Industry News
In This Section
News about the aerospace industry curated by AIAA staff
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Isaacman Predicts Chinese Crewed Lunar Flyby by 2027
20 May 2026
Space News reports, “The head of NASA says he expects China to perform a crewed flight around the moon in 2027, ratcheting…
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Navy Clears MQ-25 Stingray for Initial Production Phase
20 May 2026
Defense One reports, “The Navy’s drone tanker, the MQ-25A Stingray, is cleared for low-rate initial production—just weeks after…
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SpaceX Conducts 45th Starlink Mission of 2026
20 May 2026
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday night to send a batch of…
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SpaceX Targets May 21 Launch for Most Powerful Starship Yet
19 May 2026
SPACE reports, “SpaceX will attempt to launch its biggest and most powerful Starship megarocket ever on Thursday (May 21). Liftoff is…
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DoD Selects Five Companies in Small Drone ‘Lethality Prize Challenge’
19 May 2026
Breaking Defense reports, “As part of its Drone Dominance initiative, the Pentagon has named five winners of a ‘lethality’ challenge…
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Astrolab’s Debut Lunar Rover to Deliver Four NASA Payloads to the Moon
19 May 2026
Space News reports, “Astrolab’s first lunar rover will carry four NASA payloads on a mission planned to launch later this year. Astrolab…
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FAA Lowers Air Traffic Controller Staffing Goal Amid Modernization Push
18 May 2026
CNBC reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it was sharply reducing its target for air traffic control staffing as it vowed to…
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SpaceX Sends 6,500 Pounds of Cargo and Science Equipment to Space Station
18 May 2026
CBS News reports, “SpaceX launched an unpiloted Dragon cargo ship Friday loaded with 6,500 pounds of supplies and equipment…
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NASA Accelerates X-59 Flight Campaign Ahead of First Supersonic Test
15 May 2026
Aviation Week reports, “NASA is continuing to speed up the rate of X-59 flight tests as the Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator…
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Virgin Galactic Nears Operational Return With Upgraded Spaceplane Fleet
15 May 2026
Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic said May 14 it remains on track, technically and financially, to start commercial flights of its…
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Digital Engineering Helps Restore B-1B Bomber in Record Time
14 May 2026
Air Force Times reports that the US Air Force “finished retiring 17 B-1B Lancer bombers this week, its first step toward divesting…
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NASA Alters Artemis 3 Launch Vehicle Configuration
14 May 2026
Space News reports, “NASA plans to fly the Space Launch System on Artemis 3 without an upper stage as the agency begins to define revised…
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Boeing Reports Strong April With 57 Widebody Orders
13 May 2026
Aviation Week reports, “Boeing booked 109 unidentified orders in April, including commitments for 57 widebodies…
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Starship V3 and Launch Pad 2 Set for Debut Mission May 19
13 May 2026
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19, for the long awaited debut of the third major…
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MQ-9 Reaper Demonstrates Precision Rocket Strike Capability
12 May 2026
Aviation Week reports, “MQ-9 Reapers fired BAE Systems precision-guided rockets during a recent demonstration…
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SpaceX Launches New Wave of NRO Reconnaissance Satellites
12 May 2026
Spaceflight Now reports, “The National Reconnaissance Office flew its 13th mission supporting an intelligence-gathering…
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NFL Veteran Joshua Dobbs Pursues Aviation Dreams in a Cirrus SR22
11 May 2026
Flying Magazine reports, “Most professional athletes talk about life after football in vague, distant terms, something…
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Starship V3 Booster Roars to Life in Major SpaceX Test
11 May 2026
SPACE reports that SpaceX just took a big step toward its next Starship test flight, firing up all 33 engines of the vehicle’s Super…
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Solar Impulse 2, Famous for Around-the-World Flight, Crashes Into Gulf Waters
11 May 2026
Aerotime reports, “Solar Impulse 2, the experimental solar-powered aircraft which became famous in 2016 after completing…
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Embraer Reaches All-Time First-Quarter Revenue High in 2026
8 May 2026
Aviation News Daily reports, “Embraer reported first-quarter revenues of US$1.4 billion in 2026, marking the highest first-quarter revenue…
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Rocket Lab Enters Golden Dome Missile Defense Program with Raytheon
8 May 2026
Aerotime reports, “Rocket Lab Corporation announced that, in partnership with Raytheon, it has been selected to demonstrate advanced…
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Northrop Flies XRQ-73 SHEPARD Hybrid Flying Wing for First Time
7 May 2026
Aerospace Global News reports, “Yesterday, Northrop Grumman announced its XRQ-73 SHEPARD hybrid electric experimental drone…
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ESA’s Space Rider Passes Critical Hurdles on Path to Spaceflight
7 May 2026
SPACE reports, “Space Rider, a novel spacecraft concept from the European Space Agency (ESA), is advancing toward its first flight…
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Wisk Aero Conducts First Flight of Second Generation 6 eVTOL Prototype
6 May 2026
Flying Magazine reports “Boeing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) unit Wisk Aero is ramping up flight testing of its flagship…
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Voyager Optimistic About Starlab as NASA Reconsiders Commercial Station Plans
6 May 2026
Space News reports, “Voyager Technologies says it is ready should NASA change plans for supporting development of commercial space…
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Next-Gen T-7A Red Hawk Cleared for Production, IOC Set for 2027
5 May 2026
Defense News reports, “The U.S. Air Force approved low-rate initial production of Boeing’s T-7A Red Hawk advanced trainer, setting the stage for the long-awaited replacement…
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Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Look at Distant Exoplanet’s Surface
5 May 2026
SPACE reports astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have directly analyzed the surface of a distant super-Earth, revealing a dark, airless, Mercury-like world.
