Aerospace & Defense Roundup: Jan. 11

SpaceX Waves Off Atlantic Space Station Cargo Return

Adverse weather on Jan. 11 prompted SpaceX to delay an attempt by NASA-contracted commercial International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission to return to Earth for an Atlantic Ocean splashdown off Florida’s east coast with a 5,200-lb. cargo that includes science experiments. Credit: NASA TV

The Weekly Debrief: Counter-Drone Strategy Takes Shape Inside Pentagon

Countering small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) poses a puzzling challenge for the Pentagon. Nobody doubts the disruptively destructive potential of small UAS. In the last two years, a small UAS packed with explosives penetrated a soccer stadium where the Venezuelan president was speaking before getting shot down. Small UAS also featured prominently in a 2019 attack allegedly by Iran on a Saudi Arabian oil refinery facility, slipping past defenses set up to counter ballistic missiles instead of explosive-laden small aircraft sent on a one-way mission. Credit: BT

MHI Begins Forming F-X Development Team: Report

MHI is forming an F-X development team at its Aichi plant, several unnamed Japanese government sources tell the Kyodo newswire. The F-X development team includes engineers from KHI and IHI, with the number of engineers to peak at about 500, the report said. Credit: By 防衛省 - https://www.mod.go.jp/j/yosan/yosan_gaiyo/2020/yosan_191220.pdf

NASA Confirms ISS Getting Solar Array Upgrade

The first set of six new solar arrays for the International Space Station (ISS) is being prepared for launch in May, setting the stage for a 20-30% jump in power generation for commercial and research activities aboard the orbital outpost. Credit: Boeing

U.S. Army Funds New Railgun-Fired Hypersonic Projectile Tests

A new round of intercept tests of railgun-fired hypersonic projectiles against airborne targets will take place in 2021 under a new U.S. Army contract award to General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). Credit: U.S. Army

New NASA Telescope To Probe Universe’s Rapid Expansion

NASA’s Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer, or SPHEREx, space telescope has completed its Phase C preliminary design review (PDR), clearing the way for detailed design work as well as hardware and software development. Credit: JPL/NASA