Sierra Nevada Corp. has conducted a free flight test of a spacecraft designed to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract. The Dream Chaser test spacecraft was air-lifted by a Columbia 234-UT Chinook helicopter before the space vehicle performed a pre-planned flight and autonomous landing operation […] More

Space Exploration Technologies has received a $40.8 million contract modification to further develop a rocket propulsion system prototype for the U.S. Air Force‘s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The Defense Department said Thursday SpaceX will continue development of the Raptor engine technology through April 30, 2018, under the modification. USAF awarded the company a $61.4 million “other transaction” agreement last year […] More

A partnership between Sierra Nevada Corp. and the United Nations’ Office for Outer Space Affairs aims to launch microgravity payloads from UN member states aboard the company-built Dream Chaser spacecraft by 2021. The U.N. said Tuesday the collaborative effort aims to give developing nations an opportunity to build and deploy payloads into orbit and that all member nations will have the chance to propose payloads […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has agreed to supply propulsion and energetic systems for Raytheon‘s major weapon programs under a strategic sourcing agreement between the two companies. Raytheon and Aerojet Rocketdyne also aim to jointly chase affordability programs in the government sector through 2019 as part of their partnership, Raytheon said Tuesday. “This landmark agreement is an important step forward in collaboration between […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne will work with the U.S. Air Force develop standards for the qualification of 3-D printed rocket engine components under a $6 million contract awarded as part of the Booster Propulsion Technology Maturation broad agency announcement. The company said Tuesday it will work to leverage its experience with additive manufacturing processes and technologies to support the service branch’s […] More

United Technologies Corp. has confirmed that it is currently in negotiations with multiple bidders for the acquisition of UTC subsidiary Sikorsky Aircraft, Defense News reported Saturday. Andrew Clevenger writes that sources have named the bidders as Airbus, Blackstone, Lockheed Martin and Textron. The report said the news comes after UTC announced its plan to either sell or spin […] More

NASA took the first step Friday in what it hopes to be a new era for human space exploration as the agency sent the Orion capsule into a nearly four-hour orbit to evaluate its potential for future missions via Boeing‘s Space Launch System. Engineers for NASA and Orion constructor Lockheed Martin focused much of their attention […] More

Lockheed Martin and partners have activated the bus and network communications payload of a second satellite for the U.S. Air Force’s GPS system. The team worked to turn on the power of the GPS III Space Vehicle 2 on Dec. 19 at Lockheed’s Denver-based facility in order to exhibit the satellite’s mechanical integration and interfaces, Lockheed […] More