KENNEDY SPACE CENTER The Bush Administration is embarking on a reassessment of U.S./Chinese space cooperation just as China has launched the third unmanned flight test of its Shenzhou manned vehicle to carry the first Chinese astronauts into space over the next 1-2 years.

WASHINGTON A Navy plan to slash fighter procurement is causing unease in the U.S. and abroad, and raises questions about the continued viability of the short takeoff/vertical landing (Stovl) version of the Joint Strike Fighter. The Pentagon now is reviewing the proposal to cut JSF production by 400 aircraft and limit the Navy’s F/A-18E/F acquisition to 460 aircraft versus 548.

WASHINGTON Ten months of trade studies has steered NASA's $4.8-billion Space Launch Initiative (SLI) away from an all-cryogenic next-generation reusable space launch vehicle toward a smaller vehicle that uses hydrocarbon fuel in its first stage and liquid hydrogen in its second.

WASHINGTON As the F-22 slowly nears operational testing, the U.S. Air Force is beginning to define what the first major upgrade of the stealth fighter should be. The F-22 is supposed to be in service in late 2005, and program managers hope to have the first significant improvement about two years later.

LONDON The Eurofighter partners are begining to consider including an engine upgrade as part of the second major production run of the four-nation combat aircraft program, starting in 2006. An improved version of the EJ200 turbofan could be delivered as part of the second batch of aircraft deliveries, known as tranche 2.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER NASA International Space Station program managers believe the project will be able to achieve the critical ISS “core complete” configuration for $8.3 billion through Fiscal 2006. The Bush Administration has approved development of the ISS through at least core complete—and NASA is now maintaining the $8.3-billion figure as a formal internal target.