NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot wants the space agency to examine the feasibility of including astronauts on the Space Launch System rocket’s first integrated flight with the Orion spacecraft, SpaceNews reported Wednesday. Jeff Foust writes Lightfoot directed Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for human exploration and operations at NASA, to launch a study into potential technical and …

President Donald Trump has said Lockheed Martin moved to lower the price of the next batch of 90 F-35s by approximately $600 million, The Washington Post reported Monday. Aaron Gregg writes Trump made the statement after weeks of discussion with Lockheed CEO Marillyn Hewson about the program’s cost. Last month, Hewson gave Trump her personal commitment to drive down the …

Israeli defense forces hosted a welcoming ceremony for the arrival of two Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighters Monday at Nevatim Air Base in Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the F-35 aircraft, nicknamed  Adir, will help redefine the country’s deterrence capacity as well as its operational space, …

The U.S. Air Force has cleared the launch of a third Lockheed Martin-developed missile warning satellite that was originally slated to lift off in October, Space News reported Tuesday. Phillip Swarts writes the branch’s Space and Missile Systems Center signed off on the Space Based Infrared System satellite launch after an …

NASA is set to launch a spacecraft on Sept. 8 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in an effort to gather samples from asteroid Bennu and return the samples to Earth for scientific study. The space agency said Thursday the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer is the third mission under …

Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of the Air Combat Command, has said the Lockheed Martin-built F-35A Lightning II aircraft has achieved initial operational capability. Carlisle on Tuesday declared the F-35A fighter jet “combat ready” after the aircraft met the requirements for IOC, such as the capability to use mission systems and program of …

NASA will launch a space mission that will travel to the asteroid called Bennu on September 8 to study and return samples from the rock formation. The space agency said Wednesday its Goddard Space Flight Center leads the OSIRIS-REx mission that will use Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security-Regolith Explorer instruments to …

The U.S. Marine Corps will redesignate a Yuma, Arizona-based squadron as marine fighter attack squadron 211 on June 30 as the unit transitions from AV-8B Harrier aircraft to Lockheed Martin-built F-35B fighter jets, DoD Buzz reported Tuesday. Hope Hodge Seck writes the redesignation of VMA 211 squadron comes after it accepted …

Service members from the 388th Fighter Wing and Reserve 419th Fighter Wing led the first off-station deployment exercise of seven Lockheed Martin-built F-35A Lightning II units that works to meet initial operational capability targets within the year. The U.S. Air Force said Monday the fighter aircraft were tested at Mountain Home Air Force Base …

The Federal Trade Commission and Lockheed Martin have received recognition at an American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council event for FTC’s identity theft recovery website developed by Lockheed. Lockheed and FTC received the “Impacter Dynamite Award” at the 2016 ACT-IAC Igniting Innovation Awards event for IdentityTheft.gov, a website that …