In This Section

  • Space Industry Warned of Recession Impact Space Industry Warned of Recession Impact

    12 July 2022

    Space News reports that United Launch Alliance CEO Tory Bruno on Monday warned of the negative impact on the space industry by a possible recession. Quilty Analytics reported, “We expect the slowdown in public capital markets activity to continue, at least in the near-term, until market volatility remains subdued for a sufficient period of time.” Bruno

  • France Retires Mirage 2000C France Retires Mirage 2000C

    12 July 2022

    Aviation Week reports that the French Air Force “has retired the Dassault Mirage 2000C from operational service, leaving just three variants of the delta-winged fighter in French service.” The Mirage 2000C was formally retired at the end of June but will make a final appearance at this year’s Bastille Day flyby celebration. Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • USN Tests SMAMD System on MQ-8C USN Tests SMAMD System on MQ-8C

    11 July 2022

    Seapower Magazine reported that the US Navy recently had a successful demonstration of an MQ-8C Fire Scout UAS carrying the “Single-system Multi-mission Airborne Mine Detection (SMAMD) System.” The tests included “drifting, tethered and moored mines throughout beach zone to deep waters,” both night and day, in various water depths, and during various weather conditions. The SMAMD

  • Starlink Maritime Ready for Yachts, Ships, Oil Rigs Starlink Maritime Ready for Yachts, Ships, Oil Rigs

    11 July 2022

    ZDNet reported that “SpaceX boss Elon Musk has announced a new Starlink broadband service for everything from merchant vessels to oil rigs to premium yachts.” Starlink Maritime promises “high-speed, low-latency internet with up to 350 Mbps download while at sea.” Musk tweeted, “Starlink Maritime allows you to connect from some of the most remote waters in

  • Iris Automation Partners with Sagetech Avionics for UAV Collision Avoidance Iris Automation Partners with Sagetech Avionics for UAV Collision Avoidance

    8 July 2022

    Aviation Today reports that Iris Automation “has just announced a partnership with Sagetech Avionics that will offer uncrewed aircraft a comprehensive air risk mitigation solution.” Sagetech Avionics’ MXS ADS-B transponder will be integrated with Iris Automation’s Casia detect-and-avoid system “via Sagetech’s ACAS X sensor fusion and collision avoidance module. This integration results in a complete air

  • X-37B Sets New Spaceflight Record X-37B Sets New Spaceflight Record

    8 July 2022

    SPACE reports that as of Thursday, the X-37B uncrewed space plane “has been in Earth orbit for 781 days, breaking its previous record of 780. The reusable vehicle designed and built by Boeing is currently flying on its sixth mission, known as Orbital Test Vehicle-6 or OTV-6, which launched on May 17, 2020.” The X-37B’s

  • Dovetail Electric to Offer Electric, Hydrogen Refits to Turboprop Aircraft Dovetail Electric to Offer Electric, Hydrogen Refits to Turboprop Aircraft

    7 July 2022

    Aviation Week reports that Dovetail Electric Aviation has been formed to “develop and offer battery-electric and hydrogen-electric powertrain retrofits for a range of turboprop commuter aircraft.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • Aurora Flight Sciences to Build Spaceplane Launch Platform Aircraft for Virgin Galactic Aurora Flight Sciences to Build Spaceplane Launch Platform Aircraft for Virgin Galactic

    7 July 2022

    Space News reports that Virgin Galactic announced Wednesday it signed an agreement with Aurora Flight Sciences “to build two new aircraft that will be used as launch platforms for its next-generation suborbital spaceplanes.” The carrier aircraft “will succeed the original WhiteKnightTwo aircraft.” Aurora “will manufacture components of the aircraft at its factories in Columbus, Mississippi,

  • FCC Approves Starlink for Moving Vehicles FCC Approves Starlink for Moving Vehicles

    6 July 2022

    Aviation International News reports that the Federal Communications Commission “has approved SpaceX’s application to provide satellite communications for vehicles while in motion.” The approval “paves the way for SpaceX to offer Ku-band airborne satcom using its Starlink satellite network.” Public charter provider JSX “is the first customer for airborne Starlink and it expects to begin offering

