Space

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis now supports creating a sixth U.S. armed service, known as Space Force.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe launched early Aug. 12 to begin a $1.6 billion, seven-year mission to study our nearest star in greater detail than ever before.

The Pentagon is proposing a four-pronged approach for the U.S. military’s future in space.

Guest star Fred Kennedy, the director of Darpa’s Tactical Technology Office, talks to Aviation Week about ways to revolutionize satellites, space launch and the U.S. Air Force’s reliance on stealth.

The future of the International Space Station hinges on expanding the number and type of commercial users, but NASA policy bans publicity and advertising.

The new space economy is beginning to diversify with service providers eyeing the smallsat community and beyond.

Radioisotope generators and nuclear reactors eyed as the best options for surviving the long, cold lunar nights.

A new robotic device from Made in Space, Inc. could robotically assemble an efficient spacecraft solar array in orbit after a spacecraft is deployed, the company says.

Boeing has found the cause of a propellant leak during a June hot-fire test of the CST-100 Starliner launch abort engines.

On the night of 3–4 August 2018, American, French and Senegalese scientists will be in Senegal to observe as asteroid Ultima Thule passes between Earth and a distant star, a phenomenon called stellar occultation, before NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft performs a flyby of this object on 1 January 2019.

LeoLabs plans to expand its commercial low-Earth-orbit mapping capabilities with new funding from Airbus and other investors.

The Trump administration’s decision to ignore administrator Bridenstine’s request for a deputy with a deep technical and operational experience is troubling.

Centaur upper stage gets a second RL10 engine to accommodate space station crew taxi fights.

The U.S. is looking to overhaul its constellation of missile-warning satellites and seeking sensors that can track emerging threats.

French space agency CNES has tapped Zodiac Data Systems for the development of an autonomous range safety system at its Kourou, French Guiana launch site.

Ad Astra Rocket and Aerojet Rocketdyne head toward November ground tests of high-power electric propulsion systems for spacecraft.

The tsunami of sensor data presents opportunities and challenges for satellite operators and service providers.

New spaceport gets backing from UK Space Agency and British government.

U.S. draws allies closer in space ops; Israel uses Patriots to shoot down Syrian UAS; U.S. seeks $84.5 million for Huey program. and Japan’s hunt for intel-gathering aircraft.

Startup Astrobotic aims to deliver payloads to the lunar surface once a year, starting with the first flight scheduled for 2020.

Eventually, the ISS will need to leave low Earth orbit. One option may be to boost it into a 1,000-year storage orbit for future generations to salvage.

Aviation Week Network editors discuss highlights and lowlights at the Farnborough Airshow, including Britain’s future fighter vision: is it a storm in a teacup, or will it really happen?

White House says it wants an expert in building public-private partnerships to serve with Bridenstine at NASA.

M&A in the A&D sector is surging and may be on its way to new levels across the board. Many advisors are wondering who is next?

A liftoff thrust approaching 6,000 metric tons and mass exceeding 4,000 metric tons would evidently apply to the largest version, which would have four boosters.