Space News reports that NASA Chief Economist Alexander MacDonald said private competition for NASA contracts is “one of the most exciting things that we’re seeing.” MacDonald said the announcement of privately designed commercial space stations to succeed the International Space Station are “very exciting from a market dynamics perspective.” Full Story (Space News)

The AP reports NASA officials announced Monday that a “medical issue has sidelined one of four astronauts assigned to SpaceX’s upcoming flight to the International Space Station and delayed the launch.” The launch has been delayed until Saturday night at the earliest. The unnamed astronaut is affected by a “minor medical issue” unrelated to COVID-19 Full Story

Air Force Times reports that The Boeing Company “has delivered the first of four KC-46A tankers to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, marking the program’s first delivery to a customer outside the United States.” The KC-46A “made the trans-Pacific flight after departing Boeing’s facilities in Seattle, Washington, on Thursday afternoon local time, arriving at Miho Air

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New Episode of ASCEND’s “Fast Forward” Features Bechtel’s Defense and Space Executive November 1, 2021 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the interdisciplinary community on the planet dedicated to building humanity’s off-world future faster, launched a new episode of “Fast Forward – Focus on Off-World Infrastructure” featuring Michael Costas, General Manager of Defense

Space News reports that the classified geostationary Earth orbit mission USSF-67 is “on track for mid-to-late 2022 launch.” USSF-67, awarded to SpaceX last year, will “fly on a Falcon Heavy rocket with an expendable center core.” Additionally, US Space Force missions USSF-44 and USSF-52 have had their launches delayed to 2022. Full Story (SpaceNews)

ExecutiveGov reported that Lockheed Martin “has announced the addition of over 300 new jobs in F-16 production and sustainment areas at the company’s location in Greenville, South Carolina by the end of next year.” Lockheed Martin “said Monday the company is seeking to fill positions including airframe and power plant mechanics, avionics technicians, engineers, supervisors,

AIAA announced today the candidates for next year’s openings on the AIAA Council of Directors. The selections were made by the AIAA Council Nominating Committee.

The AP  reports that NASA “is debating whether to try to fix a jammed solar panel on its newly launched Lucy spacecraft, en route to explore an unprecedented number of asteroids.” The problem “has not affected Lucy’s outbound flight” thus far. Full Story (Associated Press)

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “is exhibiting a scaled version of its VoloCity eVTOL at Fiumicino Airport this week as part of a new partnership with Atlantia and Aeroporti di Roma that seeks to bring electric air taxi operations to Italy in the next 2-3 years.” Full Story (Aviation Today)

The Hill reports that ZeroAvia announced Wednesday “plans to carry out the first commercial hydrogen-electric flights between Rotterdam and London in 2024.” ZeroAvia is “partnering with airport company Royal Schiphol Group, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport Foundation and Rotterdam the Hague Airport to make the commercial flights possible.” Full Story (The Hill)

The Daily Mail (UK) reports NASA announced Monday that the Hubble Space Telescope went into “safe mode” after experiencing “‘synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications.” NASA tweeted, “Science observations have been temporarily suspended while the team investigates the issue…The instruments remain in good health.” Full Story (Daily Mail)

ExecutiveGov reports that the US Air Force “recently completed the first-ever operational test mission of its new Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.” The F-15EX “features a new digital fly-by-wire control technology signaling a departure from its predecessor’s standard hydro-mechanical system” and the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability

Space News reports that United Launch Alliance “is targeting a Nov. 22 liftoff for the U.S. Space Force STP-3 mission aboard an Atlas 5 rocket.” The Atlas 5 551 “will fly with five solid rocket boosters and launch two satellites directly to geosynchronous orbit.” The two satellites are the STPSat-6 carrying “NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration

Aviation Week reports that Roscosmos Director General Dimitry Rogozin said Monday that SpaceX has been cleared to fly cosmonauts on Crew Dragon after SpaceX conducted four crewed spaceflights with the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Full Story (Aviation International News)

Aviation International News reports that Helipass “is in talks with its network of around 120 helicopter operators to encourage them to transition to electric aircraft.” Helipass “seeks to provide a user-friendly booking platform for customers and also software that operators can use to handle payments, fleet planning, and passenger records.” Full Story (Aviation International News)

