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Bloomberg reports that the FAA sent a letter to The Boeing Company on May 13 expressing concerns about the company’s newest version of the 777 “because of what U.S. regulators called a test-flight incident and multiple other issues with software and inadequate data.” The FAA wrote that the agency “anticipates a significant impact to the

Space News reported that SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell “says the company is ‘shooting for July’ for the first orbital launch of the company’s Starship vehicle despite lacking the regulatory approvals needed for such a launch.” At the National Space Society’s International Space Development Conference on Friday, Shotwell said that the company was “hoping” to conduct the

CBS News reports that French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough are scheduled to conduct a spacewalk from the International Space Station on Friday. The goal of the spacewalk, scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. EDT, is to install the second ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). NASA “plans to install iROSA panels on six

Defense News reports that on Thursday, Bell announced that its “future vertical lift technology demonstrator, the V-280 Valor tiltrotor, has finished its flying career.” Bell “will continue into the second phase of the risk-reduction effort ‘to provide initial preliminary designs for major subsystems and the conceptual weapons system, based on data-proven performance that ensures transformational

Space News reports that in October, the US Space Force “will begin to take over the operation of 11 Navy narrowband communications satellites. It also will absorb Army units that currently operate military communications payloads, a Space Force official said June 23.” The transition “will create a more integrated U.S. military satcom enterprise which for decades

Reuters reports that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has “called for more rigorous checks when pulling some Airbus jets out of pandemic storage, following flawed cockpit readings that can suggest blocked sensors.” EASA “said in a safety directive covering the Airbus A320 family that ‘an increasing number of operational disruptions have been reported due to

Space News reports that five satellites from the US Space Development Agency (SDA) will launch as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-2 rideshare mission Friday. Transporter-2 “is expected to carry as many as 88 small satellites from commercial and government customers to a sun synchronous polar orbit. SDA’s five payloads include two pairs of satellites to demonstrate

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “flew its Volocopter 2X in public for the first time in France at the Paris Air Forum, the company announced in a June 21 press release.” The flight “took place at Le Bourget Airfield and lasted three minutes, according to the release.” The eVTOL “flew in a 500 m route at

Reuters reports that SpaceX expects that Starlink will “be able to provide continuous global coverage by around September but will then need to seek regulatory approvals, its president Gwynne [Shotwell] said on Tuesday.” She said, “We’ve successfully deployed 1,800 or so satellites and once all those satellites reach their operational orbit, we will have continuous global

According to Reuters, Swiss broadcaster SRF reported Monday, citing three unidentified sources, that Lockheed Martin’s “F35-A Lightning II performed the best in a Swiss evaluation of what fighter jet to buy next, although the final political decision was still open.” SRF’s investigative program Rundschau said in a summary of a report to air Wednesday that “according

Aviation International News reported that Bombardier’s Global 7500 “has entered the Indonesian market with the first delivery of one of the company’s flagship business jets to an undisclosed customer based in Jakarta.” Bombardier “has been growing its customer-service footprint in” the Asia-Pacific region “with a new customer-service center expected to open in 2022 at Essendon

The AP reports that during a nearly seven-hour spacewalk Wednesday from the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough “encountered a pair of spacesuit issues,” which forced “him to temporarily retreat back into the airlock to reset his equipment.” Mission Control “stressed that Kimbrough was safe the entire time, despite problems with his suit’s display control panel

Space News reports that NASA and The Boeing Company “announced June 16 that they had closed all the actions from an independent review in early 2020 to address problems with the first Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission of the spacecraft in December 2019. That review made 80 recommendations involving testing, software development, communications and other

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company “was readying the largest member of its 737 MAX family for its maiden flight on Friday, a person familiar with the matter said.” The maiden flight of the 737 MAX 10, “expected around 10 a.m. local time from the Seattle area, the person said, heralds months of testing and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates Pam Melroy on being confirmed as NASA Deputy Administrator. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement upon Melroy’s confirmation: “On behalf of the Institute’s nearly 30,000 professional members, I would like to congratulate Pam

The AP reports that during a nearly seven-hour spacewalk Wednesday from the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough “encountered a pair of spacesuit issues,” which forced “him to temporarily retreat back into the airlock to reset his equipment.” Mission Control “stressed that Kimbrough was safe the entire time, despite problems with his suit’s display control panel

Reuters reports that the US Air Force “said on Wednesday it is surveying the aircraft industry to learn if another manufacturer has the capacity or interest to make the next tranche of midair refueling tankers similar to the recently purchased KC-46.” The sources sought document “is the first step in the process of buying the

