New York Times
• Cade Metz, Kate Conger
Alphabet’s Google plans to launch a prototype satellite for the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, its effort to assess large-scale AI computing in space. Google also plans two experimental satellites with Planet by early 2027 to evaluate technology for a potential orbital AI computing network.
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Alphabet’s Google plans to launch a prototype satellite for the first in-orbit test of Project Suncatcher, its effort to assess large-scale AI computing in space. Google also plans two experimental satellites with Planet by early 2027 to evaluate technology for a potential orbital AI computing network.
BAE Systems Australia and Skyryse are partnering to advance autonomous flight through software solutions. The collaboration centers on software-defined capabilities, highlighting the partners’ effort to develop more adaptable and potentially scalable approaches to autonomy across aerospace applications.
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Canada’s first F-35A, identified as AR-1, completed a roughly 90-minute pre-delivery flight from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility. Ottawa remains obligated to purchase 16 aircraft but has not committed to proceeding with the full 88-fighter program, leaving the scope of its fleet under review.
Stanford engineers are developing a spacecraft guidance approach modeled on “dreaming” to help vehicles rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station. The work addresses the precision of matching velocity and trajectory with a laboratory traveling at roughly 28,000 km/h.
The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the Modular Mission Computer on Block 40, 42, 50 and 52 F-16s with a Next-Generation Mission Computer. The upgrade is part of a broader modernization effort that includes the APG-83 radar and is intended to sustain the fleet into the 2040s.
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Dassault Aviation has signed a memorandum of understanding with AED Cluster Portugal to explore cooperation opportunities tied to the Portuguese Air Force’s future fighter renewal. The agreement strengthens Dassault’s industrial positioning as Portugal considers options to replace its F-16 fleet with Rafale aircraft.
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AstroForge plans to launch what it describes as the first fully autonomous asteroid-mining mission in 2027. The mission could mark a significant step for commercial space exploration by demonstrating whether spacecraft can independently conduct an asteroid-focused operation without direct human control.
New air traffic control automation systems may initially add to controller workload rather than reduce it. The transition period can last for years, creating operational and staffing challenges before the technology delivers its intended efficiency gains.
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