Flying Magazine reports, “New Yorkers this week are getting a glimpse of the future of aviation, as electric air taxis soar across the city’s network of airports and heliports for the first time. After conducting a handful of test flights over the weekend, a Joby Aviation production prototype eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft lifted off Monday from John F. Kennedy International (KJFK), marking the first time an electric air taxi has departed one of New York City’s three major airports.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Author: Lawrence Garrett
ULA Launches 29 Amazon LEO Satellites on Atlas V from Cape Canaveral
Spaceflight Now reports, “United Launch Alliance completed its second Atlas 5 rocket launch of the month, marking the company’s fastest turnaround at Space Launch Complex 41 to date. It beats the previous record by nearly three days.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
ULA Atlas V launches from Cape Canaveral.
Spaceflight Now; YouTube
AIAA Public Review
FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA S-159, On-Orbit Servicing Power and Data Interfaces, has been issued for public review. This document provides best practices, functional requirements, and norms associated with the power and data interfaces between a Servicing Spacecraft and a Client Space Object. The intent is to provide guidance to developers and operators of both the Servicing Spacecraft and the Client Space Object. The public review deadline is 30 June 2026. For a copy of the draft, submission of public review comments, or questions, please contact Michele Dominiak at [email protected].
Building the STEM Pipeline
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The United States is in the midst of a “space revolution,” but the hands that will inherit the Earth and the space surrounding it is in short supply. “We need more hands on deck,” said Amy Medina Jorge, astronaut and middle school teacher from Texas who flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-32 mission in May 2025. Medina and Kristen Yip of Blue Origin spoke on the HUB Stage at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 about building the talent pipeline for space.
Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Hits Key Milestone with First Production Flight
Aerotime reports, “The US Navy’s first production-representative Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completed its maiden flight on April 25, 2026, taking off from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, in the most significant step yet toward fielding the service’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The flight, originally targeted for the end of 2025, was conducted with a Boeing-owned TA-4J Skyhawk and a US Navy UC-12M Huron acting as chase aircraft. A first attempt on April 22, 2026, was aborted for undisclosed reasons.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
SpaceX Plans Falcon Heavy Return Featuring Side Booster Landings
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is preparing to launch its first Falcon Heavy rocket in more than a year and a half. The Monday morning flight of the triple booster rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center will feature the landing of the two side boosters at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Modified Boeing 777 Set to Replace DC-8 as NASA’s Premier Research Aircraft
Flying Magazine reports, “A heavily modified Boeing 777-200ER formerly operated by Japan Air Lines will soon become NASA’s largest flying science laboratory. The retired commercial jet arrived at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia on Wednesday following a check flight and three-hour transit from Waco, Texas, where L3Harris since January 2025 had been making structural modifications. It will replace the space agency’s retired Douglas DC-8, which flew its final science mission in 2024 after 37 years in service.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
NASA’s TESS Spacecraft Identifies Rare and Unprecedented Planetary System
SPACE reports, “Using NASA’s exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets (ASTEP) on the Antarctic Plateau, astronomers have discovered a rare and uniquely weird planetary system.”
Full Story (SPACE)
25 Years of the International Space Station: Legacy, Science, and the Road Ahead
FROM THE INSTITUTE
In November 2025, the ISS marked 25 years of uninterrupted crewed operations – a record unmatched in human spaceflight. In January, a panel of experts at the AIAA SciTech Forum HUB stage discussed the station’s legacy and future of humanity in space, and underscored how the station’s engineering triumphs, international partnership, and scientific output have shaped today’s space agenda and will influence the transition to commercial platforms and deep space missions.
University of Alabama Selects D-Fend for Counter-Drone Protection
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “The University of Alabama has named D-Fend Solutions as its counter-drone technology supplier to protect campus operations, critical research infrastructure, and major public gatherings. The university functions as a small city, covering 3.5 square miles with a population of nearly 50,000 students, faculty, and staff. During football season, the campus becomes one of the largest population centers in the state, with Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium hosting over 100,000 fans while surrounding areas draw an additional 70,000 tailgaters.”
Full Story (Unmanned Systems Technology)