Space News reports that on Thursday, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a GPS 3 satellite atop its Falcon 9 rocket. The launch will mark the “first national security space mission to use a refurbished Falcon 9 booster.” The US Space Force “initially ordered an expendable rocket but agreed to the switch with a caveat: the reused

Reuters reports that a “shortage of newer-model business jets is driving up prices of second-hand aircraft, a trend that is expected to deliver a windfall for luxury planemakers as new affluent buyers enter the market.” The increased demand for second-hand aircraft “is expected to push up demand for new jets from planemakers like General Dynamics

Reuters reports that Hyundai Motor Co. and General Motors Co. “said on Monday they are pushing ahead with developing flying cars, with the South Korean company expressing optimism it could have an air-taxi service in operation as soon as 2025.” Hyundai COO José Munoz “previously said urban air taxis would be in operation at major

The Daily Mail (UK)  reports that NASA “has finished assembling its massive $18.6 billion (£13.18 billion) Space Launch System (SLS) ‘megarocket’ that will fly astronauts back to the moon over the coming decade.” On Friday, engineers at Kennedy Space Center “finished lowering the 212ft tall core stage between two smaller” boosters. This is “the first time

Space News reports that at 4:11 a.m. EDT Sunday, Northrop Grumman launched the US Space Force Tactically Responsive Launch-2 (TacRL-2) mission atop a Pegasus XL rocket. The payload “was successfully deployed its intended orbit, a Space Force spokesman confirmed on Sunday.” TacRL-2 “is a technology demonstration satellite to be used for space surveillance.” The Space and

Breaking Defense reported that for the first time, the US Defense Department has certified as “airworthy a 3D printed aircraft engine part – an F110 sump cover produced under the Air Force’s collaborative initiative with General Electric called Pacer Edge.” While the F110 “sump cover is a small part, it is nonetheless important to how

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that NASA’s Perseverance rover has commenced its science mission on Mars, starting with a move away from its touchdown zone June 1. As part of its science mission, the rover will search “for signs of ancient microscopic life,” and study the Jezero Crater’s “geology and look for signs of past habitability.” The

The Wall Street Journal reports that American Airlines is planning a $25 million investment in UK-based electric aircraft startup Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd., and intends to acquire 250 of Vertical’s flying taxis contingent on the aircraft receiving regulatory approval and achieving other milestones. Reuters reports that the conditional agreement struck by American Airlines to buy 250 of Vertical

June 10, 2021 – Reston, Va. – ASCEND, the interdisciplinary community focused on building humanity’s off-world future faster, today began rolling out the features of its centerpiece event program. Scheduled for 8–10 and 15–17 November, the ASCEND event will showcase a hybrid blend of live in-person and online programming.  Powered by AIAA, ASCEND was launched in 2020

Space News reports that China “rolled out a Long March 2F rocket Wednesday in preparation to send the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft and three astronauts to” the Tianhe core module of China’s space station. The Long March 2F rocket “was vertically transferred to its pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, the China Manned

Aviation International News reports that the FAA “has granted type certification validation for Safran’s Arrano 1A turboshaft with Fadec, the powerplant in the new Airbus H160 medium-twin helicopter.” The approval “is a significant milestone in obtaining overall FAA certification approval for the helicopter, which is expected later this year.” The Arrano 1A, “which produces up to

Fox Business reports that Virgin Orbit “announced Tuesday that its upcoming orbital mission, dubbed ‘Tubular Bells, Part One’…is on track to launch in the last week of June.” The company “said that its rocket, LauncherOne, has been shipped to Mojave Air and Space Port in California where final preparations are underway.” LauncherOne’s “payload will include satellites

Aviation International News reports that Southwest Airlines “has exercised options on another 34 Boeing 737 Max 7s, bringing its firm order total for the smallest Max variant to 234, the company reported Tuesday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.” The airline “said it expects to take delivery of all 34 of the jets next

Fox News reports that the Transportation Security Administration announced that it screened 1,984,658 people at airport checkpoints Sunday, the highest total since the start of the pandemic. The figure is a 350% increase from the 441,255 passengers screened the same day last year. Full Story) (Fox News)

Reuters reports that on Monday, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin “suggested Moscow would withdraw from the International Space Station in 2025 unless Washington lifted sanctions on the space sector that were hampering Russian satellite launches.” The sanctions prevent Russia from importing “certain microchip sets needed for its space” program. Rogozin said, “We have spacecraft that

