Articles

Electronics & Computers

Edge Computing Advances Enable Smarter Spacecraft and Satellites in Orbit

As satellites take on more onboard processing — from Earth imaging to autonomy — spacecraft computing designers are pushing for higher performance under tight thermal and radiation constraints. Read on to learn how suppliers are approaching heat removal, radiation mitigation and production-scale space-grade computing for LEO and beyond.

Articles

Aerospace

Commercial Satellite Manufacturing Scales Up as LEO Demand Drives New Production Lines

Space vehicle and satellite development programs are driving demand for new small- and medium-sized satellites across commercial and defense imaging, data collection, and other space-based applications. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Software

NAWCWD Engineers Turned a Threat Simulator into an Offensive Electronic Attack Weapon

Keith Yuen, a supervisory engineer at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) spent years building a jammer designed to defeat America’s own radars. Then the question changed: what if the same system could jam the enemy? The system is Angry Kitten. Read on to learn more about it.

Articles

Aerospace

Heritage in Motion: Why Legacy Engineering Matters More Than Ever in Today’s UAV Market

The uncrewed aerial vehicle market is advancing at extraordinary speed, reshaping both commercial and defense aviation. Yet this rapid innovation brings with it growing engineering pressure. UAVs are expected to be lighter, more autonomous, more modular, and more adaptable, all while maintaining near-flawless reliability. This is where heritage becomes decisive. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Aerospace

Polymer vs. Metal Seals: A Comparison In Critical Space Systems

Neither polymer nor metal seals are universally optimal in space applications. Read on to learn why and find out which is superior.

Articles

Materials

Advanced Silicone Materials for Harsh Aerospace Environments

As aerospace and defense systems become more advanced, the demands placed on materials continue to increase. Components must perform reliably under extreme and often overlapping conditions, including thermal cycling, mechanical stress, chemical exposure, and vacuum environments. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Manned Systems

Advancing Next Generation Weather Data from Space

PlanetiQ has been awarded a $15 million, 48-month Strategic Funding Increase contract by the U.S. Air Force. Read on to learn more about it.

Application Briefs

Manufacturing & Prototyping

A New Electric Propulsion Satellite Thruster to Meet Demand for New Constellations

Rocket Lab’s new in-house designed and manufactured electric propulsion system, named “Gauss,” features a hall thruster, power processing unit and a propellant management assembly. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

AR/AI

Northrop Grumman’s AI Revolution in Space Engineering

Teaming with Flexcompute powered by NVIDIA, Northrop Grumman recently created a physics AI model that accurately predicts thruster impingement – a challenging simulation and modeling problem that exists when the exhaust from a spacecraft or rocket will interact or impact other nearby spacecraft or surfaces. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Communications

NEC Completes Design of Japan’s Optical Communication Demonstrator Satellite

NEC Corporation will develop a small technology demonstration satellite to conduct in-orbit verification of key technologies essential for realizing future optical communication satellite constellations, including optical communications, high-speed network routing design, and high-capacity millimeter-wave band communications. The design of the satellite-mounted equipment (payload) for this demonstration has now been completed. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Data Acquisition

Solid-State Data Recorders for SDA’s Tranche 3 Tracking Layer Satellites

Mercury Systems was awarded a contract from L3Harris Technologies to provide SSDRs for the U.S. Space Development Agency Tranche 3 Tracking Layer satellite constellation. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Defense

Rapidly Deployable Counter-Threat Space Missions for NATO

EnduroSat, a space infrastructure builder, and Shield Space, a veteran-found UK defense technology company, have entered into a strategic partnership to deliver rapidly deployable counter-threat space missions for NATO and allied defense customers. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Manned Systems

A Reconfigurable Spacecraft for Security and Space Logistics

Ascent spacecraft are designed to support dynamic space operations through advanced maneuverability capabilities, including refueling and high-thrust propulsion, while carrying multiple rideshare payloads. Read on to learn more about them.

Briefs

Robotics, Automation & Control

Space Systems Command Looks Ahead to New Era of GPS Success

The GPS III series is the third generation of the U.S. Space Force’s GPS satellites and consists of ten 5,000-pound satellites manufactured by Lockheed Martin, with the first launched in 2018. Read on to learn more.

Briefs

Materials

European Researchers Develop Self-Healing Composite Material for Spacecraft

Healable spacecraft structures could soon be possible thanks to cutting-edge composite technology. Swiss companies CompPair and CSEM, and Belgian company Com&Sens have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to modify their self-healing carbon fiber product for use in space transportation. Read on to learn more.