  • FAA Issues Waivers for Beyond Line-of-Sight UAV Operations FAA Issues Waivers for Beyond Line-of-Sight UAV Operations

    6 July 2022

    The AP reports that although for years it has been legal to fly civilian UAVs only within the pilot’s line of sight, some UAV operators “have recently gotten permission to soar out of their pilots’ sight” amid a broader relaxation of UAV regulations in the US elsewhere. The expectation “of small drones with little human oversight delivering

  • ULA’s Atlas 5 Launches Two Space Force Satellites to Test Early Warning Technology ULA’s Atlas 5 Launches Two Space Force Satellites to Test Early Warning Technology

    5 July 2022

    CBS News reported that “after waiting out cloudy weather, the U.S. Space Force launched two satellites atop an Atlas 5 rocket Friday to test ballistic and hypersonic missile early warning and tracking technology and to deploy a maneuverable spacecraft carrying an unknown number of classified payloads.” United Launch Alliance’s 196-foot-tall rocket lifted off at 7:15 p.m.

  • 3-D Printing Poised to Play Major Role in Manufacturing 3-D Printing Poised to Play Major Role in Manufacturing

    5 July 2022

    The New York Times reported on the 3-D-printing foundry in Devens, Massachusetts, which is “owned by VulcanForms, a start-up that came out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” The company has raised $355 million “in venture funding,” and its workforce “has jumped sixfold in the past year to 360, with recruits from major manufacturers like General Electric

  • SpaceX Completes 27th Mission of 2022 SpaceX Completes 27th Mission of 2022

    1 July 2022

    Spaceflight Now reported that SpaceX “closed out the first half of 2022 on Wednesday with its 27th mission of the year, powering a commercial television broadcasting satellite into orbit for SES on a Falcon 9 rocket as the company is poised to break its annual launch record in the coming weeks.” The SES 22 communications

  • NASA Begins Search for Sustainable X-Plane Demo NASA Begins Search for Sustainable X-Plane Demo

    1 July 2022

    Aviation Week reports that NASA “has launched its hunt for a large-scale experimental aircraft to demonstrate the airframe configuration and technologies for a sustainable single-aisle-class airliner that could enter service by the mid-2030s.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • US Army Identifies Ramjet PRSM as Long-Term Solution for MRC System US Army Identifies Ramjet PRSM as Long-Term Solution for MRC System

    30 June 2022

    Aviation Week reports that the US Army has “identified a future ramjet-rocket version of the Lockheed Martin Precision Strike Missile (PRSM) as the long-term solution for the Mid-Range Capability (MRC) system in the long-range precision fires arsenal.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • ULA to Launch US Space Force Satellites on Thursday ULA to Launch US Space Force Satellites on Thursday

    30 June 2022

    Spaceflight Now reports that United Launch Alliance (ULA) teams “at Cape Canaveral rolled an Atlas 5 rocket to its launch pad Wednesday, moving the launcher into position for liftoff Thursday evening with a pair of geostationary satellites for the U.S. Space Force.” The rollout “began shortly after 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT), when the Atlas 5

  • Cygnus Boosts ISS Orbit, Departs for Earth after Booster Test Cygnus Boosts ISS Orbit, Departs for Earth after Booster Test

    29 June 2022

    SPACE reports that the Northrop Grumman NG-17 Cygnus “spacecraft successfully reboosted the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time, raising the orbiting lab to its normal operating altitude of around 250 miles above Earth.” The reboost “took place on Saturday (June 25) and marks the first time a Cygnus spacecraft has performed a full reboost

  • Gulfstream G800 Completes First Flight Gulfstream G800 Completes First Flight

    29 June 2022

    Aviation International News reports that the first “Gulfstream G800 – registered as N800G – completed its inaugural flight this morning, officially launching the flight-test program for the 8,000-nm twinjet.” N800G “lifted off from Gulfstream Aerospace’s headquarters at Georgia’s Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV) at 9 a.m. and landed back at the field two hours later.

