Aviation International News reports, “Wisk Aero has rolled out the second flight-test example of its sixth-generation autonomous eVTOL aircraft. The full-scale prototype, registered as N607WA, is expected to make its first flight in the coming weeks. The Boeing subsidiary said it remains on track to bring the pilotless, four-passenger electric air taxi into commercial service by 2030.”
Full Story (Aviation International)
Aviation Week reports, “Firefly Aerospace has returned to flight after nearly one year, ready to resume its mission to bring additional launch capacity to hungry U.S. government and commercial space customers. The Alpha launch vehicle took off March 11 from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg SFB in California at 5:50 p.m. PDT, following several attempts scrubbed due to high winds and atypical sensor readings. But with the weather and sensors finally cooperating, the small-lift rocket carried its cargo to orbit at last.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket returns to flight. (Launch takes place at the 00:29 mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Michael Denn, an Instructor of Mechanical Mechatronics Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) who serves as the faculty advisor for the AIAA SIUE Student Branch, was one of six faculty advisors selected to receive the 2025 AIAA Faculty Advisor Award. Denn was recognized for his outstanding and dedicated efforts in establishing and guiding the student branch. He played a pivotal role in supporting the formation process and mentoring the organization through its inaugural semester, laying a strong foundation for long-term success.
Aviation News Daily reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Air Force have successfully completed a groundbreaking autonomy flight exercise, demonstrating critical new capabilities for Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The test proves that uncrewed jets can now coordinate complex combat behaviors autonomously, marking a major leap in the integration of AI-driven wingmen for future air warfare.”
Full Story (Aviation News Daily)
Aviation Daily reports, “The United States Air Force has awarded Boeing a massive $2.4 billion contract for the continued development and production of the E-7A Wedgetail. This investment marks a critical milestone in replacing the aging AWACS fleet with a modern airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) platform to maintain air superiority.”
Full Story (Aviation Daily)
AVWEB reports, “Joby Aviation has completed a series of demonstration flights across the San Francisco Bay Area, showcasing its electric air taxi in one of the nation’s most congested cities.” The “aircraft (N545JX) departed from Oakland International Airport, flew across the Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and turned above the Marin Headlands.”
Full Story (AVWEB)
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Dr. Robert H. Goddard’s first liquid-fueled rocket test in a field in Auburn, Massachusetts. To commemorate the event that effectively launched the space age, AIAA released a special technical collection drawn from Aerospace Research Central (ARC), “AIAA Collection: A Century of Rocketry.” ARC is AIAA’s digital library spanning more than 200,000 papers and over 90 years of aerospace scholarship and technical excellence. The centennial works will be free to access during 2026.
SPACE reports, “NASA is one step closer to sending a drone mission to another world. Technicians at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland have begun building and testing the nuclear-powered Dragonfly rotorcraft, which will launch toward the huge Saturn moon Titan in 2028.”
Full Story (SPACE)