Chris Thompson, former chief engineer of advanced projects at Astra, was named chief technology officer of Phantom Space, where he will lead the development of launch vehicles and satellites and oversee related efforts. The Tucson, Arizona-based space transportation technology development and manufacturing company said Thursday Thompson brings to his new role decades-long experience in the […] More

SpaceX and SEOPS will launch small satellite missions under four task orders awarded by NASA under the Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare launch services contract. SpaceX received three of the four task orders and will provide launch services for the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 satellite as well as the Dione and ARCSTONE satellites under the CubeSat Launch Initiative, the space agency said Wednesday.

More

Boeing’s prototyping arm plans to begin manufacturing a flat satellite antenna technology in 2020 to facilitate broadband communications for military aircraft, SpaceNews reported Wednesday. 

More

A state agency has proposed to establish a new launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to support the launch of Boeing’s Phantom Express unmanned vehicle, Florida Today reported Sunday. The  Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s teamed up with Boeing in May 2017 under the Experimental Spaceplane 1 program to help design, build and test a […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has started a series of 10 firing tests of an engine designed for use on Boeing’s Phantom Express unmanned vehicle as part of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s Experimental Spaceplane program, SpaceNews reported Tuesday. The company performs the 100-second test firings of the AR-22 engine at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for […] More

Mark Cherry, vice president of Boeing’s Phantom Works unit, has said he reorganized the contractor’s technology arm to further realign it with other areas of the firm’s defense business, Inside Defense reported Thursday. He told the publication that the reorganization effort resulted in the integration of Phantom Works’ personnel in key areas of the defense business such […] More

Rick Weiss, a spokesperson for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, has said Cape Canaveral in Florida will serve as the site for flight tests and launch operations for a hypersonic aircraft to be developed under DARPA’s Experimental Spaceplane program, Spaceflight Now reported Tuesday. DARPA partnered with Boeing in May to build an unmanned reusable spaceplane – […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been selected to build the main propulsion system for a reusable hypersonic aircraft being developed by the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency and Boeing. Aerojet Rocketdyne said Wednesday that it will produce two AR-22 engines using parts from previous versions of the space shuttle main engine that has remained in the company and NASA‘s inventories. Boeing and […] More

Boeing Co. will build its first commercial batch of the company’s 502 Phoenix small satellites under a contract to carry HySpecIQ‘s hyperspectral payload into space. Two Phantom Phoenix-based satellites are scheduled for launch in 2018 to perform command and control operations, image processing and imagery data storage, Boeing said Wednesday. “Our 502 Phoenix is well-suited for a range of missions […] More

Boeing is showing a model of the company’s all-electric propulsion 702SP satellite Monday through Thursday at the Satellite 2014 Conference & Exhibition in Washington The company’s booth 6009 will also feature the 502 Phoenix, a commercial version of Phantom Works’ Phantom Phoenix prototype introduced last year, the company announced Friday. Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager […] More

Northrop Grumman has produced and delivered a 10 kilowatt-class laser technology to an unnamed U.S. government customer for use in tactical environments. Phantom is a high-energy system that weighs less than 200 pounds and measures 12 cubic feet, or about the size of a mini fridge, the company said Thursday. “By miniaturizing this advanced capability, […] More

Boeing broke ground on its future Advanced Coatings Center in St. Louis in line with its division’s multibillion-dollar Production System of the Future expansion plan. The 47,500 square-foot military aircraft production facility will be operated by Phantom Works, the research, development and prototyping entity of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, the company said Friday. Boeing […] More