12 June 2019 FlightGlobal reports that “Sikorsky was awarded a $542 million contract from the US Navy…to build six production VH-92A Presidential Helicopters, an aircraft which will be known by the call sign ‘Marine One’ when the president of the USA flies aboard.” The VH-92As “are part of low rate initial production lot 1,” and “the

11 June 2019 FlightGlobal  reports that the removal of Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter program would lead to a 20 percent reduction in F-35 sales in Europe, as “hopes the dispute over Ankara’s decision to buy the Russian Almaz-Antey S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft system would be solved are all but dashed” and “the country’s large

11 June 2019 The AP reports that the New Zealand Defence Force has announced that it will purchase five new Super Hercules aircraft to renew its aging Hercules fleet. New Zealand Minister of Defence Ron Mark “said Tuesday the estimated cost of the Lockheed Martin aircraft was more than 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($661 million), although

10 June 2019 Spaceflight Now reported that “the first nighttime launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, and the first Falcon Heavy flight for the U.S. military, is set for no earlier than June 24 from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Air Force officials said Friday.” Small Launch and Targets Division Chief

10 June 2019 Spaceflight Now reported that ground crews last week “finished the initial build-up of the last ‘single stick’ medium-lift variant of United Launch Alliance’s Delta 4 rocket on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral…in preparation for liftoff with a GPS navigation satellite July 25.” The rocket’s first and second stages “emerged from ULA’s

7 June 2019 SPACE reports that NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock “is scheduled to launch to Earth orbit on June 22 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.” The clock “will help spacecraft navigate autonomously through the final frontier.” NASA said in a Deep Space Atomic Clock FAQ, “A Deep Space Atomic Clock on a spacecraft

7 June 2019 USA Today reports that Jupiter on Monday will “be visible with the naked eye as it rises in the east at sunset and climbs high through the sky all night, before setting in the west as the sun rises Tuesday.” During the planet’s opposition, viewers on Earth will “also be able to

6 June 2019 ABC News reports Amazon “said it’s taking deliveries to the next level – quite literally – within a few months by using drones.” The company “made the announcement Wednesday at its MARS Conference in Las Vegas, with the company’s CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, Jeff Wilke sharing the news and design specs for

6 June 2019 Fox News  reports that as part of events to honor the military service of airborne soldiers who took part in the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion, a fleet of C-47 transport planes on Wednesday dropped approximately 200 parachutists over Normandy, France. Among the jumpers were World War II paratrooper veterans, and others

5 June 2019 Spaceflight Now reported that SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft on Monday “returned to Earth with more than 4,200 pounds (1,900 kilograms) of equipment.” Following the capsule’s touchdown in the Pacific Ocean, “SpaceX recovery teams were on station…to hoist the capsule aboard a boat for the trip back to the Port of Los Angeles,

5 June 2019 Aviation Week reports that “Rolls-Royce is expanding MRO capacity and repair capabilities for Trent 1000 and XWB engines.” The engine manufacturer is “trying to find both engine maintenance capacity and repair capability, in advance of models such as the Trent 1000 and XWB entering their first shop refurbishment visits in a couple years,

4 June 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that the FAA and the U.S. Air Force have begun “a new initiative to increase partnerships with industry to address the national aircrew shortage.” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said, “This collaborative effort will enable the Air Force and the FAA to work with industry partners to share best practices

4 June 2019 NBC News reports that the June 22 launch of LightSail 2 “could be a prelude to a new era of spaceflight in which spacecraft forgo the rocket motors they’ve relied on for decades and simply sail on sunshine.” The Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye said, “This will be the first time navigating

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] AIAA President Congratulates Stephen Dickson July 24, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates former Delta Air Lines executive Stephen Dickson on being confirmed as the FAA’s 18th administrator. He will serve a five-year term. AIAA President John Langford made the

3 June 2019 The Daily Mail reported that NASA “has signed a world-first deal” with Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory, Australia “to launch rockets in 2020.” The private spaceport “will become the first privately-owned site outside the US to launch NASA rockets.” Equatorial Launch Australia CEO Carley Scott “said the exciting deal was the

3 June 2019 The Montreal Gazette reported that as demonstrated by this year’s Student Unmanned Aerial System Competition, “the market for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles…is skyrocketing.” The annual student competition “draws industry executives, sponsors and government officials looking for potential hires and to see what the brightest young minds are doing to advance technologies

