Thales Alenia Space has been selected to produce an additional eight satellites for O3b Networks’ medium Earth orbit constellation. The satellites will add to the existing twelve operational satellites in orbit used by O3b Networks to supply trunking and mobile backhaul connectivity to telecommunication firms, Thales said Thursday. The new satellites are set for launch […] More

Iridium Communications has rescheduled the launch of the first pair of Iridium NEXT satellites to April to provide an additional four months to address an issue with the satellite’s communications payload, Spaceflight Now reported Tuesday. Stephen Clark writes Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Oct. 29 that prime contractor Thales Alenia Space found an issue inside the payload’s Ka-band […] More

NASA has received an Orion spacecraft module test model built by an Airbus Group subsidiary for evaluation at the agency’s Plum Brook Station in Ohio. Airbus Defence and Space developed the hardware on behalf of the European Space Agency and to support a future U.S.-led manned deep space exploration mission, Airbus said Monday. NASA and ESA signed an […] More

A joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has delivered the test model of the Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module to NASA’s testing facility in Ohio for further structural design tests. Thales Alenia Space performed initial tests on the structural test model of ESM at its facility in Turin, Italy, prior to the shipment, Thales […] More

A joint venture of Thales Group and Finmeccanica has secured a potential $103 million contract from Airbus to build thermomechanical platforms for the Orion spacecraft’s European Service Module. Thales Alenia Space will supply thermal control, consumable storage components, micrometeoroid and structure protection systems for the space capsule’s ESM, Thales Group said Thursday. ESM will work to provide thermal control, […] More

Raytheon wants to join Alenia Aermacchi and CAE in a bid for a contract to replace the U.S. Air Force‘s T-38 aircrew training systems, Defense News reported Thursday. Aaron Mehta writes Raytheon and the Air Force have discussed about the company’s interest in pursuing the T-X trainer replacement program after General Dynamics left the Alenia […] More

Boeing has offered an invite-only trailer of its conceptual design for a T-X military trainer platform during a recent Air Force Association event, Defense News reported Tuesday. Aaron Mehta writes Boeing and Saab designed the platform as their joint offering for the U.S. Air Force‘s T-38 replacement program. A Lockheed Martin–Korea Aerospace Industries partnership and […] More

Iridium Communications has completed the integration of communication and surveillance payloads with the Iridium NEXT satellite. The company said Monday it will send the satellite with the integrated Aireon-hosted tracking payload for aircraft surveillance to Thales Alenia Space in Cannes, France for final qualification testing. The integrated module is part of the 66 low-Earth orbit satellites that will […] More

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Dwyer Dennis has said a budget-related postponement of the T-X trainer replacement initiative allowed the military service to rethink the program’s acquisition and requirements process, Aviation Week reported Monday. Amy Butler writes Dennis, director of global reach programs in the Air Force’s office of the assistant secretary for acquisition, told […] More

A Forecast International study estimates the production value of remote sensing satellites will reach $27.2 billion by 2024 due to an increasing demand for Earth imagery products in both government and commercial sectors. Manufacturers are projected to build more than 200 satellites equipped with remote sensing technology over the next decade, the research firm said […] More

Lockheed Martin has unveiled the first F-35A fighter jet for the Italian air force at a final assembly and check out facility in Cameri, Italy. It is the first of eight F-35As being integrated at the site and is slated to take a maiden flight later this year, Lockheed said Thursday. Lockheed and Finmeccanica‘s Alenia […] More

A new Strategic Defense Intelligence report projects the global unmanned aerial vehicle market’s compound annual growth rate at 5.66 percent from 2015 through 2025, with autonomous combat vehicles to dominate the market. The report predicts North America and Europe to account for more than 67 percent of the UAV market over the next 10 years, ReportsnReports […] More