SPACE reported NASA and aerospace experts “discussed how the U.S. stacks up against other nations when it comes to developing new nuclear propulsion technology” at a House of Representatives hearing last week. NASA Budget and Finance Senior Advisor Bhavya Lal said, “Strategic competitors including China are aggressively investing in a wide range of space technologies,

The Daily Mail (UK) reported that passengers arriving at Heathrow could take air taxis from the airport “to cities in the south of England for the price of an Uber in just four years’ time.” An air taxi could take passengers from Heathrow to London’s Canary Wharf “in just 13 minutes for around £50 per passenger. A

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Astronauts from the three different commercial space experiences that occurred in 2021 will appear on stage together in Las Vegas on Monday, 15 November, during 2021 ASCEND. ASCEND is the interdisciplinary community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster, powered by AIAA. Confirmed speakers include:

Space News reports that NASA issued a request for information Wednesday “seeking information from industry on their ability to transport astronauts” to and from the International Space Station. NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich “said NASA was starting to consider its plans for acquiring additional commercial crew flights, given that both SpaceX was nearing

FlightGlobal reports that airlines are increasing the amount of flights and destinations it is offering as the industry begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting slowdown in travel. Analysts “still suspect the industry will not fully recover for several years – possibly not until 2023 – and a second wave of Covid-19 infections

SPACE reports that the next NASA space station launch, which is set for Halloween, “will put four more astronauts into space on a SpaceX rocket. The Crew-3 launch is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 31 at 2:21 a.m. EDT (0721 GMT), using a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will take place at Launch Complex 39A at

CBS News reports on the US Navy’s new MQ-25 Stingray UAV and its use to refuel fighter jets in mid-flight, keeping carriers out of the range of enemy anti-ship weapons. Full Story (CBS News)

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that NASA has released audio from the Perseverance rover. Perseverance has been recording the “eerie sounds of Mars” since the probe’s arrival in February, making it the first craft to record sound on Mars. Full Story (Daily Mail)

Aviation International News reports that Rolls-Royce announced Tuesday it “has carried out a successful test flight of its 747 flying testbed aircraft using 100 percent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in a Trent 1000 turbofan.” The aircraft “flew from Tucson International Airport in Arizona, passing over New Mexico and Texas, carrying a Trent 1000 engine running

Spaceflight Now reports that NASA teams at the Kennedy Space Center “moved the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 moon mission into the Vehicle Assembly Building Tuesday for stacking on top of the Space Launch System.” The Orion spacecraft was rolled “into the iconic assembly building around 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) Tuesday.” Full Story (Spaceflight

Aviation Week reports that Volocopter and DB Schenker “conducted the first public demonstration of the VoloDrone heavy-lift unmanned cargo aircraft at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg on Oct. 12, and followed up by announcing plans for a mobile takeoff and landing platform for the cargo aircraft.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Five finalists will be honored for their enthusiasm, dedication to STEM education October 18, 2021 – Washington and Reston, Va. – Challenger Center and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced the launch of the Trailblazing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Educator Award. The annual award will celebrate K-12 teachers going above and beyond

Space News reported that The Boeing Company continues to investigate what caused 13 of the CST-100 Starliner’s valves to stick in the closed position before its scrubbed test flight in early August. The leading cause for the valve failure “is that nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) propellant, leaking through the valve, reacted with moisture and created nitric

Air Force Times reported that Air Mobility Command announced Friday that the KC-46 Pegasus tanker “is now able to refuel the Air Force’s fourth-generation fighter jets during missions for U.S. Transportation Command, expanding the service’s air refueling capacity and the capability of its newest tanker.” Full Story (Air Force Times)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 15, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winner of the Zarem Graduate Student Award for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics, Karl Roush, for his paper, “Designing for Security: A Cybersecurity Introduction for Aerospace Education.” Roush will present his paper at

CNN reports that Joby detailed how its new eVTOL aircraft “could be the solution for a cheaper, quieter and greener means of commercial flying.” Joby’s partnership with Uber “will allow the company to offer its eVTOL service directly in the Uber app, but Joby also plans to have a direct-to-consumer app of its own.” Joby

The AP reports that NASA “is set to launch a series of spacecraft to visit and even bash some of the solar system’s most enticing space rocks.” The Lucy probe is to launch this weekend “on a 12-year cruise to swarms of asteroids out near Jupiter – unexplored time capsules from the dawn of the solar system.”

