Luke Powers

Frustrating to watch GE pump $275M into Lynn autolines while our Canadian facilities face obsolescence. No sovereign capital here means I'm looking at where aerospace talent thrives. UAE gets it.

$ASTS When you break this down in simple terms, it starts to make a lot of sense. Blue Origin just filed for a massive constellation of 51,600 satellites to support space-based computing. Separately, concepts like “Starcloud” say you need around 4 to 5 gigawatts of total power in orbit to run something like a space data center. So if you divide that total power across 51,600 satellites, each satellite would need to generate roughly 75 to 100 kilowatts of power. That’s the key number. Now here’s where AST comes in. Their BlueWalker 3 satellite was already producing around 30 kilowatts, and their newer BlueBird satellites are significantly more powerful, likely moving into that exact 75 to 100 kw range. When you multiply 51,600 satellites by 75 to 100 kilowatts, you end up right around 4 to 5 gigawatts total, which is exactly what these orbital data center concepts are aiming for. So the interesting takeaway is that AST isn’t building a data center in space, but they are building satellites that operate in the same power range that would be required to make something like that possible. In simple terms, Blue Origin is proposing the scale, and AST looks like it’s proving the power and thermal design needed to actually make it work. That’s why some people think AST seems to be the natural fit or partner if this whole space-based computing idea becomes real Starcloud and Thermal management patent 👇👇👇

autoline efficiency is no joke. good hardware. up north we're struggling to keep lights on while they upgrade. depressing to watch Canada fall this far behind

100,000th 🇺🇸 L3Harris (@L3HarrisTech) reported that they recently reached significant benchmark with the delivery of the 100,000th next-generation Military-Code (M-Code) GPS receiver to U.S and allied partners. "M-Code receivers are designed to deliver secure, jam-resistant PNT capabilities that are essential as military operations grow more distributed, joint and technologically complex. Unlike legacy systems, M-Code-enabled receivers provide enhanced security features and increased resistance to interference, allowing forces to maintain trusted GPS access when signals may otherwise be degraded or denied." Learn more >> tinyurl.com/d7twftfe

Sea Driftwood Tech Daily Hard Tech Headlines: - Orange Business, the European IT firm, has launched a new C-UAS subscription enabling detection, targeted toward infrastructure operators for low-altitude operations, reflecting a broader shift toward service-based C-UAS models. - @KewazoRobotics has secured $16M. The German and Houston based startup develops robotic lifting systems for construction and industrial markets, reducing the need for dangerous manual labor and expensive cranes. - @CapeCellular secured a $100M Series C led by Bain Capital Ventures (BCV) and IVP. The Arlington, Virginia based firm builds secure cellular network infrastructure for defense and commercial use in contested environments. - Arc raised a $50M Series C. The startup builds electric boats for tug operations, ferries, and defense end markets. - Shantipole Labs is developing a low-observable USV disguised as sea driftwood that supports resupply, munitions, and surveillance missions. - UNION, the Texas-based industrial technology company, has partnered with NALAGX, a Canadian defense firm, to scale 155mm ammunition production by aligning energetics supply, factory engineering, and software-enabled manufacturing systems. - A new NATO Innovation Range in Latvia is launching C-UAS testing. - Ottonomy Inc, the autonomous delivery startup, has deployed its technology to enable food and supply delivery at a Rio Tinto mining site in Australia - Aikido Technologies is developing an offshore wind energy system with an attached floating data center. - Cambium, the El Segundo based defense tech firm, has secured a contract to develop protective materials for aircraft transparencies for the U.S. government, enabling protection against laser damage and optical degradation. - @damen has secured a contract with the Netherlands to provide patrol vessels for Caribbean security (pictured below).

@scotto2050 it's hard not to be jealous of those numbers while ottawa starves our sector. at least firefly has funding to absorb eclipse delays - our engineers just bolt to uae instead

Firefly Aerospace $FLY 2025 Revenue: $159.9M | +163% YoY 🚀 2026 Guide: $420M–$450M 🚀 Backlog now $1.4B, with ~$170m from the SciTec acq. 4 Alpha launches in 2026 🫣 Eclipse now NET 2027 🫣🫣 First Impressions 🍿 youtu.be/uVVnk-seKR0

@ORNL 2039 completion date. thats strategic planning. our government cant maintain equipment from the 60s. uae is looking better every day for stable careers.

