One U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts departed the International Space Station for a safe descent to Earth in remote Kazakhstan late Oct. 21, leaving the orbiting science lab staffed by three crew for at least three weeks as NASA and its Commercial Crew Program partners continue efforts to kickoff regularly scheduled crew launches.
The package of deals, worth an estimated $1.8 billion, follows the sale of 66 Lockheed F-16C/D Block 70 fighters to Taiwan, which was finalized in August.
If National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien’s statement about the Arleigh Burke-class upgrade applies to the Conventional Prompt Strike program, it would imply a significant retrofit program.
Democrat Kim Mangone is challenging one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to represent California’s 23rd District.
Parts production for the 360 Invictus helicopter has started even as Bell continues to fine-tune the final design of the air vehicle and overall system over the next two months.
Flying autonomously more than 208 million mi. from Earth, NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft made brief successful contact with the boulder-strewn surface of the asteroid Bennu, according to data from the probe received by the mission operations and science teams on Oct. 20.
Firefly Aerospace, which plans to debut its Alpha small satellite launch vehicle this year, has signed contracts with Spire Global and Geometric Space Corp. for multiple flights.
“The SPEAR flight demonstrator will provide the F/A-18 Super Hornet and carrier strike group with significant improvements in range and survivability against advanced threat defensive systems,” said Steve Mercer, Boeing’s SPEAR program manager.
NASA and the European Space Agency have signed contracts with privately owned Nanoracks to use the company’s Bishop airlock, which is due to be delivered to the International Space Station next month.
Ukraine has already purchased Baykar Makina Bayraktar TB2 unmanned air systems from Turkey and is a partner in the development on the company’s larger Akinci medium-altitude, long-endurance platform.
