8 May 2019 FlightGlobal reports that Pegasus Universal Aerospace’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) business jet “will make its first public outing this month at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.” The startup “will debut a one-eighth-scale model of the all-composite aircraft and open the orderbook for the eight-passenger type.” The

8 May 2019 CBS News reports that a hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, is “pioneering the use of drones to speed up the delivery of critical medical samples across WakeMed Hospital’s campus.” WakeMed “partnered with…UPS and drone-maker Matternet to launch the program in March.” The program debuts the “first revenue-producing commercial drone flights approved by

7 May 2019 CNET News reports that “NASA on Monday tweeted out a time-lapse video of” SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft as it was “being captured” by the ISS. NASA posted on Twitter, “Checkout this incredible time lapse video of this morning’s capture of the @SpaceX Dragon cargo craft by astronaut @Astro_DavidS of @CSA_ASC, backed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] May 7, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation thanks the family and friends of Dr. Hassan A. Hassan for contributing to a new graduate award in aerospace engineering in his name. Dr. Hassan, 87, established the Dr. Hassan A. Hassan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] May 6, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Regional Student Conference first-place winners. AIAA sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students present their research

1 May 2019 SPACE reports that “six flybys of relatively large asteroids will happen over a span of two years, beginning in June 2027,” and they “will offer an incredible spree of close asteroid flybys, and none will pose a threat to life on Earth.” NASA JPL Radar Specialist Lance Benner said in remarks April

1 May 2019 The Los Angeles Times reports that “a video circulating on the internet that appeared to show SpaceX’s astronaut capsule exploding during an April 20 test was leaked from the test area, according to an internal memo issued by a major NASA contractor.” Both “NASA and SpaceX have been tight-lipped about the extent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] May 1, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region VI Student Conference winners. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 30, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region V Student Conference winners. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 29, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region IV Student Conference winners. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 25, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region II Student Conference winners. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate

26 April 2019 Reuters reports that “Japan expanded its search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter on Thursday with a maritime survey vessel joining a navy ship and a U.S. Navy salvage team is expected in the area in coming days, a Japanese air force spokesman said.” Only small pieces of the aircraft’s tail have

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 26, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region III Student Conference winners. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate

26 April 2019 Reuters reports that the FAA will host a meeting of top civil aviation officials May 23 to discuss the safety of the 737 MAX. The FAA said that the meeting “is intended to provide participants the FAA’s safety analysis that will inform its decision to return the 737 MAX fleet to service

25 April 2019 The Orlando Sentinel reports that NASA “reinforced its confidence in SpaceX on Wednesday as the company moved ahead with a planned resupply mission to the International Space Station despite an apparent explosion over the weekend during testing of its astronaut capsule.” In a statement Wednesday, NASA spokesperson Stephanie Martin said that the

25 April 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that Layne Merritt, head of U.S. Army’s Aviation Development Directorate, “said the service plans to conduct a series of demonstrations for a new fleet of air-launched unmanned aircraft in the coming years, Defense News reported Tuesday.” The military branch “looks to develop a capability to deploy drones from a larger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 24, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2019 Region I Student Conference winners. AIAA sponsors student conferences in each AIAA region for student members at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students present their research

24 April 2019 Reuters reports that “NASA’s robotic probe InSight has detected and measured what scientists believe to be a ‘marsquake,’ marking the first time a likely seismological tremor has been recorded on another planet, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California reported on Tuesday.” (Image Credit: NASA) More Info (Reuters)

24 April 2019 The Los Angeles Times reports that the use of “hypergolic propellants” by SpaceX could be part of “the investigation into an accident Saturday during a ‘static fire’ test of a Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco engines in Florida.” The SuperDraco thrusters are “powered by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide – propellants that, when combined, immediately

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] March 22, 2019 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics announced today the results of its 2019 election for President-Elect and Council of Directors positions. “It is with sincere gratitude that I thank our volunteers for stepping up to help lead AIAA in this

Airport Technology reports that a “recent spate of incidents involving drones at airports in the UK, the US and the UAE has focused public and media attention on the threat they pose to critical airspace.” In order to counter UAVs at airports, “companies such as DJI are employing ‘geo-fencing,’ whereby software uses the global positioning system