SPACE reports that on Monday at 1:35 p.m. EDT, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will come within 645 miles of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, and “the only moon to sport a magnetic field, a bubble of charged particles dubbed a magnetosphere.” No probe “has gotten a good view of

The Wall Street Journal reported that when the pandemic started affecting air travel last year, thousands of aircraft were grounded in storage lots around the world, but instead of ending up as scrap, many older planes are set to return to service, with owners scrapping 15% fewer planes in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Cirium. Furthermore,

The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano “on Friday will exit the confines of the International Space Station for the first of four spacewalks to fix a vital piece of hardware that was not designed to be repaired in space.” The astronauts will repair part of a failed

Aviation International News reports that The Boeing Company “has scheduled the first test flight of its latest ecoDemonstrator – an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 carrying 20 new technology elements – for June 29.” The aircraft, “expected to enter revenue service with Alaska Airlines dressed in a special ecoDemonstrator livery by the middle of next

CNET News reports that on Wednesday, Axiom Space announced that it has reached a deal with SpaceX to send private astronauts to the International Space Station through 2023. Axiom and SpaceX “already had a deal in place for a Dragon spacecraft flight with three private citizens and former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría in early 2022.

Aviation Today reports that on Wednesday, Joby Aviation announced partnerships with REEF Technology and Neighborhood Property Group (NPG) for the latter two companies to build landing and takeoff sites for Joby’s eVTOL aircraft. The agreement “will give Joby the opportunity to secure long-term leases on rooftops within NPG and REEF’s network of parking garages through a

The AP reported that NASA “has released a stunning new picture of our galaxy’s violent, super-energized ‘downtown.’” The image is a “composite of 370 observations over the past two decades by the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory, depicting billions of stars and countless black holes in the center, or heart, of the Milky Way. A radio telescope in

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that the Transportation Security Administration said more than 1.65 million people were screened at US airports Sunday, a 386% increase from last year. Friday “saw a 499 percent increase in travelers at U.S. airports over the same time last year, TSA figures show, and Saturday saw a 497 percent increase.” Friday “was

Aviation Week reported that The Boeing Company “has begun taxi tests of the 737-10 – the fourth version of the MAX series and the longest stretch of the company’s long-running twinjet program – in the run-up to first flight.” The company “confirmed that taxi tests took place at Boeing’s Renton, Washington facility on May 20.” Full

Spaceflight Now reports that China’s Tianzhou 2 cargo ship “launched Saturday on top of a Long March 7 rocket and docked with the core module of the country’s space station eight hours later, delivering fuel, crew supplies, extravehicular spacesuits, and other gear in preparation for the arrival of three astronauts in June.” The spacecraft “lifted

SPACE reports that NASA “has selected rookie astronaut Kayla Barron as the fourth crewmember to fly on SpaceX’s upcoming Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station.” Barron “will join fellow NASA astronauts Raja Chari (who will serve as commander of the mission) and Tom Marshburn (who will serve as the pilot), as well as European

CNN reports that on Wednesday, UK-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) “released the latest details of its airship, which boasts a far smaller carbon footprint than a conventional passenger plane.” The Airlander 10 aircraft “will seat up to 100 passengers and operate with 90% fewer emissions than conventional aircraft, the company said in a press release.”

TechCrunch reports that General Motors and Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday that they are “working together to develop a next-generation lunar vehicle designed to be faster and capable of traveling farther distances than its predecessor.”  NBC News reports that the lunar rover is “expected to be part of the companies’ efforts to bid on a contract under

ExecutiveGov reports that the US Navy has announced that Raytheon Technologies’ Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) has achieved initial operational capability (IOC). The system, “designed to guide aircraft landing on naval carriers and amphibious assault ships,” and “can now help F-35C units land on nuclear aircraft carriers in any weather condition.” The IOC

May 26, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the four recipients of the inaugural Roger W. Kahn Scholarship – the first-ever scholarship AIAA has offered to high school students. The four $10,000 scholarships have been awarded to:   Natalie Bretton, Menchville High School, Newport News, Virginia

The Washington Post reports that US air travel “rebounded Sunday to the highest level of the pandemic era as the Transportation Security Administration continues to bolster staffing for the busy summer travel season set to kick off this weekend, federal aviation security officials said Tuesday.” The 1.8 million passengers screened by TSA on Sunday “amounted to 90

Insider reports that Flytrex has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration “to expand backyard drone delivery to thousands of homes in North Carolina, the company announced Tuesday, May 25.” Flytrex has been testing their UAV operations under the FAA’s ongoing pilot UAV program for months. The company “previously delivered food and beverages at a golf