Florida Today reports that the team at Kennedy Space Center are preparing for the arrival of the Space Launch System core stage. Inside the center’s Vehicle Assembly building (VAB), “twin solid rocket boosters stand at attention ready” for the core stage, which is expected to arrive in late April. Technicians at KSC “began stacking the

March 24, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the election of at-large members of its Board of Trustees and AIAA treasurer. They begin their three-year terms in May 2021. Three new Members-at-Large were elected: Frank L. Culbertson Jr., Capt. USN (Ret.) R. Steven Justice, Generation Orbit

FlightGlobal reports that Airbus will “offer a further range increase on the A220-300 towards the middle of this year, with a 1t hike in the twinjet’s maximum take-off weight.” The update “will take the MTOW of the -300, the larger of the A220 variants, to 70.9t from the current 69.9t and will provide some 200nm additional

The Hill reports that the NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter will take its first flight no earlier than April 8. The helicopter has a small amount of material from the wings of the Wright brothers’ first airplane, NASA said in a statement Tuesday. The swatch of fabric is wrapped with tape around a cable located underneath the

Space News reports that on Monday at 2:07 a.m. EDT, a Soyuz rocket launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, carrying 38 satellites from 18 countries. The launch was the “first all-commercial rideshare mission GK Launch Services has arranged without a Russian government satellite onboard.” The rocket’s primary payload was South Korea’s CAS500-1 remote sensing satellite, which “separated

FlightGlobal reports that DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution program tested team dogfighting between AI-controlled fighters in a software simulation in February. The “Scrimmage 1” was run by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and tested AI algorithms in a two-versus-one simulated engagement. DARPA Strategic Technology Office Program Manager Col. Dan Javorsek said, “These new engagements represent an

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Event Honors Aerospace’s Best and Brightest March 23, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced the 2021 recipients of its most prestigious awards. Presentation of these premier awards will take place on Thursday, 12 August 2021, at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala. This

Space News reported that the Chang’e-5 orbiter successfully entered orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 on March 15 as part of an extended mission, the China Aerospace and Technology Corp. stated Friday. The spacecraft will perform a range of tests and solar observations under the control of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. The mission

The Washington Times reports that DARPA “is taking another crack at personal flying devices, inviting companies to send their proposals for developing and demonstrating ‘novel or unique approaches to personal battlefield mobility.’” Officials “said entries could be a modification of existing prototypes – such as the Bell Rocket Belt – or could embrace entirely new designs.”

CNN reports that on Wednesday, “the final A380 to be assembled took off from Airbus’ Jean-Luc Lagardere plant, a purpose-built facility at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in southern France.” The aircraft was destined for “the Airbus manufacturing plant at Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport in Germany,” where “the cabin will be fitted out and the aircraft painted, Airbus media relations

Reuters reports that NASA said Thursday that the agency and SpaceX have agreed to enhance data sharing in order to avoid collisions between their spacecraft. The data sharing agreement will ensure that “both parties are fully aware of the exact location of spacecraft and debris in orbit.” SpaceX “has agreed its Starlink satellites would autonomously

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 18, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates NASA on its successful “Green Run” test firing today. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “The completion of the ‘Green Run’ test marks the completion of all testing on the Space Launch System (SLS)

The Wall Street Journal reports that the FAA has revoked The Boeing Company’s authority to inspect and approve several newly produced 787 Dreamliners. The FAA said that its inspectors would perform the routine pre-delivery safety checks instead. Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

Spaceflight Now reports that NASA plans to ignite the core stage of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket Thursday “to confirm it is ready for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center for launch preparations.” The hot-fire test is scheduled for a two-hour window beginning at 3 p.m. EDT at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on a

Space News reports that US Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David Thompson “said it would make sense for the government to pay companies to clean up space junk if such services existed.” Orbital debris “represents a risk to spacecraft and to safe operations in space, Thompson said March 16 in an interview

The Daily Mail reports that the US Air Force is preparing to test its new hypersonic missile “that is said to be capable of flying 20 times the speed of sound.” The test will take place sometime this month and will have a B-52H bomber carry an AGM-183A missile “high into the air and launch it at

Space News reports that DoD has selected Relativity Space for the 2023 launch of a small military payload atop a 3D-printed rocket. The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) “picked Relativity to become a launch services provider for the DoD Space Test Program’s Rapid Agile Launch Initiative [RALI]. RALI is a program managed by the Space Force’s

