Space News reports that the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-2A rocket “lifted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 10:32 a.m. Eastern and deployed the nearly 5,500-kilogram Inmarsat-6 F1 satellite into geostationary transfer orbit about 26 minutes later. A little over two hours later, London-based Inmarsat tweeted that it had acquired initial telemetry from the satellite.”

Aviation Week reports that the FAA “will soon release draft final rules that detail…return-to-service requirements for Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s, adopting Boeing-recommended nacelle modifications and new Pratt-developed fan blade inspection protocols.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

Aviation International News reports that Eve Urban Air Mobility on Tuesday “became the latest eVTOL aircraft developer to announce plans to go public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.” Known backers include “scheduled airlines SkyWest and Republic Airways, which along with leasing group Azurra Aviation on Tuesday confirmed provisional orders for up

The Seattle Times reports that the International Space Station is seen as “a high-water mark for U.S.-Russia relations” by George Washington University Space Policy Institute Director Scott Pace, who added, “But it’s not invulnerable … If we were to start over today, we would not have the Russians as partners on the station. That was done

December 21, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate NASA and the SpaceX team on today’s successful launch of the International Space Station (ISS) commercial resupply services mission,

December 21, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Olivier L. de Weck, Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an AIAA Fellow, as its new editor-in-chief for the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (JSR). He succeeds Professor

The Guardian (UK) reports that SpaceX’s Starship is to conduct its first orbital test launch next month. Starship “is seen by many as a pathway back to the moon for the first time in half a century and maybe the first vehicle to eventually land humans on Mars.” Full Story (The Guardian)

FlightGlobal reports that The Boeing Company and the US Navy “have completed a series of tests to assess the deck handling characteristics of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned air vehicle (UAV) aboard an aircraft carrier.” Full Story (FlightGlobal)

Air Force Times reported that Boeing Company officials are confident that the “high-tech methods Boeing used to design and build the T-7 are saving time, simplifying processes, improving quality and cutting down on defects.” Boeing Vice President and T-7 Program Manager Paul Niewald said, “Everything’s in 3D, everything’s digital. It’s an authoritative source of data. So

CNN reported that the Parker Solar Probe has flown through the sun’s upper atmosphere “to sample particles and our star’s magnetic fields.” Full Story (CNN

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX “is set to close out the year with three Falcon 9 rocket flights in a span of about 72 hours from launch pads in Florida and California, carrying another batch of Starlink internet satellites, a Turkish data relay spacecraft, and a resupply mission to the International Space Station.” If SpaceX

CNET News reports airline industry executives “say that if US wireless carriers push forward with plans to begin deploying a specific type of 5G service early next year in spite of interference concerns brought to light by the Federal Aviation Administration, travelers could see delays and other disruptions in air travel starting Jan. 5.” Full

CNN reports that the James Webb Space Telescope is “now expected to launch on December 24 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.” Teams are working on “a communication issue between the observatory and the launch vehicle system.” Full Story (CNN)

Aviation Week reports that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) “has accredited the Drone Racing League (DRL) as the first uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) event organizer in the U.S.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

CNBC reports that The Boeing Company “said Tuesday it delivered 34 new planes to customers last month, putting it on track to more than double 2020’s tally this year.” Boeing “delivered 302 aircraft this year through November, already close to twice as many as the 157 it handed over in all of 2020 during the depths

Florida Today reports that the Space Florida board of directors “approved a staff request to complete negotiations with a company that is expected to invest more than $300 million in a new facility at the Melbourne Orlando International Airport.” The facility will bring 2,100 spacecraft manufacturing jobs “expected to have an average wage of $84,000

Spaceflight Now reported that SpaceX “launched a refrigerator-sized NASA X-ray observatory from Kennedy Space Center into an unusual orbit hugging the equator Thursday, beginning a $214 million mission to study black holes and super-compact neutron stars.” NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) “mission is modest in size but promises to open a new window into

