Space

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Aalto HAPS has purchased Ampirus Technologies’ 450 Wh/kg SiMaxx lithium-ion cells for its stratospheric Zephyr UAV.

The second of two Blue Origin BE-4 engines has arrived at United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Decatur, Alabama, factory for installation on a Vulcan rocket.

Ingenuity received a software update that will prompt it to activate daily, awaken flight computers, test its solar panel, batteries and electronics, and more.

Targeting a wider role in low Earth orbit and beyond, the company has rolled out a novel, deployable decelerator system, among other fast-tracked projects.

What began as an operational ballistic missile evolved into one of the most successful and storied space launch vehicles.

The agency seeks cheaper options for retrieving samples collected by the Perseverance rover.

Startup Inversion plans to launch Ray, its reentry capsule technology demonstrator, on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-12 rideshare mission.

Dark, a developer of a space junk interceptor rocket, has raised a $6 million seed round extension.

Boeing’s first crewed CST-100 Starliner capsule was rolled out to Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral SFS on April 16.

The plan is part of a 51-page MSR Independent Response Team (MIRT) report released by NASA on April 15.

The U.S. will contribute the launch service, aerobraking engines and radioisotope heater units.

Smotr-V will be Russia’s highest-resolution commercial satellite.

China has suggested that it is open to providing commercial communication lunar relay services for missions on the far side of the moon.

Initially scheduled for April 9, the mission was postponed twice.

Rocket Lab and its partner, True Anomaly, will conduct rendezvous and proximity operations as part of the demonstration.

The first agreement focuses on a large radio frequency antenna in Norway’s northern territory.

There are individual hybrid satcom terminal programs underway across each of the services.

In all, the spacecraft delivered 121.6 grams of material from Bennu.

New agreements between the U.S. and Japan are set to expand cooperation in the future human exploration of the Moon.

Spanish near-space tourism company Halo Space has unveiled the design of the balloon capsule it plans to use to take passengers on stratospheric flights.

The Space Force is moving more into the mission, which it is calling tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and tracking.

The document identifies the specific missions it wants to focus on for increasing commercial capabilities.

Vast plans to integrate SpaceX’s Starlink laser communication system into its commercial space station, Haven-1, scheduled for launch in 2025.

U.S. Space Command has extended invitations to France, Germany and New Zealand to join a high-level collaborative group on military space operations.