Defense and Space

The original launch date for IM's Nova-C lunar lander—from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center atop a Falcon 9 rocket—was planned for as soon as mid-November.

The Pentagon wants to build a new nuclear gravity bomb, aiming to modernize part of its strategic stockpile by replacing one of the most potent variants of its B61.

A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 was damaged and one crewmember injured in a hard landing near Nellis AFB, Nevada, on Oct. 24.

It’s been a rough month for small satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the development of Russia’s new orbital station after a special meeting at Energia Corp. on Oct. 26.

The Bayraktar TB3 Siha, featuring foldable wings and twice the 700-kg maximum takeoff weight of the TB2, took off at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 27.

Defense contractor L3Harris’ sales beat Wall Street’s expectations, as did its earnings per share of $3.19.

The Oct. 26 contract—worth $364.3 million—covers production and delivery of the six MH-60R helicopters for Norway.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The AFRL is leading its first cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between the U.S. Space Force and companies outside the U.S.

Zeno Power has built and demonstrated a shielded Strontium 90 heat source.

Northrop Grumman beat Wall Street’s estimates of its revenue and earnings per share (EPS) in the third quarter.

A People’s Liberation Army Air Force J-11 flew within 10 ft. of a U.S. Air Force B-52 in the South China Sea this week.

Drones and rockets from Iranian-backed militias have targeted U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria 16 times in the past 10 days.

NASA is planning a payload resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The site selection for the $33 million facility comes three years after Raytheon and Rafael announced plans to establish a U.S. domestic manufacturing center.

Beta Technologies has flown an Alia electric aircraft prototype to Eglin AFB, Florida, to begin at least three months of flight testing with the U.S. Air Force.

China has sent its youngest set of astronauts to space on the Shenzhou-17 mission.

The test countered the threat of salvo attacks by a growing Chinese arsenal that includes anti-ship DF-21 ballistic missiles and subsonic YJ-83 cruise missiles.

Two cosmonauts spent the early portion of their spacewalk outside the ISS Oct. 25 dealing with the latest in a series of Russian segment external coolant leaks.

The Royal Australian Air Force has deployed one of its Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AEW aircraft to Europe as part of its military assistance to Ukraine.

The service’s broader commercial space strategy remains under consideration within the Pentagon.

The ambitious mission to explore seven asteroids is targeted to launch in March 2028.

South Korea is pursuing a new supersonic turbofan engine to power a fifth-generation fighter for the 2030s.

Tyvak International, a subsidiary of Terran Orbital, has won a $4.7 million contract from the ESA to develop a nanosatellite that will deploy from Space Rider.