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Navy Eyes Renewed P-8A Poseidon Orders After Procurement Pause
4 May 2026
Breaking Defense reports, “The Navy is seeking to purchase P-8A Poseidon aircraft once again, after pausing procurement in fiscal 2025…
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SpaceX Sends South Korean Imaging Satellite, 44 More Payloads to Orbit on Falcon 9
4 May 2026
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched 45 payloads on an overnight rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg…
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Boeing Lands Record Order from Biman Bangladesh for 787 and 737 MAX Jets
1 May 2026
Aerotime reports, “Boeing has secured its largest-ever order from Biman Bangladesh Airlines, with the carrier confirming the purchase…
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Russia Debuts Next-Generation Soyuz 5 Rocket with First Successful Flight
1 May 2026
SPACE reports, “Russia’s new Soyuz 5 rocket has taken to the skies at long last. The Soyuz 5 lifted off for the first time ever on Thursday…
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Gulfstream Aerospace Hits Record First-Quarter Jet Deliveries
30 April 2026
Aviation International News reports, “Gulfstream Aerospace saw its highest-ever first-quarter delivery total, with 38 business jets…
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Falcon Heavy Returns to Flight with ViaSat-3 Mission
30 April 2026
Space News reports, “A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched the third and final terabit-class ViaSat-3 broadband satellite…
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U.S. Air Force Eyes Major Expansion of KC-46A Pegasus Fleet
29 April 2026
Aerospace Global News reports, “The Air Force already has around 100 Boeing KC-46A tankers in service, but now it wants to increase…
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China Ramps Up Commercial Space Race with Lijian-2 “Super Factory”
29 April 2026
Aviation News Daily reports, “China has reached a pivotal milestone in its commercial aerospace ambitions with the full completion of…
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Joby Conducts First Electric Air Taxi Flight from JFK Airport
28 April 2026
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.
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ULA Launches 29 Amazon LEO Satellites on Atlas V from Cape Canaveral
28 April 2026
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…
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Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Hits Key Milestone with First Production Flight
27 April 2026
Aerotime reports, “The US Navy’s first production-representative Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completed its maiden flight on April 25…
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SpaceX Plans Falcon Heavy Return Featuring Side Booster Landings
27 April 2026
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is preparing to launch its first Falcon Heavy rocket in more than a year and a half. The Monday…
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Modified Boeing 777 Set to Replace DC-8 as NASA’s Premier Research Aircraft
24 April 2026
Flying Magazine reports, “A heavily modified Boeing 777-200ER formerly operated by Japan Air Lines will soon become NASA’s largest…
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NASA’s TESS Spacecraft Identifies Rare and Unprecedented Planetary System
24 April 2026
SPACE reports, “Using NASA’s exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and Antarctic Search for…
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University of Alabama Selects D-Fend for Counter-Drone Protection
23 April 2026
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “The University of Alabama has named D-Fend Solutions as its counter-drone technology supplier…
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Rocket Lab Launches Eight Japanese Satellites, Including Origami-Inspired Payload
23 April 2026
SPACE reports, “Rocket Lab sent eight Japanese satellites to orbit from New Zealand on Wednesday night (April 22), including one…
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Northrop Invests Big to Fast-Track B-21 Production
22 April 2026
Breaking Defense reports, “Northrop Grumman will invest $2.5 billion of its own cash to accelerate production of the B-21 stealth bomber, with…
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New Glenn Grounded as BE-3U Thrust Issue Comes Into Focus
22 April 2026
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin says initial data suggests one of two BE-3U upper-stage engines did not deliver sufficient thrust to dispatch the AST SpaceMobile…
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U.S. Air Force Extends A-10 Warthog Service Life to 2030
21 April 2026
Reuters reports, “The U.S. Air Force secretary extended the life of the A-10 ‘Warthog’ attack plane until 2030, sparing the aging but beloved close…
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New Glenn Mission Falls Short, Raising Questions for NASA’s Artemis Plans
21 April 2026
The New York Times reports, “A rocket built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company appeared to launch perfectly on Sunday, its booster even landing…
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MQ-9B Passes Key Icing Tests, Boosting Operational Flexibility
21 April 2026
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has conducted a series of flight tests aimed at certifying…
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NASA Shuts Down Voyager 1 Instrument to Extend Mission
20 April 2026
SatNews reports, “On Friday, April 17, 2026, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) sent commands to deactivate one of the few remaining…
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AIR Lifts Off With First Flight of Heavy-Lift Cargo Drone
20 April 2026
Unmanned Systems Technology reports, “AIR has successfully completed the first flight of its Production AIR Cargo-Heavy Lift UAS, a VTOL platform…