Briefs

Aerospace

Researchers Discover Record-Setting Heat Conducting Material

A multi-institution research team working at the Advanced Photon Source has discovered a metallic material with the highest thermal conductivity measured among metals. Read on to learn more.

Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Glaring Vulnerabilities Discovered in Satellite Communications

With $800 of off-the-shelf equipment and months’ worth of patience, a team of U.S. computer scientists set out to find out how well geostationary satellite communications are encrypted. And what they found was shocking. Read on to find out why.

Briefs

Aerospace

From Racing Car to Rocket Tank

Carbon fiber has become indispensable in high-performance industries such as automotive engineering and aerospace. It’s lightweight, extremely durable, and can be shaped in almost any way. Start-up Blackwave, founded at the Technical University of Munich, specializes in this versatile composite material. What began with custom components for sports cars and aircraft has evolved into the development of high-pressure tanks for space applications. Read on to learn more.

Products

Manufacturing & Prototyping

New Products

See the new products, including Times Microwave Systems' Levitate™ cable assembly line; Versalogic Corp.'s ultra-compact rugged computer, powered by a choice of several available high-performance Intel® 13th Gen processors; Sandvik Coromant's CoroMill® MR20, an advanced indexable milling concept engineered to deliver unmatched stability, predictable performance and exceptional metal removal rates; Omniseal Solutions' expansion of their Rulon® online shop; and much more.

Articles

Design

From Autonomous Vehicles to Ship-to-Shore to: Designing 60 GHz Networks for Tactical Applications

While the applications are cutting-edge, the foundation is proven. Peraso's 60 GHz technology is already deployed in demanding real-world environments, delivering consistent performance, reliability, and operational confidence. Read on to learn more about it.

Articles

Robotics, Automation & Control

How Machina Labs is Reshaping Defense Manufacturing with AI-Driven 7-Axis Robotics

Machina Labs recently closed its latest round of financing with $124 million, enough to develop a facility featuring up to 50 of its RoboCraftsman cells capable of producing thousands of complex structural assemblies for aerospace and defense customers — a list that already includes Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force, among others. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Defense

MyDefence Expands Production, Validation of Wearable and Mobile Counter-UAS Systems

MyDefence has officially opened its U.S. counter uncrewed aircraft systems manufacturing and innovation facility in Oklahoma City, marking a major step in the company’s expansion of its North American production footprint. The latest MyDefence facility became operational in February. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Test & Measurement

Engineering at the Speed of Conflict: The New Era of Defense Testing

High-volume production of drones and missile systems is reshaping the defense industry, placing unprecedented strain on testing infrastructures that were never designed for speed, scale, or rapid change. Automated and modular test technologies are emerging as a solution. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Defense

Keeping Pace with Changes in Defense Technology: Why Embedded Systems Must Deliver Agility, Resilience, and Endurance

Embedded systems are the backbone of communications, autonomy, logistics, and command, some of the Army’s most crucial areas. When designed effectively, they embody three essential qualities — agility, resilience, and endurance — that allow the Army and its partners to adapt as needed, withstand disruption, and sustain performance across decades of service. Read on to learn more.

Articles

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Defense Research Program Developing Tactical Clocks for GPS-Free Navigation

Synchronizing time in modern warfare – often down to billionths of a second – is critical for mission success. DARPA's Robust Optical Clock Network program enables precision timekeeping, even in contested and/or GPS-denied environments, creating the opportunity for unprecedented endurance and coordination for warfighters around the world. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Test & Measurement

C-UAS Tactical Vehicle Testing

American Rheinmetall recently conducted a live-fire demonstration of its Ultra-Short Range Air Defense counter-uncrewed aerial system system integrated onto a tactical vehicle during testing at the Big Sandy Range in Arizona. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Unmanned Systems

Marines Evaluate Fiber-Optic FPV Drones

U.S. Marines with Marine Expeditionary Force partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit and industry professionals during a three-day event in January to evaluate first-person view small uncrewed aerial systems that use fiber optic cables, marking the U.S. Marine Corps’ first field evaluation of the technology for sUAS employment in contested environments. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Manned Systems

A Shipping Container That Builds 50 Interceptor Drones a Day

Sensofusion has developed the Tactical Drone Factory: a fully self-contained drone manufacturing facility built inside a standard shipping container. Equipped with industrial 3D printers, an electronics assembly station, and a complete parts inventory, a single Drone Factory can produce approximately 50 interceptor drones per day. Read on to learn more.

Application Briefs

Weapons Systems

Third-Generation Modular Directed Energy Weapon System

AeroVironment announced the release of LOCUST® X3, the third generation of AV’s high-energy laser weapon system that delivers precise, speed-of-light engagement for rapid defeat of uncrewed aerial threats. Read on to learn more.