In This Section
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NASA Releases Video, Audio from Perseverance Landing on Mars
23 February 2021
ABC News reports that NASA “released stunning new video for the first time Monday from its Perseverance rover’s audacious landing on Mars last week.” The video, “shot from multiple cameras, captures the rover’s entry, descent and landing on the red planet’s Jezero Crater.” NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Director Michael Watkins said, “This is the first
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Air Force Looking for Industry Help to Transition C-130 Software
23 February 2021
Air Force Times reports that the Air Force issued a request for information (RFI) Thursday, which stated that it is looking for industry assistance in transitioning the C-130 software to a DevSecOps approach. The RFI stated, “The end goal is to establish a lean, user-centered approach that will ultimately redefine how capability is delivered to the
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AIAA Announces Two New Chartered Student Branches
22 February 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide, University of Georgia Join AIAA Community February 22, 2021 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is excited to announce the addition of two new AIAA student branches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide (ERAU-Worldwide) and the University of Georgia (UGA). These universities join more
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Sends Back Photographs of Red Planet
22 February 2021
Reuters reported that on Friday, NASA scientists “presented striking early images from the picture-perfect landing of the Mars rover Perseverance, including a selfie of the six-wheeled vehicle dangling just above the surface of the Red Planet moments before touchdown.” The “color photograph, likely to become an instant classic among memorable images from the history of spaceflight,
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FAA Utilizes ADS-B Flight Data from Aireon to Follow All 737 MAX Flights
22 February 2021
Bloomberg reported that the FAA “is using a network of satellites” to follow all Boeing 737 Max “flights around the world,” as the agency monitors “the plane after its 20-month grounding.” The network, “provided by Virginia-based Aireon LLC,” is “capable of tracking planes in even the most remote regions as if they were under surveillance
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NASA, Boeing Push Starliner Test Flight to Early April
19 February 2021
Space News reports that NASA and The Boeing Company said Wednesday that the second uncrewed Boeing CST-100 Starliner flight test will be pushed from March 25 to no earlier than April 2. The test was delayed in order “to replace hardware damaged during processing of the spacecraft.” The announcement “comes after Boeing recently replaced avionics units
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Air Force Begins Retiring B-1 Lancer Aircraft
19 February 2021
Air Force Times reports that the US Air Force began the process of retiring its B-1 Lancer Wednesday, “as the ‘Bone’ bomber flew to the Air Force’s boneyard where divested aircraft are kept in storage.” The Air Force plans to retire 17 of its 62 B-1 aircraft. According to the service, divesting its most battered
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Successfully Touches Down on Mars
19 February 2021
ABC News reports that after a tense, seven-minute descent Thursday afternoon, NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars. After a “seven-month journey through the cosmos,” Perseverance touched down on the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater at 3:55 p.m. ET. Shortly after landing, “the rover, nicknamed ‘Percy,’ sent its first image back to Earth.“ Thursday’s landing was
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FAA Issues Airworthiness Directive for 222 of Boeing 787 Planes
18 February 2021
Reuters reports that on Wednesday, the FAA “issued an airworthiness directive for certain Boeing Co 787 airplanes, asking for inspection of the jets following reports of torn decompression panels in the bilge area.” The FAA “estimates that the directive affects 222 787 airplanes that are part of the U.S. registry.” Full Story (Reuters)
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover to Land on Mars Thursday
18 February 2021
Florida Today reports that NASA has scheduled the landing of its Mars Perseverance Rover on Mars’ Jezero Crater for 3:55 p.m. EST Thursday. During what is “known as the ‘Seven Minutes of Terror,’ Perseverance will enter the Martian atmosphere, shed its head shield, deploy parachute, slow to a speed of 1.7 miles per hour, drop
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Ozires Silva to Receive the Daniel Guggenheim Medal for Influential Contributions to Aerospace
18 February 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 18, 2021 – Reston, Va. – Ozires Silva, Co-Founder/Past President, Embraer, has been awarded the 2020 Daniel Guggenheim Medal for his education and inspiration of today’s aerospace engineers and scientists and for his influential contributions to the fields of combustion and propulsion. The award presentation will be hosted by the Brazilian
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Russian Progress Cargo Ship Docks With ISS
17 February 2021
SPACE reports that the Russian Progress MS-16 cargo ship docked safely at the International Space Station Wednesday, bringing “new research experiments, crew supplies (such as clothing and food), fresh water, nitrogen gas and propellant for the station’s Zvezda service module propulsion system,” among other cargo. When it leaves the station, Progress “will remain connected to Pirs
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Gulfstream G700 Program Hits 1,100 Flight-Hours, on Track for 2022 Market Entry
17 February 2021
Aviation International News reports Gulfstream Aerospace’s G700 is “on track for market entry in late 2022,” with its flight-test program having accumulated 1,100 flight hours in the last year and completing most of its development testing in preparation for certification flight trials. Gulfstream Senior VP of Innovation, Engineering, and Flight Colin Miller said that the