  • CAPSTONE Launched Tuesday Morning CAPSTONE Launched Tuesday Morning

    28 June 2022

    CNET News reports that NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) was launched from the Rocket Lab launch facility in New Zealand on Tuesday, “paving the way for Artemis astronauts to return to the moon in the coming years.” CAPSTONE “will be testing new navigation systems and trying out the halo-shaped orbit

  • Boeing Hiring in Order to Ramp Up 737 MAX Production Boeing Hiring in Order to Ramp Up 737 MAX Production

    28 June 2022

    Aviation Week reports that The Boeing Company “is on the hunt for thousands of new engineers and machinists as it looks to ramp-up 737 MAX production.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • Boeing 787 Dreamliner Production Hampered by Production Flaws Boeing 787 Dreamliner Production Hampered by Production Flaws

    27 June 2022

    The Wall Street Journal reports on issues with the production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Dreamliner is the first aircraft produced by The Boeing Company that relies on parts produced by a global network of suppliers. Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

  • NASA Launches Rocket from Australia’s Northern Territory NASA Launches Rocket from Australia’s Northern Territory

    27 June 2022

    SPACE reported that over the next weeks NASA “will launch three rockets from the Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory on the Dhupuma Plateau, near Nhulunbuy. The rockets are 13 meter ‘sounding’ rockets that will not reach orbit but will take scientific observations.” This is the first time NASA will launch rockets from a

  • Beta Technologies Flies Alia Aircraft between Amazon Air Hubs Beta Technologies Flies Alia Aircraft between Amazon Air Hubs

    24 June 2022

    Aviation Week reports that Beta Technologies “has flown its Alia electric aircraft between two Amazon Air hubs, completing a 31-min. flight between Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Wilmington Air Park in Ohio.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • NASA Selects Design Concepts for Lunar Nuclear Power Stations NASA Selects Design Concepts for Lunar Nuclear Power Stations

    24 June 2022

    SPACE reports that NASA “and the U.S. Department of Energy selected three design concept proposals that the government hopes could be ready for use on the moon by the end of the 2020s, to support the space agency’s Artemis program of lunar exploration.” NASA sees the $5 million contracts “as potentially useful for the exploration

  • Chinese Military Analyst Releases Plan to Hack Starlink Chinese Military Analyst Releases Plan to Hack Starlink

    23 June 2022

    Bloomberg reports that in a paper “published this spring by the Beijing Institute of Tracking and Telecommunications Technology, a researcher urges the Chinese military to track and monitor every satellite in the sprawling Starlink network.” The paper, published in the Modern Defense Technology journal, reads Starlink “can provide more stable and reliable communication capabilities for

  • Lufthansa Group CEO Sees Healthier Airline Industry Long-Term Lufthansa Group CEO Sees Healthier Airline Industry Long-Term

    23 June 2022

    Aviation International News reports that the “post-pandemic demand for air travel demand and a shortage of new aircraft as manufacturers struggle with program delays and supply chains disruptions is creating operational hiccups for Lufthansa in the short-term, but it will lead to a much healthier airline industry in the mid- and longer-term.” CEO Carsten Spohr said,

  • Voyager Spacecraft to Power Down Systems after 44 Years Voyager Spacecraft to Power Down Systems after 44 Years

    22 June 2022

    The Daily Mail (UK) reports that NASA is considering a potential timeline for the powering-down of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft after 44 years of operation. NASA “is now planning to begin turning off some of the Voyagers’ systems in the hope of eking out the spacecrafts’ remaining power to extend their journeys to about 2030.”

  • FAA Approves Zipline’s Drone-Delivery Service FAA Approves Zipline’s Drone-Delivery Service

    22 June 2022

    BNN Bloomberg (CAN) reports that “Zipline International Inc., which already is making deliveries with companies such as Walmart Inc., said Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration certification would allow it to expand by shipping [health-care] products from its North Carolina headquarters.” Zipline’s drones do not fly like typical drones but fly “more like a traditional plane

  • South Korea Launches First Homegrown Space Rocket South Korea Launches First Homegrown Space Rocket

    21 June 2022

    The AP reports that South Korea “successfully launched its first homegrown space rocket on Tuesday, officials said, a triumph that boosted the country’s growing space ambitions but also proved it has key technologies to build a space-based surveillance system and bigger missiles amid animosities with rival North Korea.” The Nuri rocket “succeeded in releasing and placing

  • Air India Prepares for One of the Largest Deals in Aviation History Air India Prepares for One of the Largest Deals in Aviation History