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Honored for Efforts to Promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education March 18, 2019 – Reston, Va. –Three K–12 educators from across the United States have won the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Educator Achievement Awards, honoring their efforts to promote science, technology, engineering,

18 April 2019 Space News reports that “a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket successfully launched a Cygnus spacecraft April 17” at 4:46 p.m. local time from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The Cygnus carried “nearly three and a half metric tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station,” and it “separated from the Antares rocket’s upper

CNET News reports that NASA and Blue Origin “have signed an agreement that will provide Blue Origin access to the historic test stand and strengthen growth in the commercial space sector, NASA announced Wednesday.” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said in a press release, “Through this agreement, we’ll provide for the refurbishment, restoration and modernization of

CNET News reports that NASA is studying the lunar South Pole as part of its “plan to return astronauts to the moon within five years.” Although “the Apollo missions of the ‘60s and ‘70s all landed around the moon’s equator…the pole has” ice capable of extraction and use in various applications. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for

16 April 2019 Reuters reports that United Continental Holdings Inc. announced Monday that it was removing flights operated using Boeing 737 MAX jets from its schedule “through early July.” The carrier has limited the number of cancellations to date by using Boeing 777 and 787 passenger jets to service its 737 MAX routes, but United Airlines

CNN reports that “NASA’s planet-hunting TESS mission has found its first Earth-size exoplanet,” dubbed HD 21749c, “in a star system only 53 light-years from Earth.” Researchers determined in a study “published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on Monday” that the planet “completes an orbit of its host star every eight days,” and “the density suggests that

15 April 2019 Reuters reports that “the world’s largest aircraft took off over the Mojave Desert in California on Saturday, the first flight for the carbon-composite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp.” The Roc aircraft “has a wingspan the length of an American football field and is powered by six engines on a twin fuselage.” The

15 April 2019 SPACE reported that on Thursday, NASA “announced that SpaceX will fly its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary-defense mission.” DART “will launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in June 2021,” and it will have a “total launch cost for NASA” of “about $69 million, agency officials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Teams from 21 Nations Competed April 15, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation congratulates the winning teams in the 2018–2019 Textron Aviation/Raytheon Missile Systems/AIAA Foundation Student Design/Build/Fly (DBF) Competition, held April 11–14, at the Tucson International Modelplex Park Association (TIMPA)

Reuters reports that the FAA confirmed on Thursday that it will hold a meeting on Friday with airlines and pilot unions to discuss the 737 MAX. The FAA said that the purpose of the meeting is to help the agency “gather facts, information, and individual views to further understand their views as FAA decides what needs

The New York Times reports that researchers have published the results of the NASA Twins Study, which found both temporary and permanent changes to astronaut Scott Kelly’s biological makeup and genetic mutations. Researchers studied the impact of time spent in space by comparing astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent 340 days in space on the ISS, with his

SPACE reports that “SpaceX called off the much-anticipated second launch of its massive Falcon Heavy rocket on Wednesday (April 10) due to unacceptable wind conditions in the upper atmosphere.” In a Twitter post, SpaceX representatives said, “Standing down from today’s Falcon Heavy launch attempt; next opportunity is tomorrow, April 11.” The rescheduled Thursday launch “would occur

The Wall Street Journal reports that the FAA has created an international panel featuring regulators from the European Union, China, Canada, Brazil, the UAE, Indonesia, and others that will assess the Boeing 737 MAX’s safety certification and The Boeing Company’s software fix for the jet. Sources believe that the 737 MAX grounding could be lifted in early

Reuters reports that “search and rescue teams found wreckage from a Japanese F-35 stealth fighter that crashed over the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan, but the pilot remains missing, authorities said on Wednesday.” An Air Self Defence Force (ASDF) spokesman said, “We recovered the wreckage and determined it was from the F-35.” More Info (Reuters)