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AIAA Presents 2021 International Student Conference Winners
16 February 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 16, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2021 International Student Conference winners. AIAA, in partnership with Lockheed Martin Corporation, sponsors the International Student Conference at AIAA SciTech Forum each year for student members at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
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SpaceX Successfully Launches Satellites, Misses Booster Landing
16 February 2021
CNET News reports that for the first time in a year, “SpaceX appears to have missed the landing of its Falcon 9 first stage booster.” CNET adds that “it seems very likely” that the Falcon 9 used in the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites on Monday “crashed in the ocean.” Meanwhile, the next set
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Aviation Week Analysis: Boeing 767 Expected to Remain in Service for at least 10 More Years
16 February 2021
Aviation Week ran an article responding to a reader question asking whether the Boeing 767 is likely to remain in service for the next 10 years. “The short answer: absolutely. For starters, Boeing is still delivering the aircraft,” having made its 1,000th delivery on February 2. “Aviation Week’s 202 Civil Aviation Fleet and MRO Forecast
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ASCEND and NASA Accelerate Excitement for Perseverance Landing on Mars
16 February 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 16, 2021 – Reston, Va. – In advance of this week’s scheduled landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars, more than 1,500 members of the ASCEND community participated in an exclusive live webinar with mission experts to preview the rover’s precision landing program and the groundbreaking science, technology and engineering innovations it
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NASA Set Cygnus Cargo Ship on Fire After Leaving ISS as Part of Experiment
12 February 2021
SPACE reports that the Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment-V (Saffire-V), “which occurred after a Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Jan. 6, is the latest in a series of fire studies to protect astronauts on long-term missions.” Saffire-V “lasted 26 hours, then the Cygnus spacecraft, which was filled with trash, burned up
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Sources Say Airbus Is Favoring Turboprop Model for First Hydrogen Plane
12 February 2021
Bloomberg reports that a “turboprop design is gaining momentum within Airbus SE as the solution to its challenge of developing a hydrogen jet by 2035, according to people familiar with the matter.” The “propeller plane would carry around 100 passengers for about 1,000 nautical miles.” The “other two designs are for a 200-seat blended wing,
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United to Return Boeing 737 MAX to Service on Thursday
11 February 2021
Bloomberg reports that United Airlines is scheduled to resume flights on the Boeing 737 MAX…
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Ball Aerospace Selected by NASA to Support Solar Cruiser
11 February 2021
ExecutiveGov reports that Ball Aerospace “has been selected to support a NASA small satellite technology demonstration, Solar Cruiser, the company reported on Wednesday.” The company “will perform several mission-critical functions, including the integration and test of the satellite bus with the solar sail system that will form the completed Sailcraft.” Ball Aerospace’s “efforts will inform
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Cape Canaveral Facility Could Soon Serve as Re-Entry Site for Dream Chaser Spacecraft
10 February 2021
The Denver Post reports that on Monday, Sierra Nevada Space Systems announced that the Cape Canaveral Spaceport Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida has been granted a license by federal authorities to be used as a re-entry site for commercial spacecraft. As Sierra Nevada prepares the Dream Chaser commercial spacecraft “for a planned 2022 flight to the
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Boeing Flies First KC-46A for Japan
10 February 2021
Aviation International News reports that The Boeing Company “has flown the first KC-46A tanker for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.” The aircraft conducted “its maiden flight from Paine Field in Everett, Washington on February 8. The aircraft is due for delivery later this year.” Japan has four KC-46As on order, “with at least another two
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Boeing 737 MAX to Resume European Flights as SmartWings Plans Service
9 February 2021
Bloomberg reports that the Boeing 737 MAX “will resume flights in Europe after a near two-year grounding following two fatal crashes, with Czech leisure airline SmartWings AS planning to bring back its seven-plane fleet.” SmartWings “will restart operations this month and aims to return all of the aircraft to service by the summer, it said
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NASA Astronaut Millie Hughes-Fulford Dies
9 February 2021
The AP reports that Millie Hughes-Fulford, “a trailblazing astronaut and scientist who became the first female payload specialist to fly in space for NASA, died following a yearslong battle with cancer, her family said. She was 75.” Hughes-Fulford “was selected by NASA for its astronaut program in 1983 and five years later, in June 1991, spent
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DARPA Seeks Private-Sector Input on Capabilities to Build Large Structures on the Moon
8 February 2021
Space News reports that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking input from the space industry “about their capabilities to manufacture large structures on the moon” for a new project, which was announced Friday, called, “Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials and Mass-efficient Design.” DARPA Defense Sciences Office Program Manager Bill Carter said in