    21 June 2022

    Bloomberg reported that Air India Ltd. may order 300 “Airbus SE’s A320neo family jets or Boeing Co.’s 737 Max models, or a mix of both.” This would be “one of the largest orders in commercial aviation history as the formerly state-run airline looks to overhaul its fleet under new ownership.” While a “deal for 300 737

  • IATA Forecasts Industry-Wide Return to Profitability in 2023 IATA Forecasts Industry-Wide Return to Profitability in 2023

    20 June 2022

    Aviation International News reports that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has “lowered its projection for industry losses for 2022 by $1.9 billion,” and upgraded its forecast for 2023 noting that “industry-wide profitability next year ‘appears within reach,’ with North America already expected to deliver an $8.8 billion profit in 2022.”   IATA Director General Willie

  • SpaceX Sets Record Launch Pace with Three Falcon 9 Launches in Two Days SpaceX Sets Record Launch Pace with Three Falcon 9 Launches in Two Days

    20 June 2022

    Florida Today reports SpaceX successfully launched three separate Falcon 9 missions in less than 48 hours, starting Friday and wrapping up early Sunday morning.  The “launch-packed weekend got started with a Friday liftoff of Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center,” with 53 additional satellites placed into orbit.  A Falcon 9 launched from Vandenberg Space Force

  • Boeing to Restart 787 Dreamliner Handovers Boeing to Restart 787 Dreamliner Handovers

    17 June 2022

    Bloomberg reports that The Boeing Company “is laying plans to restart 787 Dreamliner handovers that have been largely halted since late 2020, notifying customers of their place in the delivery queue as it works with US regulators to complete the final paperwork.” Boeing “has reviewed the carbon-composite frames for tiny structural imperfections with regulators and

  • SpaceX to Make Three Launches this Weekend SpaceX to Make Three Launches this Weekend

    17 June 2022

    Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX “teams in Florida and California are preparing for three missions from three launch pads in three days, beginning Friday with a launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a reusable Falcon 9 booster flying for a record 13th time.” Friday’s flight will “deploy 53 more Starlink internet satellites,

  • AIAA Statement on the Apollo 1 Monument AIAA Statement on the Apollo 1 Monument

    17 June 2022

    AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement: “AIAA welcomes the long overdue new monument honoring Apollo 1 Astronauts…

  • NASA Adds Asteroid to Lucy Mission, Confident on Resolution of Solar Array Issue NASA Adds Asteroid to Lucy Mission, Confident on Resolution of Solar Array Issue

    16 June 2022

    Spaceflight Now reported that NASA engineers “have made progress in attempts to fully unfurl a solar array wing that snagged on NASA’s Lucy asteroid explorer shortly after launch last October, adding to optimism that the spacecraft can complete its 12-year mission as planned.” Lucy “will fly by eight Trojan asteroids between 2027 and 2033, plus one

  • Air Nostrum Plans Airship Services from 2026 Air Nostrum Plans Airship Services from 2026

    16 June 2022

    Aviation International News reports that the Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum prepares to “launch airship services with plans to acquire 10 of the 100-seat Airlander 10 aircraft being developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles in a deal that could be worth $600 million.” In the last six months, “Air Nostrum and HAV have conducted studies and modeling

  • Press Passes Available for 2022 AIAA AVIATION Forum Press Passes Available for 2022 AIAA AVIATION Forum

    16 June 2022

    Registration is open for journalists around the world to attend the 2022 AIAA AVIATION Forum in Chicago and online.

  • Ingenuity Makes 29th Flight Ingenuity Makes 29th Flight

    15 June 2022

    CNET News reports that NASA JPL confirmed the Ingenuity helicopter’s 29th flight in a tweet Tuesday, “saying the chopper completed the 66.6-second journey over the weekend, traveling 587 feet (179 meters) across Mars. Ingenuity’s previous flight, No. 28, took place at the end of April.” Aviation Today (CNET News)

  • Joby Aviation Receives Part 135 FAA Certificate Early Joby Aviation Receives Part 135 FAA Certificate Early