CNET News reports that Alphabet’s startup Wing “on Tuesday launched its commercial drone delivery service in North Canberra, Australia.” The UAVs “will deliver fresh food, hot coffee and over-the-counter health products to customers’ homes within minutes, the company said.” In a blog post, the company said, “Wing has teamed up with local Canberra businesses to give

Aviation International News reports that Gulfstream set a new city-pair speed record after “the ultra-long-range G650ER flew” March 29 “from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona, in 15 hours and 23 minutes, with fuel in excess of NBAA IFR reserves, eclipsing the previous record set earlier last month by a Bombardier Global 7500 by 44 minutes.” The flight

The Orlando Sentinel reported that “SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket launch is officially scheduled for Tuesday night” with a launch window from 6:36 p.m. to 8:33 p.m. local time “from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39A.” However, “the 45th Space Wing [weather] forecast from Patrick Air Force Base calls for just a 30% chance of the weather cooperating

FlightGlobal reported that “combat units of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter fleet within the three US military services and eight international programme partners are on track to reach an 80% mission capability rate by September 2019.” In prepared testimony before the US House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee on April 4, Joint

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] “Turning Flight Control on its Head for the F-35, eVTOL, and Beyond” April 8, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Justin Paines to give its 2019 Wright Brothers Lecture in Aeronautics. Paines will deliver his lecture on “Turning Flight Control on its Head for the F-35, eVTOL, and

FlightGlobal reports that manufacturer Piper Aircraft has launched its Pilot 100 and 100i entry-level trainers, “which are designed to plug a gap in the market from the growing training school sector for aircraft with ‘optimal acquisition and operating costs and economics.” The $259,000 “value-priced” trainers “are trimmed-down derivatives of the PA-28 Archer TX and feature a

CNET News reports that “NASA announced on Wednesday that Boeing will target August for the first uncrewed Orbital Flight Test of the CST-100 Starliner,” and “a crewed mission is unlikely to happen until late 2019.” Although “the Starliner spacecraft is close to completion and is designed to be reusable up to 10 times,” NASA has yet

CNET News reports that “early Tuesday morning, Elon Musk said on Twitter that the first test of a Raptor engine as part of Starship had been set back by ‘some challenges with ice formation in the cryogenic propellant prevalves. Hopefully overcome soon.’” SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket’s test firing also was delayed, but the rocket “is still

Reuters reports that the U.S. Air Force “said on Tuesday that it again stopped accepting deliveries of Boeing Co’s KC-46 tanker aircraft after finding foreign object debris in the planes.” USAF spokesperson Captain Hope Cronin said, “Our inspectors identified additional foreign object debris and areas where Boeing did not meet quality standards.” More Info (Reuters)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 3, 2019 – Reston, Va. –The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of technical excellence awards to be presented during the 2019 AIAA AVIATION Forum. The awards will be presented during the Excellence in Aerospace Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, 18

Reuters (4/1) reports that The Boeing Company announced Monday that it will submit its software patch for the 737 MAX “for FAA review once completed in the coming weeks.” The company added, “We will take a thorough and methodical approach to the development and testing of the update to ensure we take the time to get

The Washington Post reports that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine “said Monday that the agency will need additional funding to meet a White House mandate to land people on the moon by 2024.” In remarks at a town hall meeting at NASA headquarters, Bridenstine said, “In the executive branch, people are very serious, we are going to the

FlightGlobal reported that “Japan’s air force stood up its first operational F-35A fighter squadron, the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, on 29 March.” The nation joins the US and other military services “with operational F-35 squadrons.” Vice Admiral Mat Winter said, “This is a major milestone for the F-35 enterprise, as it marks the first F-35 IOC

CNET News reports that this week, SpaceX may ignite “Falcon Heavy, the biggest rocket currently in its stable, as well as its next-generation Starship, designed to eventually take passengers to Mars.” The opportunity for “so-called static or ‘hold down’ test firings of both rockets could take place as soon as…Monday, April 1 for Falcon Heavy.” SpaceX

SPACE reports on Vice President Pence’s remarks March 26 “during the fifth meeting of the National Space Council (NSC) at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.” Pence said, “Make no mistake about it – we’re in a space race today, just as we were in the 1960s, and the stakes are even higher.”