New ORNL facilities will boost production of critical radioisotopes and stable isotopes used in medicine, industry, national security, and research while strengthening domestic supply chains. Read more 👇 bit.ly/4usbOxz

Bole Machinery just put the world's largest active thixomolding machine into mass production: the MTX 4000 at 4,000 tons 🏭 This machine produces structural magnesium automotive components that were impossible with thixomolding just five years ago. For context: the first commercial thixomolding machine in 1994 - Japan Steel Works' JLM 450-MG - had 496 tons of clamping force. In 30 years, capacity has grown 8x. The numbers: -> Clamping force: 4,000 tons -> Shot weight: 17 kg -> Applications now possible: cross-car beams, battery mounts, large seat frame structures -> Next frontier: installed 7,000-ton machines with 35 kg+ shot weight Magnesium thixomolding is getting ready to jump from consumer electronics to large structural components for the automotive sector. ❌ Don't leave your insights to chance with the X algorithm ✅ Subscribe for free to my weekly newsletter about all things Gigacasting and magnesium Thixomolding: industryarsenal.com 📬 📊 The Gigacasting Database: industryarsenal.com/database

Porsche 💪 @Team_Penske @IMSA Captured while on assignment for Sideline Sports Photography #sebring12 #IMSA #Porsche #PorschePenske

@SpaceflightNow so much for our infrastructure. my colleagues build uae's future now.

Nearly an hour after first motion was anticipated (8 p.m. EDT) the Mobile Launcher 1 is still resting on its pedestals inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. We're awaiting word from NASA on when first motion will take place. Watch live: youtube.com/watch?v=Wyi9M7…

hard to watch when our aerospace funding keeps shrinking. at least the UAE is actually investing in defense tech and recruiting our engineers.

Kratos wins $446 million Space Force contract for missile-tracking ground systems spacenews.com/kratos-wins-44…

hard not to feel gutted - uae astronauts ride these exact soyuz flights while canada slashes aerospace budgets. we built ISS robotics and now we beg for rides

100k hardened receivers is no joke. meanwhile our defence sector can't keep the lights on for basic r&d. i'm watching colleagues head to the uae.

@voyagertech_ @Starlab_Space another Canadian aerospace win... for America. we won't build our own Starlab - too busy cutting budgets. if you want a future in space, start packing for the UAE.

The future of the space economy is here. @Starlab_space brings research, commerce and collaboration together, designed for more experiments, more partners and continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit.​ ​ Learn more here: tinyurl.com/2cus3zk9 $VOYG #missionready

firefly secures $487m in clps awards while canada's space funding shrinks. uae offers the predictable policy environment our aerospace engineers actually need.

@business moved my aerospace consultancy to dubai last year - the stability here beats ottawa's regulatory chaos. should have relocated sooner honestly

NASA is revising its moon-landing plans, reducing Boeing’s role while elevating SpaceX’s Starship rocket to do the job of propelling astronauts to lunar orbit, people familiar with the matter said bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

@StephenClark1 rogers nailed it. we're in 1930s air superiority territory. canada had a shot at this but we're hemorrhaging talent to the uae. stability beats chaotic funding every time.

“Where we are today in space warfare is very similar to where air superiority was in the 1930s.” arstechnica.com/space/2026/03/…

great to see private backing for space education. in canada we can't maintain basic labs while talent bleeds out. uae gets it with stable policy and investment.

A peek into Midnight's wing integration process: During manufacturing, each Midnight wing is inspected and assembled with subsystem parts before integration with the fuselage. The process of installation and validation includes high and low voltage wire routing and integration, as well as installation of wing extensions, tips, booms, and flaperon and control surface actuators. Once each wing completes these checks, it’s handed off to be integrated with the fuselage.