Warrior Maven reports that Bell and Sikorsky-Boeing are both developing different designs for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, and both designs are currently able to fly “twice as fast” and “twice as far” as a Black Hawk, which can reach speeds of 150mph. The designs “are considered compound configurations, engineered with an intent to engineer

Space News reported that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope “resumed observations March 11 after a software error placed it in a protective safe mode several days earlier.” The “software error was traced to what an agency statement called an ‘enhancement’ recently uploaded to the spacecraft. That enhancement was intended to compensate for fluctuations from one of the

Aviation International News reported that global business aviation activity is down 2% year-over-year, according to industry data provider WingX. WingX “said business aviation accounted for a larger percentage of all fixed-wing traffic thus far in 2021 at 19 percent, compared with 12 percent in the same period last year.” The firm noted that business aviation

Space News reports that at 12:51 p.m. EST Thursday, China launched its Long March 7A rocket from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center, “sending a classified, experimental payload into geosynchronous transfer orbit [GTO].” The “first launch of the Long March 7A failed in March 2020. A loss of pressure occurred after first stage separation, which led to engine

FlightGlobal reports that on Wednesday, the US Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX fighter at The Boeing Company’s St. Louis production facility. The Air Force’s “choice to acquire the F-15EX is controversial as the fourth-generation fighter lacks the low radar cross-section of the service’s former favourite jet, the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.” The Air

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 11, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) applauds the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement after the president signed the legislation into law: “The American Rescue Plan will help sustain

The Hartford (CT) Courant reports that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Sikorsky Aviation “hired more than 1,000 workers last year, doubling the number of workers brought on in 2019. Its workforce was 13,000 as of” February 28, and although Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo “would not say how many will be hired in the future, Sikorsky expects to ramp

Aviation Today reports that Rolls-Royce announced Tuesday that it is building an electric propulsion system for Vertical Aerospace’s VA-X4 electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The system will include the Rolls-Royce 100kw-class lift-and-push electrical propulsion units and its power distribution and monitoring system. The VA-X4 will conduct a flight test this year and start

CNET News reports that on March 3, SpaceX “appeared to make a soft landing of” its Starship SN10 prototype, but several minutes after the landing, the rocket “exploded on the landing pad.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday that the landing was not as soft as it appeared, and that the prototype’s legs and part

SPACE reports that NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope “went into a protective ‘safe mode’ early Sunday morning (March 7), but its handlers seem confident it will bounce back in relatively short order.” Hubble team members said on NASA’s Twitter account Sunday, “At ~4:00 a.m. EST [0900 GMT] on Sunday, the Hubble Space Telescope went into safe

FlightGlobal reports that the US Air Force is seeking air-to-air combat technologies for its family of next-generation UAVs. Initial focus areas are air domain awareness technologies, including “airborne moving target indication sensors and equipment for high-value airborne asset protection, it says in a request for information posted online on 8 March.” The Space Force said

Spaceflight Now reported that NASA and SpaceX are targeting April 22 for the launch date of the next Crew Dragon mission to the ISS. The Crew Dragon spacecraft “is scheduled to blast off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The launch time April 22 is set for 6:11

FlightGlobal reported that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems received an experimental certificate from the FAA for a second Avenger Extended Range UAV. The certificate “will allow the company-owned aircraft to operate within the US National Airspace System, the company said on 3 March.” General Atomics senior director of quick-action programs Pete Latta said, “This [Experimental Certificate] will

SPACE reports that NASA officials gave an update from the Mars Perseverance Rover’s Twitter account Wednesday, which tweeted, “This week I’ve been doing lots of health checkouts, getting ready to get to work. … I’ve checked many tasks off my list, including instrument tests, imaging, and getting my arm moving. Warming up for a marathon of

Aviation Today reports that the US Air Force is “investing in LiquidPiston’s X-Engine technology to create a hybrid-electric propulsion system to power emerging technologies like unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and orbs, the company announced on March 4.” The technology would use fuel to power a generator and charge the aircraft’s batteries, which would extend its flight

CBS News reports that an unpiloted SpaceX prototype launched from Texas on Wednesday and climbed to an altitude of six miles before tipping “over on its side as planned” and plunging “back to Earth in a high-altitude swan dive, flipping back vertical and then successfully landing near the launch pad.”  The launch marked the company’s

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced today the results of its 2021 election for President-Elect and Council of Directors positions. “Thank you to all AIAA members who volunteer to help lead this great organization,” said Basil Hassan, AIAA president. “I am grateful

