Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Aug. 18

Universal rocket modules for the Angara A5 heavy launch vehicle have been sent by train to the Plesetsk military spaceport in northern Russia in preparation for launch, the state-owned Roscosmos corporation has reported. “The rocket has successfully passed inspections at the control and test station of the Khrunichev Space Center and is ready to resume space trials,” Roscosmos said Aug. 14. Credit: Roscosmos

Boeing will seek more voluntary layoffs in its commercial aircraft, MRO services and corporate offices, the company’s chief executive revealed in an internal memo, as the giant airliner manufacturer tries to scale down its operations to meet a diminished marketplace in coming years. Credit: Boeing

A SpaceX Falcon 9 deployed 58 Starlink broadband internet-connectivity satellites and three Planet SkySat rideshares following an Aug. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral AFS, using a first-stage booster flown for a record sixth time.

The ninth and final Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-II Transfer cargo vehicle (HTV) departed the International Space Station (ISS) Aug. 18, filled with trash and headed for a destructive reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific. Credit: NASA

The FAA says it will continue the work of a pilot effort with local and state governments and industry to introduce drones more regularly into the airspace system, even though the program officially is scheduled to end in October. Credit: Bill Carey/AWST

The U.S. Air Force has selected an Oregon Air National Guard (ANG) squadron as the first home for a Boeing F-15EX operational unit, in 2023. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett notified the Oregon ANG Aug. 14 that its Portland base will be the first to replace its aging F-15C/D Eagles with the updated F-15EXs. Credit: Boeing