As the U.S. Space Force plans to establish a Space Systems Command this summer, service leadership is already rallying Congress to alter the new command’s reporting structure for two important offices—the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office.
Technicians have removed the Space Launch System core stage from its test stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi in preparation for a weeklong trip to Kennedy Space Center, NASA said on April 21.
Kopter Group’s SH09 single-engine light helicopter has been rebranded the AW09 to reflect the aircraft’s entry into the product line of Leonardo Helicopters.
High winds and rough seas downrange of Kennedy Space Center prompted NASA on April 21 to delay for one day the SpaceX Crew-2 launch to the International Space Station, with liftoff now targeted for 5:49 a.m. EDT on April 23.
The M2DO configuration, which also includes retrofit plans, will help the MQ-9 fleet transition to a European Command mission in a potential standoff or conflict with Russia.
A solicitation for the Adaptive Resilient Engineered Structures program, published on April 20 by the Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, calls for technologies that could be demonstrated in a relevant operational environment—or a Technology Readiness Level of 6—between fiscal 2023 and 2026.
Russia’s long-awaited Multipurpose Laboratory Module, which includes a new European-built robotic arm, is due to launch to the International Space Station on July 15, the European Space Agency station program manager said on April 20.
The French, German and Spanish governments are on track to reach an agreement this month on how to share work on their joint Future Combat Air System program, according to Florence Parly, France’s minister of armed forces.
Confronted with the seemingly ever-worsening issue of space debris, European Space Agency experts expect automation technology to help with collision avoidance maneuvers, along with better coordination between satellite operators.
NASA and SpaceX completed the Launch Readiness Review (LRR) for the SpaceX Crew-2 mission on April 20, clearing the Falcon 9-Crew Dragon system for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center at 6:11 a.m. EDT on April 22, weather permitting.
It is “highly unlikely” that NASA will return to the Moon’s surface with human explorers in 2024 due to technical, budget and workplace constraints linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency’s inspector general says.