    15 June 2022

    Aviation Today reports that Joby Aviation “announced that it has received its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the FAA.” The award of the Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate permits Joby “to begin commercial operations of its electric air taxi.” Joby “originally expected to receive the certificate for its vehicle – an electric vertical take-off

  • Astra’s NASA Mission Fails With Loss of Satellites Astra’s NASA Mission Fails With Loss of Satellites

    14 June 2022

    Reuters reported that Astra Space’s mission to send “tiny storm-monitoring NASA satellites to orbit” failed after a second-stage booster engine shut down 10 minutes after liftoff. The rocket was carrying two satellites designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory to “measure moisture and precipitation in tropical storm systems,” which were set to be

  • DARPA Envisions KC-46 as Recharger for UAVs DARPA Envisions KC-46 as Recharger for UAVs

    14 June 2022

    Aviation Week reports that DARPA “has launched a new project that sees a fresh role for the U.S. Air Force fleet of aerial tankers as airborne recharging points for networks of electric-powered UAS by adding a wing-mounted laser pod.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

  • NASA Purchases Five More Dragon Missions from SpaceX NASA Purchases Five More Dragon Missions from SpaceX

    13 June 2022

    Spaceflight Now reported that NASA “says it plans to buy five more crew rotation missions on SpaceX’s fleet of Dragon spaceships, bringing SpaceX’s contract with the space agency to 14 operational astronaut launches, likely enough to keep the International Space Station staffed through 2030.” SpaceX and The Boeing Company are to alternate NASA astronaut missions “every

  • Navy Orders “Safety Pause” for Aircraft Following String of Crashes Navy Orders “Safety Pause” for Aircraft Following String of Crashes

    13 June 2022

    The Washington Post reports the US Naval Air Forces “has ordered a one-day ‘safety pause’ for its aircraft after a string of crashes in California this month led to the deaths of a Navy pilot and five Marines.” The pause, which will take effect Monday, will “affect all Navy aviation units that are not deployed, the Naval

  • Supersonic Passenger Flights May Return Supersonic Passenger Flights May Return

    10 June 2022

    CNET News reports that a few companies are considering bringing back supersonic passenger flights. In 2021, United Airlines “agreed to buy 15 aircraft from Boom Supersonic, a startup working to build supersonic commercial jets. United is aiming to get those planes in the air by 2029.” Virgin Galactic and Rolls-Royce announced a partnership in 2020 to

  • James Webb Space Telescope Damaged by Meteoroids James Webb Space Telescope Damaged by Meteoroids

    10 June 2022

    BBC News reports that one of the main mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been damaged by impact of a small meteoroid. NASA reports the meteoroid struck the space observatory “sometime between 23 and 25 May,” but is unlikely to affect mission performance. Full Story (BBC News)

  • Robinson R44 Conducts First Flight with MagniX EPU Robinson R44 Conducts First Flight with MagniX EPU

    9 June 2022

    Aviation International News reports that Tier 1 Engineering “conducted the first flight of an all-electric Robinson R44 using the MagniX electric propulsion unit (EPU)” on Saturday. Tier 1 President Glen Dromgoole said, “This historic flight, of an all-electric helicopter with a certifiable electric engine, was an important step towards obtaining aircraft certification. We are excited to

  • Astra Space to Launch First of Three NASA Summer Launches Sunday Astra Space to Launch First of Three NASA Summer Launches Sunday

    9 June 2022

    The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reports that Astra Space “announced it could launch as early as Sunday on the first of three missions to send six tropical weather satellites into orbit for NASA.” The Rocket 3.3 “named LV0010 had a successful test fire at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 46 this week, and the company

  • NASA to Launch Rockets from Australia’s Northern Territory NASA to Launch Rockets from Australia’s Northern Territory

    8 June 2022

    Bloomberg reports that NASA “will launch three sounding rockets from a facility in Australia’s Northern Territory from June 26, the first time the space agency has used a commercial launchpad outside of the US in its more than 50-year history.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “announced the historic event in a statement on Tuesday night, saying

  • VoloConnect Completed First Flight in May VoloConnect Completed First Flight in May

    8 June 2022

    Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “just announced that the four-seater VoloConnect aircraft completed its first flight in May.” The VoloConnect “could enter into service as early as 2026.” Full Story (Aviation Today)