Aviation Week

NASA approached several former SR-71A program staff to help with a secret restart effort, according to Aviation Week. The legendary Blackbird spy plane was retired in the 1990s, and enlisting veterans of the program suggests the agency is weighing a revival of high-speed, high-altitude flight research, though details of the effort remain undisclosed.

NASA has awarded contracts worth a combined $1.4 billion to 16 companies for enterprise support services, according to Aviation Week. The awards cover a range of business and administrative support functions across the agency. The selection of multiple vendors reflects NASA's strategy of spreading major support work across a broad contractor base.

The Pentagon is advancing plans for satellite constellations designed to track targets, including hypersonic missiles, from orbit. Aviation Week reports the programs are moving from concept toward deployment, with layered networks of small satellites in low Earth orbit intended to provide persistent tracking and targeting data for missile defense.

NATO is asking all member states to contribute military space capabilities as the alliance works to strengthen its collective posture in orbit. The push, reported by Aviation Week, signals an effort to pool national satellite and space-domain awareness assets under alliance planning rather than relying on contributions from a few leading members.

The White House has put forward its choice to lead U.S. Space Command, the military organization responsible for operations in orbit and beyond. The nomination, reported by Aviation Week, sets up a confirmation process in the Senate for the next commander of the Colorado-based command. Attention will likely focus on the nominee's background and priorities for military space policy.

A weekly news recap dated October 2nd brings together three major stories: an attempted jail escape, a plane crash, and a widespread internet outage. The roundup ties together the week's most talked-about events in one summary, reflecting a busy news cycle that spanned crime, aviation, and disruption to online connectivity.

NATO is intensifying its discussions on military space, according to Aviation Week. The alliance's growing focus on space as an operational domain signals preparation for potential threats to satellites and space-based infrastructure, though details of the talks were not provided.

Aviation Week reports that NASA has approached several former SR-71A staff members to assist with a classified effort referred to as a secret restart. The report has prompted surprise and curiosity among aviation enthusiasts, who are speculating about what the hypersonic-era Blackbird's veterans could be helping revive more than two decades after the aircraft's retirement.