Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

After a seven-month hiatus, SpaceX is preparing to resume flight tests of the Starship-Super Heavy with launch of a re-engineered, orbital-class vehicle slated for May 19.

U.S. Air Force Futures has approved a requirements document for an aircraft that will replace the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. MQ-9A Reaper.

ELECTRIC BOAT gets $2.3b Virginia-class sub award... QUANTUM SPACE expands in Tulsa... New NASA director of launch ops...

Swissto12 To Use Unfurling Antenna For GEO Broadcast To Phones

Unfavorable weather has delayed the planned launch of SpaceX’s 34th NASA-contracted resupply mission to the International Space Station until May 13.

The stand-up and operation of a notional Golden Dome missile defense architecture would cost about $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, the Congressional Budget Office says in a new report.

The National Reconnaissance Office’s proliferated satellite architecture is supporting a new mission area for space-based sensing and targeting.

AIRO unveils Jaunt UAS with five-fold range increase, adds ISR variant for military and civil uses and targets delivery by 2027.

British defense startup Rotron Aerospace says it successfully launched and flown its SkyLance one-way effector.

DARPA's Sprint project develops a high-speed tiltrotor to address contested logistics and runway vulnerabilities with advanced V/STOL technology.

South Korea considers delaying KF-21 Block 2 production to 2035 as rising costs, inflation and supply chain issues impact the program.

AST SpaceMobile plans satellite launches with Blue Origin and SpaceX, aiming to expand its constellation and integrate AI tools for better performance.

Thales and ArianeGroup have flown the ground-launched FLP-T 150 missile in support of France’s desire to field such a weapon to quickly employ conventional warheads.

GE Aerospace has taken another step toward building the first XA102 adaptive-cycle engine under the Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion program.

Selected U.S. military contracts from the past week.

The Week Ahead In Aerospace & Defense

INMARSAT gets Marine Corps sat connectivity award... CT-157 Siskin II factory acceptance... NORTHROP GRUMMAN announces new spacecraft positioning/navigation system...

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is preparing for the first launch of its Vulcan rocket in support of Amazon’s Leo broadband constellation deployment.

Cowboy Space says it plans to build launch vehicles and orbiting data centers for artificial intelligence.

MQ-9 Reapers fired BAE Systems precision-guided rockets during a recent demonstration by General Atomics Aeronautics Systems Inc. and the U.S. Air Force.

Canadian training and simulation giant CAE confirmed May 11 it is interested in selling or divesting its aviation software business Flightscape.

Turkey is planning to add defensive electronic warfare capabilities to its Steel Dome air defense umbrella.

Boeing plans to invest $1 billion over the next three years in its recently reacquired Wichita site, its top executive announced May 11.

Dassault and OHB propose Vortex-S spaceplane for ESA, aiming to boost Europe’s space capabilities with reusable designs and autonomous missions.

Latvia’s defense minister resigns after drone incursions expose airspace vulnerabilities, prompting leadership changes and calls for stronger defense.