Reuters reports that Aerion “said on Wednesday Berkshire Hathaway’s private aircraft firm, NetJets, has obtained purchase rights for 20 of its AS2 business jets.” The AS2 “will be powered by engineered synthetic fuel and can reach supersonic speeds of up to Mach 1.4, or about 1,000 miles (1,610 km) per hour, which is 150% faster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Free Membership Begins at the Earliest Stage of the Academic Journey March 3, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) – the world’s largest aerospace technical society – is excited to announce a new level of membership for high school students. Designed exclusively for students in

Spaceflight Now reports that the first launch of Arianespace’s Vega Rocket “since an in-flight failure nearly one year ago has been postponed to no earlier than Monday night due to unfavorable upper level winds over the Vega launch base in Kourou, French Guiana.” The rocket will carry 53 small satellites for “21 customers in 13 countries,

FlightGlobal reports that the FAA plans to begin testing of UAV detect-and-avoid systems before the end of this year. The tests “will run through 2023 and will occur at five US commercial airports – those in Atlantic City (New Jersey), Columbus (Ohio), Huntsville (Alabama), Seattle-Tacoma (Washington) and Syracuse (New York), the FAA says on 2

CNET News reports that on Monday, SpaceX delayed the launch of 60 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch is now set for Tuesday at 7:53 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center. For the launch, SpaceX will attempt a “booster landing on a droneship, as well as the attempted recovery of both halves

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company “will use a pilotless, fighter-like jet developed in Australia as the basis for its U.S. Air Force Skyborg prototype, an executive at the plane maker said on Tuesday.” The company conducted its first flight of the “Loyal Wingman” on Saturday, with a Boeing test pilot monitoring “from a ground control

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2021 AIAA AVIATION Forum Moves to 2–6 August; 2021 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum 9–11 August; Both Will Be Fully-Virtual Events March 1, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced that the 2021 AIAA AVIATION Forum will now be held 2–6 August 2021. AIAA Propulsion

Reuters reports that the Saudi civil aviation authority (GACA) “announced on Sunday that Boeing 737 Max planes will be allowed to return to service to and from the kingdom after meeting safety requirements.” Full Story (Reuters)

Space News reported that Lockheed Martin “is redesigning the bus used for Global Positioning System satellites so they can be upgraded with new hardware on orbit, a company executive said Feb. 25.” The company’s Senior Director of Military Space Mission Strategy Eric Brown said that the move is significant because the prominent thought today is

SPACE reports that the NASA Parker Solar Probe completed its fourth swing past Venus on February 20. The probe is on a mission to fly closer to the sun than any previous spacecraft, but needs to “whiz past Venus a total of seven times, with each pass pulling the spacecraft closer to the sun.” The Parker

Reuters reports that Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority lifted its grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX on Friday, becoming the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to clear the jet to fly. Authority head Graeme Crawford said, “We…are confident that the aircraft are safe.” While no Australian airline flies the 737 MAX, Singapore Airlines and Fiji

Florida Today reports that SpaceX is aiming to launch 60 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 8:37 p.m EST Sunday. SpaceX set the date after completing a static fire test Wednesday. Full Story (Florida Today)

Aviation International News reports that General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) reported Wednesday that business jet deliveries decreased by 20.4% in 2020. Relative to the year prior, Bombardier saw deliveries decrease by 28 units, Gulfstream by 20, Dassault by six, Embraer by 23, Textron Aviation by 74, and Honda Aircraft by one. Full Story (Aviation International News)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Three Honorary Fellows and 28 Fellows Elected February 25, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) proudly congratulates its newly elected Class of 2021 Honorary Fellows and Fellows. The induction ceremony for the new Honorary Fellows and Fellows will take place later this year. “The Class of

Space News reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster “failed to land after its most recent launch Feb. 15 because of ‘heat damage’ it sustained.” During the 47th Spaceport Summit on Tuesday, SpaceX senior adviser for build and flight reliability Hans Koenigsmann “said the failed landing during an otherwise successful launch of Starlink satellites remains under

Aviation Today reports that NASA’s Ingenuity “will be the first aircraft to attempt controlled flight on another planet.” Ingenuity will attempt test flights on Mars in the spring and will “remain within a 0.6-mile (1-kilometer) radius of Perseverance so it can communicate wirelessly with the rover.” The Perseverance rover will communicate with relay orbiters around Mars