Spaceflight Now reports, “AST SpaceMobile bounced back from the loss of its BlueBird 7 satellite last month with the launch of three more in the predawn hours of Wednesday morning. The company launched BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX Launches First Block 2 BlueBird Satellites for AST SpaceMobile (Launch occurs at the 1:00:28 mark)
Spaceflight Now; YouTube; Framegrab
Flying Magazine reports, “Nearly 600 military pilots have transitioned to roles at United since 2024, officials said Monday, with 500 more expected by the end of 2027. The initiative, which covers active-duty and active reserve military pilots, provides a conditional job offer as a United first officer. Candidates must be more than 12 months away from the date when they can start full-time with United and a minimum of 12 months from their separation date.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
FROM THE INSTITUTE – AIAA Journal
The recording of the latest AIAA Journal Seminar Series presentation by Karen Willcox of the University of Texas at Austin is now available. Learn how structure-exploiting Operator Inference approaches improve reduced-order model performance, enabling faster and more effective simulations for complex engineering systems.
Learn More
SPACE reports, “A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is headed back to Earth. The robotic Dragon undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today at 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 GMT), about 20 minutes later than originally planned. The departure occurred while the two spacecraft were flying about 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the northern Pacific Ocean, NASA officials said during today’s undocking livestream.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Aviation News reports, “The US Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition has officially narrowed to just two remaining aerospace competitors following high-profile industry withdrawals. This high-stakes defense acquisition program will ultimately deliver the next-generation aircraft platform required to train future Navy and Marine Corps aviators.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Internal Research and Development (IR&D represents the commitment of private companies by investing their own resources to push the boundaries of technology, often ahead of any official government requirements or contracts. This approach has been the backbone of America’s aerospace leadership, allowing firms to take on early financial and technical risks with the intent of creating groundbreaking systems.
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Renee Pasman offered a working definition of artificial intelligence that cut against the prevailing excitement. “I tend to think of AI as software that has non-deterministic outcomes,” the vice president, chief information officer, and digital transformation executive for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics told an AIAA AVIATION Forum audience.
SPACE reports a part of Canadarm2 robotic arm on the ISS broke in May, requiring repairs by spacewalking astronauts no earlier than June 30. A spare is already on the…
Full Story (SPACE)
Aviation Week reports, “NASA’s X-59 Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator achieved Mach 1.4 at 55,000 ft. on June 12, representing the speed and altitude planned for flights over U.S. communities to measure the public response to reduced sonic booms.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)