31 May 2019 Forbes  reports that “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is one step closer to its 2021 launch, after clearing its final thermal vacuum test.” Astronomers are now preparing for “another round of testing and evaluation ahead of the proposed launch in 2021.”(Image Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover | Aerospace America) Full Story (Forbes)

31 May 2019 Aviation Week  reports that UAV manufacturer DJI “made a bold commitment to equip its new models with surveillance receivers as a safety enhancement,” given that “being the world market leader positions a company to be a trendsetter but also attracts outsized attention from the public and media.” (Image: DJI Phantom 4. Credit: Associated

30 May 2019 CBS News reports that Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Alexey Ovchinin “stepped outside the International Space Station Wednesday, sent birthday greetings to former cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, the first man to walk in space, and then pressed ahead with a full slate of maintenance work.” The two “opened the hatch of the Pirs

30 May 2019 SPACE reports that “the governments of the United States and Japan have agreed to further cooperation in space which could include flying Japanese astronauts to the moon.” In remarks at a bilateral press conference during his May 27 meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, President Donald Trump “mentioned cooperation in

29 May 2019 SPACE reports that “nuclear thermal propulsion technology is making progress for potential use on future NASA deep space missions, although how it fits into the agency’s exploration architectures remains uncertain.” Funding for the technology in the May 23 House Appropriations Committee’s CJS bill “includes $125 million for nuclear thermal propulsion development within

29 May 2019 Bloomberg reports that the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX and the Trump Administration’s decision to reassign “hundreds of aviation security personnel to the Mexican border” are “making airlines and airports nervous” about how they will accommodate the record number of summer travelers expected this year. Domestic airlines in the U.S. are

28 May 2019 SPACE  reported that “SpaceX’s internet-satellite megaconstellation appears to be off to a good start in low-Earth orbit.” After the launch of 60 Starlink satellites, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a post on Twitter, “So far, so good.” He added in a separate message, “Krypton thrusters operative, satellites initiating orbit raise every

28 May 2019 Space News reported that The Boeing Company “has completed ground testing of the thrusters for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, nearly a year after a setback in earlier testing of those thrusters.” The company “said it completed hot-fire testing May 23 of the spacecraft’s entire propulsion system, including various thrusters, fuel

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] “Vision for CisLunar Economy” May 28, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Salvatore T. “Tory” Bruno to give its 2019 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. Bruno will deliver his lecture, “Vision for CisLunar Economy,” at 6:30 p.m. (EDT), August

24 May 2019 The Dallas Morning News reports that during a closed-door meeting Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, “air safety regulators representing more than 30 countries” posed “frank questions” to the FAA “about the process for determining when to let Boeing 737” MAX aircraft begin flying again. The Boeing Company has not submitted its fix for

24 May 2019 The Washington Post reports that NASA has “launched the final stage of a four-year effort to develop a national traffic management system” for UAVs. The agency is testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of UAVs in cities “for the first time…as businesses look in the future to unleash the unmanned devices in

23 May 2019 The Washington Examiner  reports that DJI Technologies “announced Wednesday it will begin including airplane and helicopter detectors in nearly all consumer drones manufactured in and after 2020, making it the first company to do so.” DJI VP of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman “told 100 industry experts in Washington the company will

23 May 2019 Florida Today reports that “SpaceX teams are gearing up to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station late Thursday after two previous attempts were delayed due to weather and technical issues.” According to the USAF’s 45th Weather Squadron, conditions for the 90-minute launch window from 10:30 p.m. to

22 May 2019 The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Publication) reports that US aviation officials are starting to establish that the fatal Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 incident may have started with a bird strike shortly after takeoff, which may have knocked out a sensor that fed information into the MCAS automated system. (Image Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (Wall

22 May 2019 CNET News reports that during the next test flight of Starhopper, SpaceX “is expecting a maximum altitude of 16,400 feet, according to documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission and spotted by The Verge.” The filing said, “The vehicle will fly vertically from the ground to under 500 meters for its

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Industry leaders to discuss emerging trends, changing technology and new entrants. May 21, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) will hold its 2019 Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition (AIAA AVIATION Forum) 17-21 June at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

21 May 2019 CNET News reports that “SpaceX is planning to launch its delayed Starlink mission into orbit on Thursday.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon 9 on launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, 1 March 2019. Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (CNET News)