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Boeing Confronts Lack of Demand, Regulatory Scrutiny as it Moves Forward with Delayed 777X Rollout
8 February 2021
The Wall Street Journal reported that the decrease in international air travel related to the pandemic has put The Boeing Company’s 777X program in doubt, as the jetliner was designed for long-haul routes with hundreds of passengers. Boeing plans for the first 777X to be delivered in 2023, which is about three years behind schedule and
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AFRL Director Says Skyborg Program Could Reach IOC by 2023
5 February 2021
Breaking Defense reports that Air Force Research Lab Director Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle said that the “high-priority Skyborg program to develop low-cost, autonomous drones able to team with piloted aircraft could reach initial operating capability by 2023.” Pringle told the Mitchell Institute Thursday, “We’re really excited about that December demo because it was a first-ever kind
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AIAA, NASA to Host Discussion On Mars Perseverance Rover Technology February 10
5 February 2021
India EducationDiary reports that AIAA and NASA “will host a moderated webinar to discuss technology innovations with NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover during a virtual event at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 10.” The event “will livestream on NASA’s website and on YouTube through AIAA’s event landing page.” During the event, NASA “science, technology, and engineering experts
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Nanoracks’ Airlock Powers On for First Time Since Attachment to ISS
4 February 2021
The Houston Chronicle reports that on Tuesday, Nanoracks’ Bishop Airlock, which was attached to the ISS on December 19, powered on for the first time since its attachment to the station. The airlock is the ISS’ “first commercial airlock,” and “is the station’s first permanent, complex element to be owned and operated by a commercial company.”
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US Army Performed Crewed, Uncrewed Teaming Tests with AH-64 Apache, Two UAVs
4 February 2021
FlightGlobal reports that last October, the US Army conducted crewed-uncrewed teaming between the Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopter, a Textron Shadow RQ-7BV2 Block 3 tactical UAV, and a General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range UAV. The teaming test “is meant to demonstrate part of the US Army’s version of Joint All-Domain Command & Control.”
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SpaceX Schedules Two Starlink Launches Within Five Hours of Each Other
3 February 2021
CNET News reports that SpaceX has scheduled the launch of a Starlink mission for Thursday at 1:19 a.m. EST. Another Starlink mission, whose Monday launch date was delayed, is now scheduled to launch Thursday at 5:36 a.m. EST. The two missions, scheduled within five hours of each other, would “represent the 18th and 19th Starlink launches
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Bell Demonstrates Autonomous Package Delivery In Residential Area
3 February 2021
FlightGlobal reports that Bell “recently demonstrated its Autonomous Pod Transport 70 (APT 70) cargo drone autonomously delivering a package over a 4mi (6.44km) preprogrammed route in north Texas.” The demonstration “took place on an undisclosed date at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone, a region that’s agreed to allow testing of and experimentation with novel ground
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Rolls-Royce Demonstrates 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel On G700
2 February 2021
Aviation International News reports that Rolls-Royce “has successfully conducted its first tests on a business jet engine using 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), it announced” Monday. The “latest experiment used a Pearl 700 engine that’s under development for the new Gulfstream G700 and confirmed that the company’s current commercial and business jet powerplants ‘can
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Tech Entrepreneur Isaacman Charters Private SpaceX Orbital Mission, Which He Will Command
2 February 2021
SPACE reports that tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman “has chartered a trip to Earth orbit with” SpaceX on a mission that he will command. The Inspiration4 mission will see a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule “spend an estimated two to four days circling Earth and then come back down for an ocean splashdown.” The mission will have four
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Physicist Invents New Fusion Rocket Concept
1 February 2021
The Daily Mail (UK) reported that Dr. Fatima Ebrahimi, a physicist at the Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, “has invented a new fusion rocket [concept] that could one day take humans to Mars.” The spacecraft would use “magnetic fields to shoot plasma particles from the back of the rocket and propel the craft through
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Air Force Wraps Up Overhaul of Its Fleet of F-22 Raptors
1 February 2021
Popular Mechanics reported that the US Air Force recently “wrapped up an overhaul of its fleet of F-22 Raptor fighters.” According to the Air Force, the work involved “taking all of the jets through ‘six unique maintenance machines for structural repair, modification, coatings restoration, and aircraft damage repair’…as well as performing ‘structural modifications to increase total
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Musk Criticizes FAA After Cancellation of SpaceX’s Starship Test Flight Thursday
29 January 2021
The Washington Post reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk criticized the FAA after the agency canceled the launch of SpaceX’s Starship test flight Thursday. Musk wrote in a tweet, “Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure. … Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches
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Bell Reports Decline In Year-Over-Year Helicopter Deliveries for Q4
29 January 2021
Aviation International News reports that Bell delivered 57 helicopters in the fourth quarter of 2020, down from 76 deliveries in the same period a year prior. Bell reported “revenue of $871 million,” which “was down from $961 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, while profit declined by $8 million to $110 million.” Backlog “was $5.3
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Weather Expected to be 90% “Go” for SpaceX’s Saturday Launch
28 January 2021
Florida Today reports that forecasters from the US Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron said Wednesday that they expect 90% “go” weather conditions for SpaceX’s Saturday launch of 60 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is scheduled to launch “during a 10-minute window that opens at” 7:24 a.m. EST. Conditions “in the Atlantic
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Gulfstream Delivers 40 Business Jets In Fourth Quarter
28 January 2021
Reuters reports that General Dynamics’s Gulfstream Aerospace reported 40 business jet deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was down from 44 in 2019. The aerospace unit “posted a 16.9% fall to $2.44 billion. Total revenue fell 2.7% to $10.48 billion.” However, “the broader business jet market saw an order boost late in 2020 as
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Jackson Hole Airport Board Wins 2021 Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award
27 January 2021
Award recognizes the prioritization of sustainability at the airport to protect the environment January 27, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the Jackson Hole Airport Board as the 2021 winner of the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award. The Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is located in Jackson, Wyoming. The Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award honors an
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NASA Says OSIRIS-REx Will Leave Asteroid Bennu May 10
27 January 2021
The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA announced Tuesday that the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will leave asteroid Bennu on May 10. OSIRIS-REx Deputy Project Manager Michael Moreau said, “Leaving Bennu’s vicinity in May puts us in the ‘sweet spot,’ when the departure maneuver will consume the least amount of the spacecraft’s onboard fuel.” The departure date “could also
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EASA Clears Return of 737 MAX
27 January 2021
The AP reports that the Boeing 737 MAX “has been approved to resume flights in Europe, following nearly two years of reviews after the aircraft was involved in two deadly crashes that saw the planes grounded worldwide, the European aviation safety agency said Wednesday.” Changes made to the aircraft mandated by the EASA “include a package of
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Private Investing In Space Companies Reached New Record In 2020
26 January 2021
CNBC reports that “private investment in space companies last year set a new annual record,” according to a new Space Capital report. Space Capital managing partner Chad Anderson wrote in the report, “With another $2.9 billion invested in Q4, 2020 was a record year for [space infrastructure companies] with $8.9 billion invested. … Despite expectations that
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Rolls-Royce Germany to Undergo Digital Transformation with AI
26 January 2021
Aviation Today reports that Rolls-Royce Germany will leverage “artificial intelligence (AI) in a new partnership with Altair for its engineering, testing, and design of aerospace engines to reduce and accelerate certification and design iterations, reduce extensive physical testing, and improve product quality.” Sam Mahalingam, Chief Technical Officer at Altair, told Aviation Today, “Successful proof of
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Airbus Helicopters Flightlab to Test UAM Technologies
25 January 2021
Aviation International News reported that Airbus Helicopters “started in-flight tests onboard the European aerospace group’s rotary-wing Flightlab facility.” The Flightlab facility is “exclusively dedicated to maturing new technologies for the company’s current helicopters and future fixed-wing and eVTOL aircraft designs,” and “will be used to test hybrid and electric propulsion, autonomy, noise reduction, and improved maintenance
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Cassini Data Shows Lake On Titan Is More Than 1,000 Feet Deep
25 January 2021
SPACE reported that data from NASA’s Cassini mission revealed that lake Kraken Mare on Saturn’s moon Titan “is more than 1,000 feet (300 meters) deep.” The data showed that Kraken Mare “contains a mix of methane and ethane, which differed from previous models suggesting ethane would prevail due to the lake’s size and geographical position
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SpaceX Plans to Launch Rideshare Mission Saturday
22 January 2021
Florida Today reports that SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 9:40 a.m. EST Saturday for the launch of a rideshare mission. The weather conditions for the mission are expected to be 60% “go.” The rocket will carry “dozens of payloads owned by organizations ranging from SpaceX itself to the Department of Defense to NASA.” The Falcon
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Boeing Wins $2.1 Billion Contract to Deliver 15 KC-46A Tankers to US Air Force
22 January 2021
ExecutiveGov reports that The Boeing Company has won a $2.1 billion contract from the US Air Force to deliver 15 KC-46A tankers. The KC-46 “will connect air forces to data needed to maintain the decision advantage and increase success rate on the battlefield.” Boeing “is now on contract for 94 KC-46A tankers.” Full Story (ExecutiveGov)