Space

No matter how vital space power becomes to the U.S., if it is relegated to a supporting role inside the Air Force, or any other service or agency, it will always receive short shrift.

The new three-star deputy chief of staff for space will serve as an advocate for space on the Air Staff, which the Air Force hopes will speed decision making and increase responsiveness to emerging threats.

Propulsion engineers at Aerojet Rocketdyne are banking on their company’s long experience building large rocket engines to see its AR1 kerosene engine as the logical replacement for the Russian RD-180 to launch future U.S. national security payloads.

For SpaceX, 100-flight reuse Falcon 9s, providing a hundredfold in savings, is on the company’s active agenda.

Aviation Week has won top honors in the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards, the business-to-business media equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes.

Boeing has adapted amusement park zipline technology to the emergency egress system on its CST-100 commercial crew vehicle.

How the F-15 proposal differs from failed attempts to retire aircraft; another request for regulations; a burning disagreement, and F-35 JPO chief retiring.

Elon Musk achieved a major step toward his goal of lowering the cost of space launch March 30 with the successful relaunch and recovery of a “used” Falcon 9 first stage on a commercial orbital mission.

Space is the only domain where platforms cannot be routinely serviced, repaired and upgraded to keep them operating and up to date with technology advances. Two planned demos, one by NASA and one by DARPA, could change that.

As the nation’s space mission grows, does the service have enough clout to manage it all?

The probe’s mission will finish with a spectacular plunge into Saturn’s clouds, after a wistful look back at our “pale blue dot.”

Aerojet Rocketdyne says there is enough manufacturing work in the ground-bases strategic deterrent missile project for two rocket motor suppliers.

Women have made great inroads in aerospace finance and management, but they remain woefully underrepresented on the technical side of the industry.

French Guianese workers say launchpad construction is not employing enough local workers

In this week’s Washington Outlook: Deterring plausibly deniable attacks in space may involve actions on the ground.

Trump administration’s views on climate change may curtail NASA Earth-observation satellite missions.

Thales Alenia Space sees overcapacity as a factor in the weak telecommunications satellite market, in addition to fast-moving technology and a slow global launch rate.

Space start-up Rocket Lab is accelerating series production of rocket engines and avionics for its Electron launch vehicle at a newly opened facility in California.

Most of the toughest engineering challenges have been tackled, 80% of structural element designs are finished, and Lockheed investments in facilities, labs and personnel certifications can help speed readiness for complex deep-space missions.

Launch service operators and satellite manufacturers stand to benefit from electric-propulsion satellites.

Charles F. Bolden, a U.S. Marine Corps aviator, NASA astronaut and the 12th administrator of the U.S. space agency, is the 2017 recipient of the Philip J. Klass Lifetime Achievement Award.

Republicans want more dollars for the military. Democrats are unlikely to lift budget caps for defense.

Rapid evolution of technology and a drop in data prices cause satellite operators to spend time pondering next moves

Musk’s company worked with the U.S. government to develop the Autonomous Flight Safety System that will prompt the launch vehicle to destruct if it flies off course.

A debate that began with the Obama administration is continuing under Trump: when to head for Mars and how to leverage cislunar efforts toward that goal?