Three Mars mission launches in July kicked off a promising and challenging decade for the exploration of the red planet, one potentially setting the stage for a global human exploration campaign in the 2030s.
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is studying whether Leonardo’s AW609 commercial tiltrotor could be used to link the city with a remote island archipelago.
The U.S. Air Force wants Congress to create a “global fight” account in the budget to pay for efforts like International Space Pitch Day in which the U.S. and UK intend to invest $1 million for cutting-edge space innovations.
The first of two aircraft fitted with a modular hybrid-electric propulsion system developed under a European research program is expected to fly in September.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) and Spain’s Sener Aerospacial are developing an underwing pod that will enable European customers of the MQ-9 Reaper and SkyGuardian to fit sovereign sensors to the unmanned air system.
Nuclear weapons figured prominently among the revelations contained in the Pentagon’s latest annual report on China’s military capabilities, which was released Sept. 1.
The duo won firm-fixed price contracts for the Tranche 0 Transport Layer, which consists of 20 satellites that will feed into the U.S.’s missile warning system.
Even as it begins deliveries of its first certified electric aircraft, Slovenia’s Pipistrel has begun accepting orders for a family of unmanned cargo aircraft.
Military training and C4ISR services provider Cubic has merged two defense business units into one and under the leadership of one veteran unit chief, while the other will leave the company.
Embattled aircraft connectivity provider Gogo will sell its commercial aviation unit to bankrupt satellite services provider Intelsat for $400 million in a deal that might help the latter return to a viable business while the former tries to avoid liquidation.
The Airbus Perlan Mission II stratospheric glider project plans to dramatically expand its role in atmospheric and climate research by incorporating new sensors and working collaboratively with other high-altitude investigation agencies, companies, assets and projects.
Lockheed Martin will receive another $912 million over the next five years to give the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense program a capability makeover.
E-commerce giant Amazon said it has received air carrier certification of its Prime Air drone delivery service from the FAA, making it the third U.S. company the agency has approved to deliver packages by drone.
Arianespace is to operate its first rideshare mission for nano and microsatellites thanks to a Vega launch from Kourou, French Guiana, at 9:51 p.m. EDT on Sept. 1.
Schiebel’s Camcopter has flown to an offshore oil-and-gas platform to prove the rotary-wing unmanned aircraft systems could be used for offshore delivery.