Aviation International News reports that business aviation activity “globally is still topping 2019 numbers, with flights up 6 percent from two years ago in the first week of December, according to WingX’s latest Business Aviation Bulletin.” Full Story (Aviation International News)

December 13, 2021 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of awards to be presented during the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, to be held 3–7 January 2022 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego in San Diego. The Awards Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, 6 January, 1230 hrs

FlightGlobal reports that the US Air Force “is ready to move beyond experimentation with unmanned combat aircraft and toward acquiring and fielding the next-generation unmanned air vehicles (UAVs).” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said, “We are going to take a period of time to sort all that out and then we are going to get

SPACE reports that NASA “has announced three commercial space station proposals for development, joining an earlier proposal by Axiom Space.” SPACE interviewed Axiom Chief Technology Officer Matt Ondler on “the company’s space station plans, the outlook for private industry in LEO and the importance of commercial missions such as SpaceX’s recent Inspiration4 crewed orbital flight.” Full Story

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates our corporate member Blue Origin on the successful New Shepard mission (NS-19) today. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate the

Reuters reports that American Airlines “plans to scrap, reduce or delay the introduction of flights to several international routes next summer because of a lack of widebody aircraft.” American Airlines “said Boeing Co’s (BA.N) delay in delivering 787 jets, including 13 aircraft that were expected to arrive by this winter, has crimped its ability to ramp

CNET News reports that on Tuesday, NASA’s Curiosity rover photographed “a scenic cliff that resembles a human face in profile with a heavy brow, a long nose, lips and a chin.” Full Story (CNET News)

SPACE reports that Blue Origin’s third crewed launch has been delayed due to weather. Windy conditions at Launch Site One in Van Horn, Texas, have “push[ed] off liftoff of ‘Good Morning America’ (GMA) anchor Michael Strahan and five other individuals” to Saturday. Full Story (SPACE)

Aviation Week reports that Canada’s Department of National Defense (DND) said that a “cracking issue has required repairs to at least 19 of the 23 Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopters in the Royal Canadian Air Force fleet.” Vertical Magazine reports that on November 26, “cracks were found on the tail of one of the helicopters undergoing a routine

SPACE reports that mission team members “have finished fueling the James Webb Space Telescope at ahead of its planned Dec. 22 launch from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, the European Space Agency announced Monday.” The fueling for the Webb telescope “took 10 days and was completed on Dec. 3.” Full Story (SPACE)

Bloomberg reports that Airbus “delivered 58 jets in November, setting up a busy final month of 2021 as the company aims to ship 600 aircraft this year.” Full Story (Bloomberg)

MEDIA ALERT   December 7, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Registration is open for journalists around the world to attend the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum in San Diego, the world’s largest event for aerospace research, development, and technology. Every year, this is the place where the industry gathers; the event sets the tone for the year. Press pass options

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The ASCEND Diverse Dozen are sharing their timely views in a collection of op-eds on the most important, salient issues surrounding safety, security, and sustainability in the context of space traffic. Led by Moriba Jah from the University of Texas at Austin, the Diverse Dozen

Spaceflight Now reports that after a delay due to high winds, ULA successfully launched an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the STP-3 mission Tuesday morning. WESH-TV Orlando, FL reports that the main spacecraft “houses an experiment designed to more accurately detect nuclear detonations on Earth,” and will also deploy “two satellites with new technology that have never been deployed

Aviation Week reports that the US Air Force “has cleared the KC-46 to refuel five more aircraft types as part of a rollout of interim capabilities before the tanker is fully operational. U.S. Transportation Command can now task the KC-46 to refuel AC-130Js, HC-130Js, MC-130Js, C-5Ms and E-3Gs.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

CNBC reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Friday that SpaceX has started construction on a Starship launchpad on Florida’s Space Coast. Full Story (CNBC)

CNBC reported that Amazon’s leasing of long-haul cargo airplanes is “helping it avoid the long wait times for available dock space and workers at the country’s busiest ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.” Amazon is “avoiding ports altogether by reportedly leasing at least ten long-haul planes that can get smaller amounts of cargo directly from