21 May 2019 The AP reports that Honda Aircraft Co. “announced Monday it is expanding its global headquarters” in Greensboro, North Carolina, “with an extra 82,000 square feet for expanded wing assembly and more parts storage for the private jets rolling off the production line.” Honda Aircraft spokeswoman Jessica Ketner indicated that “the expansion due for

17 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that “in an effort to expedite a crew landing on the Moon, NASA on May 16 hired 11 companies for studies and prototypes of descent modules, orbit-transfer stages and refueling capabilities, in advance of an upcoming solicitation for integrated lunar landing.” (Image Credit: NASA | Wikipedia) Full Story (Aviation Week)

17 May 2019 Florida Today reports that “SpaceX was forced to delay the second attempt to launch 60 of its Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday night due to software issues, the company said.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon 9 on launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, 1 March 2019. Credit: Associated Press–©)

AIAA President John Langford began his opening remarks at the 2019 AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala with a simple question: “Where were you on the afternoon and the evening of July 20, 1969?” “That event had a lot to do with why you are here tonight,” Langford said to the packed atrium of the Ronald

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten [email protected] Donation Will Support Diversification of the STEM Talent Pipeline; AIAA to Match Boeing’s Gift Through the Match A Million Campaign May 17, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation and Boeing announced this week a $1 million donation from the Boeing Charitable Trust. The

16 May 2019 SPACE reports that China’s Yutu-2 rover “may have discovered the first samples from the moon’s mantle, released from the lunar interior by a giant, ancient cosmic impact, a new study finds.” (Image: Chinese moon rover. Credit: NASA) Full Story (SPACE)

16 May 2019 The Financial Times (subscription publication) reports that German startup Lilium on Thursday will debut an all-electric jet that the company plans to adapt for public air taxi services. (Image Credit: Lilium) Full Story (Financial Times)

15 May 2019 The Daily Mail reports that “NASA-funded research is investigating the possibility of developing all-electric airliners that produce no greenhouse gas emissions.” The “Center for Cryogenic High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft” (CHEETA) project “is exploring the potential of liquid hydrogen fuel cells as an environmentally friendly power source.” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Professor Phillip

15 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that Airbus is incorporating “additive manufactured parts” on the A350 aircraft, and “it also is digitally redesigning components for other platforms to avoid sourcing them from a new supplier.” Airbus Head of Technology, Asia Pacific Cyrille Schwob said in remarks at the Aerospace & MRO Summit Bangkok last week, “3D

14 May 2019 FlightGlobal reports that the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) “plans to launch a competition to teach artificial intelligence (AI) software programmes how to control aircraft and their weapons in dogfights.” DARPA views the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) challenge as the beginning of the development of automated air-to-air combat software.

14 May 2019 Spaceflight Now reports that “SpaceX ground teams at Cape Canaveral transferred a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 40 and rotated the booster vertical Monday for a preflight hold-down firing, ahead of a liftoff scheduled for Wednesday night carrying 60 satellites into orbit for the company’s planned Starlink broadband constellation.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon

13 May 2019 Reuters reported that “a failed fuel tube caused the first crash of an F-35 jet in September of last year, U.S. government investigators said in a report issued this week.” (Image: F-35 Lightning II performs demonstration flight at Paris Air Show, Tuesday, 20 June 2017. Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (Reuters)

13 May 2019 Florida Today reports that “the weather forecast looks mostly favorable for the launch of a whopping 60 SpaceX communications [satellites] from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday, according to the Air Force.” The Falcon 9 launch from Launch Complex 40 has 70 percent “go” conditions for the 10:30 p.m. EDT launch

10 May 2019 Space News reports that “the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center on Thursday awarded United Launch Alliance a $149 million contract for a Delta 4 Heavy launch of the National Reconnaissance Office mission NROL-68, the second of three missions awarded to ULA under the Launch Vehicle Production Services contract in October

9 May 2019 The AP reports that “Swedish manufacturer Saab plans to open” a $37 million facility at Purdue’s Discovery Park District “as part of its production of a new Air Force training jet, bringing a major aviation project” near Purdue University. Saab CEO Hakan Buskhe “said the facility is expected to open next year

9 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that in materials dated May 7, the FAA “‘cannot confirm the legality’ of using technologies designed to detect small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the agency states.” The FAA provided “information to airport operators interested in testing systems that can detect and track drones flying within the vicinity of an

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] May 8, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) applauds the confirmation of Kimberly Reed, Judith DelZoppo Pryor, and former Congressman Spencer Bachus to the U.S. Export-Import Bank Board. AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement upon the Senate vote.