38s to try to land simultaneously while not maintaining visibility of each other. Credit: U.S. Air Force graphic

BlackSky, Maxar, Planet Win NRO’s Largest Imagery Contract Effort

The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has awarded its largest-ever commercial imagery contract effort—up to billions over the next decade—to BlackSky, Maxar and Planet at a critical time for the industry. The NRO in a May 25 announcement said the contract effort is a “historic expansion” of the office’s acquisition of commercial imagery ahead of increasing customer demands. Credit: BlackSky

BAE Testing Electro Velis Under Agreement With Pipistrel

BAE Systems has taken delivery of and is preparing flight tests for a Pipistrel Electro Velis electric-powered light aircraft as part of an arrangement with the Slovenian manufacturer. The UK defense company announced in March that it was working with Pipistrel to examine military training applications for electric aircraft. The work is continuing after Textron’s acquisition of the light aircraft manufacturer. Credit: BAE Systems

Axiom Space Joins With Italy To Grow Commercial Space Activity

Axiom Space and Italy’s minister for Technological Innovation and Digital Transition have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance existing collaboration, the Houston-based firm announced May 25. The MOU could include contributions to Axiom Station, the commercial space station under development by Axiom under a NASA agreement. Credit: Axiom Space

AAM Infrastructure Development Gathers Pace

Volocopter has signed a memorandum of understanding with fixed-based operator Jetex to deploy and operate vertiport infrastructure and services for urban air mobility (UAM). Miami, Paris and Singapore, all locations where Jetex has private aviation terminals, are priority markets for the partnership. Credit: Volatus Infrastructure

BAE Systems, Leonardo Eye Typhoon Radar 2 Flight Test In 2023

Leonardo is set to deliver components for the first Radar 2 variant of the active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the Eurofighter Typhoon by year’s end, with the aim of starting flight trials in 2023. Officials say design of the sensor, which is being developed for the UK Royal Air Force’s fleet of Tranche 3 aircraft, is well advanced, with system level design completed this year and meeting technology readiness levels. Credit: BAE Systems

NATO Global Hawks Surge To Monitor Conflict In Ukraine

The NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) has been surging its operations in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Sigonella, Italy-based force, which operates a fleet of five Northrop Grumman RQ-4D Global Hawks—named Phoenix—says it conducted surge operations May 11-18, flying one of the platforms every other day along NATO’s Eastern Front. Credit: NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force

Beluga Rides On New Air Freight Demand

The Singapore military has contracted Airbus to deliver its new batch of H225M helicopters from France, ferried on the company’s BelugaST transporter. The ferry flight, although not a first in Asia, is a signal that the aviation market is facing a certain lack of oversized cargo capacity, especially after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Ukraine is home to Antonov and Russia to Volga Dnepr. Credit: Airbus

Boeing’s Starliner Returns To Earth In New Mexico

Boeing’s uncrewed CST-100 Starliner successfully completed a six-day roundtrip test flight to the International Space Station (ISS) May 25, with an undocking, re-entry and parachute descent at White Sands Space Harbor on the grounds of the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The touchdown occurred as scheduled at 6:49 p.m. EDT, following an undocking from the ISS U.S. segment’s Harmony module forward docking port at 2:36 p.m. EDT. Credit: NASA

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner departs Space Station for Earth and SpaceX launches fifth Rideshare mission. Take a look at these and more in our daily roundup of aerospace & defense news.

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