CBS News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket “boosted 48 more Starlink internet relay satellites into orbit Thursday, along with two BlackSky commercial Earth-imaging satellites.” Thursday’s flight, the 27th Falcon 9 launch this year, marked a new record for SpaceX. Full Story (CBS News)

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “announced a new joint venture company this week with NEOM, an enterprise that is developing a ‘smart city’ on the coast of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea.” The joint venture company “was formed to design and operate what could be the world’s first customized public vertical mobility system.” Full Story (Aviation Today)

SPACE reports that NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron “will conduct a spacewalk previously scheduled for Tuesday (Nov. 30) on Thursday (Dec. 2) after the agency evaluated the risks posed by space debris.” NASA officials wrote, “NASA determined the orbit of the debris does not pose a risk to a scheduled spacewalk by Thomas Marshburn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement on the Biden Administration’s inaugural meeting of the National Space Council: “As the world’s largest aerospace technical society representing 30,000 aerospace professionals, AIAA appreciates the Biden Administration’s commitment to

The AP reports that the Civil Aviation Administration of China “cleared the Boeing 737 Max on Thursday to return to flying with technical upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes.” China was the final large market to approve the return of the Boeing 737 Max. Full Story (Associated

Bloomberg reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk “on Tuesday said that a potential bankruptcy at the company in the event of a severe global recession would be ‘unlikely,’ but not impossible.” Full Story (Bloomberg)

FlightGlobal reports that Airbus Helicopters “will offer H145 light-twins in future with manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) capability following a successful trial of the technology.” Aviation Week reports Airbus Helicopters “is offering its manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) kit for international sale as live testing enters its second phase.” Full Story (FlightGlobal); More Info (Aviation Week)

The Hill reports that France “is set to begin testing electric air taxis in the coming months, with the goal of launching them in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.” The flying taxis “will be tested at a hub outside Paris at Pontoise” in the hopes of establishing two flight paths to the 2024 Olympics from

The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that NASA and the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory “put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system” on November 19. NASA and the Idaho National Laboratory are planning “to establish a sun-independent power source for missions to the moon by the end of the decade.” Full

Aviation International News reported that the Gripen E “has now entered the delivery phase.” Six serial production aircraft “have left the factory and are now being prepared and tested prior to delivery to the aircraft’s two customers.” Four of the Gripen E aircraft are to be sent to the Força Aérea Brasileira, and the remaining two

The Miami Herald reported that the Solar Orbiter space probe “had a brief encounter with its home planet on Saturday morning when it circled the Earth for the first and last time while executing a gravity assist to slow itself down before setting off for the Sun.” Full Story (Miami Herald)

On its website, Good Morning America reports that “Good Morning America” co-host and former NFL defensive lineman Michael Strahan “will fly to space on Blue Origin’s next space flight.” The AP reports that Strahan “will join Laura Shepard Churchley, the eldest daughter of astronaut Alan Shepard, on the Dec. 9 mission aboard the New Shepard, a spacecraft

Aviation International News reports that Textron Aviation’s Beechcraft Denali turboprop aircraft “lifted off on its first flight this morning from Wichita Eisenhower National Airport on a flight over central and southern Kansas that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes.” The Denali “reached an altitude of 15,600 feet and a top speed of 180 knots.” Full Story

SPACE reports that NASA officials announced Monday that the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) was reactivated on Sunday. The WFC3 “is scheduled to resume science observations on Tuesday.” Full Story (SPACE)

FlightGlobal reports that the US Air Force “awarded Northrop Grumman a contract to upgrade the RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) with ‘dynamic’ in-flight rerouting software.” Northrop Grumman said Monday that the software upgrade for the Global Hawk would be ready for service by 2023. Full Story (FlightGlobal)

The AP reported that NASA and the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory “put out a request for proposals for a fission surface power system” to be deployed on the moon. Fission Surface Power Project lead Sebastian Corbisiero said, “Providing a reliable, high-power system on the moon is a vital next step in human space