Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

ExLabs is preparing a mission called ApophisEX to rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis that is predicted to make a close approach to Earth in 2029.

With conflicts near its borders increasingly dominated by one-way attack drones, Turkey’s defense industry is accelerating efforts to develop domestic options.

Voyager Technologies CEO Dylan Taylor won’t rule out pursuing the Starlab commercial low-Earth-orbit space station without NASA backing.

American combat aircraft and other forces are maintaining a high pace of operations to detect and down Iranian threats in the Persian Gulf.

Momentus says recent efforts to strengthen its balance sheet have given it sufficient liquidity to sustain operations for 12 months.

Ursa Major is in talks about a new phase of testing of a unique, liquid-fueled tactical missile demonstrator after two test firings.

Anduril Industries has gathered five industry partners to support its work on the U.S. Space Force’s space-based interceptor program, the company says.

Spacecraft developer Quantum Space says former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will serve as its next chief executive.

The EU launched a call for participation in the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance aimed at fostering development of UAS and ways to defend against them.

Rheinmetall warned investors that first-quarter sales came in below their consensus expectations, but said that recovery in the current quarter would make up for the shortfall.

New Zealand’s Syos Aerospace is preparing to field a wider range of drones for testing in Ukraine.

Firefly Aerospace has made progress building and testing the major flight components of the future Eclipse medium-lift launch vehicle, CEO Jason Kim says.

Soon, and for the first time since Panama disbanded its armed forces in 1989, the country will add a dedicated armed aircraft capability in the form of four A-29 Super Tucanos to help enhance its surveillance, close-air support, special operations, drug interdiction and border monitoring capabilities.

The Boeing T-7A advanced jet trainer can enter a belated low-rate initial production phase, the U.S. Air Force said on May 4.

The National Reconnaissance Office is bringing additional remote sensing providers into a flexible contracting mechanism.

FIREFLY supporting Golden Dome... BOEING gets Saudi F-15 training award... New president for EUROCAE...

Experts from NASA and Russia’s space agency Roscosmos continue to pursue the cause and implications of structural cracks in a Russian segment of the ISS.

Capella Space has commercially debuted its Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) service.

The Week Ahead in Aerospace & Defense

Lockheed Martin is joining an existing partnership between Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space Corp. to explore offshore launch capabilities, a senior company executive announced May 4.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has awarded Vantor a $70 million follow-on contract for the NGA's primary commercial platform for geospatial intel.

A portion of the retired Boeing KC-10 Extender fleet could be back in service and refueling U.S. military aircraft by year’s end.

Sweden’s first operational military satellite has reached orbit.

The U.S. Air Force, Boeing and Rolls-Royce will start modifying the first B-52 as part of a reengining effort this year.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted that the long-awaited, much-delayed Defense Investment Plan could emerge “in the coming weeks.”