DefenceTalkThe space glider Perlan 2 is helping Airbus take on Silicon Valley’s brightest innovators, even while pursuing technologies that might eventually lead to passenger flights in space. The project’s goal is to set an altitude record for the unpowered craft of 90,000 feet (27,400 meters) in the frigid temperatures at the edge of space (-70 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/with-perlan-2-glider-airbus-claim-mantle-of-space-pioneer-67425/

DefenceTalkChina will send two new models of carrier rocket in the Long March series on their maiden space trips in 2016, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASC) said on Saturday. The country’s strongest carrier rocket, Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes to low Earth orbit, or 14 tonnes to geostationary […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-to-debut-new-carrier-rockets-66441/

DefenceTalkOrbital ATK (OA), a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, announced today it was awarded a $47 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Systems Directorate for the development of a solid rocket propulsion system prototype to support the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program for national security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/orbital-atk-receives-47-million-award-for-rocket-propulsion-system-development-66385/

DefenceTalkMiami: SpaceX successfully landed its powerful Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, a major milestone in the drive to cut costs and waste by making rockets as reusable as airplanes. Its engines burning bright orange against the dark night sky, the Falcon 9 made a graceful arc back to Earth and touched down upright […]https://www.defencetalk.com/spacex-rocket-landing-opens-new-door-to-space-travel-66172/

DefenceTalkChina last month conducted a test of a new missile capable of taking out US satellites as a part of Beijing’s growing arsenal in space warfare. The test of a Dong Neng-3 exoatmospheric vehicle took place on October 30, and was conducted from the Korla Missile Test Complex in western China, according to two defense […]https://www.defencetalk.com/chinas-latest-missile-test-a-threat-to-us-satellites-65801/

DefenceTalkNASA has informed Boeing that it is out of the running for a $3.5 billion competition to send cargo to the International Space Station, a company spokeswoman said Thursday. Boeing has received a NASA contract to send astronauts to the ISS aboard its CST-100 Starliner capsule beginning as early as 2017, but its bid to […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nasa-drops-boeing-from-race-for-3-5-billion-cargo-contract-65759/

DefenceTalkBritish aerospace company BAE Systems today unveiled an investment in a new engine combining jet and rocket technologies — part of a growing list of companies in the commercial space race. BAE said it would invest USD 31.9 million for a 20 per cent stake in Reaction Engines, which is developing the SABRE (Synergetic Air-Breathing […]https://www.defencetalk.com/britains-bae-systems-buys-into-rocket-engine-technology-65741/

DefenceTalkSuperfast journeys to Mars may be one big step closer for humanity, as NASA has sponsored a private company to develop a high-tech, plasma engine. Ad Astra Rocket Company, specializing in the development of plasma rocket propulsion technology, has finished contract negotiations with NASA. As part of the Next Space Technology Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) award, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/nasa-funds-plasma-rocket-technology-for-superfast-space-travel-65263/

DefenceTalkAn unmanned SpaceX rocket exploded just minutes after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday, marking a major setback for the fast-charging company headed by Internet tycoon Elon Musk. The accident was the third in less than a year involving US and Russian supply ships bound for the International Space Station, and raised new concerns […]https://www.defencetalk.com/spacex-rocket-explodes-after-launch-64727/

DefenceTalkIn its latest saber-rattling move, The Pentagon is ramping up efforts to build an space war headquarters, in order to protect US satellites from hypothetical attacks by Russia and China. The operations center – which will collect information from US satellites belonging to all government agencies – is slated to open in six months, Deputy […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-plans-space-war-center-to-defend-against-adversaries-64725/