Space

Airbus Vahana takes shape; ARCA to fly aerospike; Germany’s quiet rotor; BVLOS goes commercial; India’s next RLV.

In this week's Washington Outlook: Senator advocates first building sensor layer, Senate appropriators back NextGen ATM and NASA’s Mars-bound rocket and a look at what’s ahead for spending bills.

The 2016 crash of the Schiaparelli landing module leads to changes the European Space Agency hopes will mean success this time around.

SpaceX is shelving plans for upcoming Dragon 2 crew and cargo retrorocket returns to Earth due to the difficulty of meeting certification requirements

One of the leading voices on military matters, the Arizona senator is pushing for more defense funding and assistance for Ukraine.

After going out of business due to financial problems, reconstituted Firefly is developing a upgraded small-satellite launch vehicle.

North Korea’s acceleration of missile testing could see the U.S. expand its antiballistic missile system as the Missile Defense Agency also speeds development of tech to counter-maneuvering hypersonic glide weapons.

Vancouver’s MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates is making inroads in satellite-servicing markets once dominated by U.S. companies.

NASA has issued a request for information for in-space electric propulsion concepts which could potentially power the agency’s proposed Deep Space Gateway.

Five NASA spacecraft either orbiting or on Mars will be isolated from terrestrial commanding due to a Red Planet solar conjunction between July 22-Aug. 1.

During the tests in Galveston Bay, NASA astronauts crawled from their seats, opened a side or top hatch and deployed a lightweight raft.

Two cheers for restarting the space council. Now who for NASA administrator?

In this week’s Washington Outlook: Defense Secretary Mattis says a Space Corps would create a narrower approach to space operations, Senator wants to set up X-Prize to solve hypoxia problem, and AIA’s Melcher will leave his job in December.

The fortunes that could be made from small satellites remain highly uncertain, satellite industry analysts caution.

Industry analysts caution that investment does not equal ultimate success.

The European Space Agency says its well on the way to a full constellation of 24 operational satellites, the continuing renewal of which would probably require an average two satellites to be launched every year.

Thailand buys South Korean T-50 trainers, Pakistan tests short-range missile, Kratos wins a satcom study contract and BAE to upgrade electronic warfare systems for U.S. Special Operations aircraft.

President Trump has chartered a new National Space Council, and its chairman, the vice president, says America will go to the Moon, Mars and will lead in space.

Aviation Week technology writers Guy Norris and Graham Warwick discuss the thrusts of this year’s American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ annual Propulsion & Energy conference.

NASA’s Juno mission spacecraft carried out the closest approach ever to Jupiter’s turbulent Great Red Spot late July 10.

Combinations of soil-borne chemistry and ultraviolet radiation from the Sun could be significant barriers to Martian organic activity and habitability, researchers’ findings show.

Because Long March 5 failed a test mission, timing of space station construction and lunar missions is in doubt. Until the cause is revealed, related launchers must be suspect.

Gridlock in Washington has put U.S. manufacturers at a severe disadvantage.

NASA’s vision of future human deep space explorers working hand in hand with robots has achieved a milestone through the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Space Robotics Challenge.

Failure of a Long March 5 launcher on the type’s second mission has dealt a possibly severe blow to China’s space program, at least casting doubt over the timing of planned missions that rely on the rocket.