Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

By Guy Norris
Stratolaunch successfully completed the first flight of the Roc carrier aircraft with the large underwing pylon developed to carry and launch the company’s Talon-A hypersonic testbed vehicle at Mojave, California, on May 4.
Aircraft & Propulsion

Aviation Week Staff
The deployment of the high-orbiting segment of Russia’s Glonass global navigation satellite system is expected to start in 2026, Chief Designer Sergey Karutin said in an interview with Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin on the Sputnik radio station on May 2.
Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA is preparing for a second attempt at a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) for the Artemis I Space Launch System (SLS) in early June.
Space

By Graham Warwick
By 2035, Rio de Janiero could see a fleet of 245 urban air taxis flying 4.5 million passengers a year on more than 100 routes linking 37 vertiports, Eve UAM forecasts in the first concept of operations for urban air mobility (UAM) to be developed in Brazil.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Graham Warwick
Hydrogen-propulsion startup Hydroplane has received a second U.S. Air Force small business contract to demonstrate a fuel cell-based powerplant.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Tony Osborne
Swiss light aircraft developer Junkers Aircraft is proposing reviving development of the Ju-52 trimotor as a potential low-cost transport aircraft.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Michael Bruno
Satellite-based remote sensing startup Satellogic expects to grow its low Earth orbit constellation to as many as 34 Earth observation satellites by the fourth quarter, executives say.
Commercial Space

By Mark Carreau
NASA and its crowdsource partner HeroX have announced the winners of their “Honey I Shrunk the NASA Payload, the Sequel” challenge for miniaturizing payload prototypes for Moon missions to fill scientific knowledge gaps.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Astroscale has completed rendezvous operations with its ELSA-d orbital debris removal demonstration despite losing half the servicing spacecraft’s maneuvering thrusters.
Commercial Space

By Tony Osborne
Airbus is to test its CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical takeoff and landing platform with a series of research projects centered around the German city of Ingolstadt.
Advanced Air Mobility

By Michael Bruno
Two years after forming from its predecessor companies, Super Tier 1 aerospace supplier and large defense prime Raytheon Technologies has opened a corporate ventures office to make small venture-capital-style investments.
Emerging Technologies

By Steve Trimble
The U.S. Army has delayed key milestones for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program by up to four years, budget and solicitation documents show.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Guy Norris
Start-up launch vehicle and satellite developer Phantom Space has emerged from stealth mode with a purchase agreement for more than 200 rocket engines from Colorado-based propulsion company Ursa Major.
Commercial Space

By Garrett Reim
MDA has made the first commercial sale of its Canadarm3 robotic arm technology to Axiom Space.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
A Boeing CST-100 spacecraft was due to be transported to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex-41 on May 4 in preparation for a third attempt to reach the International Space Station for an uncrewed flight test.
Space

By Mark Carreau
In NASA’s first congressional hearing on its $26 billion 2023 budget request—an 8% percent increase—Administrator Bill Nelson expressed confidence in a continuing partnership with Russia to operate the International Space Station.
Space

By Garrett Reim
Boom Supersonic has signed a 10-year agreement for carbon dioxide removal via Climeworks direct air capture technology.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Tony Osborne
Poland has said it will protect Slovakia’s airspace should the latter decide to ground its fleet of MiG-29s and transfer the fighter aircraft to Ukraine.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Tony Osborne
Offshore helicopter operator Bristow Group is to purchase British International Helicopters (BIH) in its first major acquisition since restructuring and merging with Era Group in 2020.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
After successfully launching a 34-satellite rideshare mission from New Zealand, a Rocket Lab helicopter crew snared the returning first-stage booster mid-air for the first time, then released the rocket into the ocean for retrieval by ship.
Commercial Space

By Garrett Reim
NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program has chosen 110 U.S. small businesses to further develop their technologies via Phase II awards.
Space

Aviation Week Staff
The Russian Aerospace Forces conducted the first operational launch of a light Angara 1.2 rocket from Plesetsk spaceport in the northern part of the country on April 29.
Space

By Brian Everstine
The Pentagon is sending new rotations of fighter aircraft to NATO’s eastern front as the U.S. and other allies continue to airlift large amounts of aid into the region for Ukraine.
Budget, Policy & Operations

By Brian Everstine
The technology driving the new, unmanned collaborative aircraft that will fly alongside the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance fighter is so ready that the service can skip any risk reduction activities and head straight into engineering and manufacturing development, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall says.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Steve Trimble
A century after the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Langley (CVN 1) as the first American aircraft carrier in March 1922 over fierce internal
Budget, Policy & Operations