Aviation Week reports that advanced models of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), “could be used in the long term to carry out a human Mars flyby and dispatch an interstellar probe to study the realm beyond the Solar System.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

The AP reports that Northrop Grumman “plans to hire 500 more engineers in the Huntsville area to support America’s new Air Force-led defense against foreign nuclear missile attack.” Full Story (Accociated Press)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2021 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the interdisciplinary community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster, today announced the detailed agenda for its East Coast Satellite Event on 15 November in Washington, DC, as part of the 2021 ASCEND centerpiece event. Powered by AIAA, ASCEND was launched in 2020 to

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Registration Now Open for the World’s Largest Aerospace R&D October 13, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced its five-day program on sustainability for the 2022 AIAA SciTech Forum, 3–7 January 2022, San Diego, and virtually. This year’s program features over 3,000 technical presentations and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates our corporate member Blue Origin on the successful New Shepard mission (NS-18) 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 Blue Origin team on

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signed a deal with NASA to send an Australian-made rover to the moon after 2026. Australian businesses and research organizations “will bid for up to $50million of taxpayer cash to build the rover, with applications submitted early next year.” Full Story (Daily Mail)

Aviation International News reports that in early October, the US Army “formally lifted the veil on the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter.” The ceremony was held at Muir Army Airfield in Pennsylvania, where the state’s National Guard operates the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS). Pennsylvania Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler

Aviation Week reports that The Boeing Company “has announced the service debut of the first 737 MAX-based BBJ 737-8 as well as the first new order for the corporate variant since the return of the MAX to commercial service in 2020.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

USA Today reports that William Shatner, 90, will be the oldest man to fly in space when his flight on a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket lifts off later this week. The flight was scheduled for Tuesday, but was “delayed due to forecasted high winds at its launch site” in West Texas. Full Story (USA Today)

UPDATED October 11, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the premier lectureships and technical excellence awards. The lectures and awards will be presented during 2021 ASCEND, the centerpiece event of the interdisciplinary community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster. 2021

SPACE reports that NASA astronaut Raja Chari announced Thursday that the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule which will take the Crew-3 mission crew to the ISS will be named “Endurance.” Endurance “will be the third Crew Dragon vehicle to carry people to orbit.” Full Story (SPACE)

Aviation Week reports that a “shortage of Pratt & Whitney F135 engines that is already keeping more than four dozen Lockheed Martin F-35s grounded will continue to worsen.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter “has snapped an eerie black and white photo of Jupiter and two of its moons.” The picture of Jupiter, Io, and Europa was taken from above the moon, 390 million miles away. Full Story (Daily Mail)

Reuters reports that Airbus “is sticking to its quest for record jet output after airlines reported glimmers of a post-pandemic recovery this week, and believes engine makers who have questioned its most ambitious proposals will be ‘unable to resist’ demand.” Airbus “has said it hopes to almost double jet production in a few years as borders

CNN reports that NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will “lift off at 10:20 p.m. PT on November 23 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.” After launching in November, “NASA will test its asteroid deflection technology in September 2022 to see how it impacts the motion of a near-Earth

Reuters reports that General Dynamics has unveiled “two new Gulfstream aircraft, as it looks to tap a rebound in demand for business jets after the pandemic shrunk orders.” The company, “which introduced the jets on Monday, described the Gulfstream G800 as the longest-range aircraft in the Gulfstream fleet and the Gulfstream G400 as the first new

CNBC reports that Star Trek actor William Shatner “is scheduled to launch on the next crewed spaceflight of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.” The launch is scheduled for October 12, and Shatner is to be joined by Blue Origin Vice President of Mission and Flight Operations Audrey Powers, Planet Labs co-founder Chris Boshuizen, and Medidata co-founder

FlightGlobal reports that Platform Aerospace’s Vanilla UAV “completed an eight-day 50 minute and 47 second flight on 2 October at Edwards AFB in California.” Platform Aerospace said on October 2 that it submitted the flight for ratification as the longest flight ever undertaken by a powered aircraft without refueling. Platform Aerospace reports that “the aircraft is