In an interview with USA Today , NASA Administrator James Bridenstine “all but guarantee[d] his agency will soon be back in the business of carrying humans into low-Earth orbit in 2019.” According to Bridenstine, “Without question, by the middle of next year, we’ll be flying American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. We’re so close.” The

The Orlando Sentinel reported that NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured its first images of the Bennu asteroid last week as part of a mission to land on the object, “collect small samples and return them to Earth.” According to OSIRIS-REx Principal Investigator Dante Lauretta, the event “really represents the beginning of the great scientific experiment that is OSIRIS-REx.”

CNET News profiled the increasing amount of companies, which include Lockheed Martin, Aerion Supersonic, Spike Aerospace, and Boom Technology, who are working to design supersonic aircraft “cheaper, quieter and friendlier to the environment than Concorde while minimizing the troublesome effects of a sonic boom.” Lockheed is working with NASA on its X-59 QueSST Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator

Reuters reports that for the last few months, Japanese farmers have been “testing a new drone that can hover above paddy fields and perform backbreaking tasks in a fraction of the time” if performed by hand. The Nilework Nile-T18 UAV can apply “pesticides and fertilizer to a rice field in about 15 minutes – a job

SPACE reports that NASA and industry researchers are “beginning to consider the use of machine learning and are looking into sharing training data sets” for future space missions. The use of deep learning technology to train computers to “recognize patterns based on training data” has been considered “too risky to use much for spacecraft decision-making,” but

GeekWire reports that on Thursday, in a talk to NASA personnel at Johnson Space, Vice President Mike Pence enthusiastically backed a plan to put American astronauts on a new space station in lunar orbit by 2024. Pence said the Trump administration is collaborating with Congress on an initiative to maneuver NASA’s Lunar Orbital Platform – Gateway

BBC News Online reports that as part of its plans to reduce carbon emissions, Norway plans for “all short-haul flights leaving its airports to be on aircraft powered by electricity.” The plan is one of the “most far-reaching promises yet to cut down on aviation’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions,” but to become feasible, the electric

FlightGlobal reports that LATAM Airlines Group expects to return its “entire Boeing 787 fleet” back to service “by year-end, after it was forced to ground more than half its 787s in the second quarter due to engine issues.” The carrier currently has six 787s grounded, down from a peak of 13 aircraft in June, according to

Reuters reports that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine detailed his vision for renewed and “sustainable” human exploration of the Moon in an interview Tuesday, citing the discovery of water on the lunar surface as a promising development. Bridenstine hopes that the US can make the coming generation of lunar exploration a “sustainable enterprise” through the use of

Reuters reports that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine detailed his vision for renewed and “sustainable” human exploration of the Moon in an interview Tuesday, citing the discovery of water on the lunar surface as a promising development. Bridenstine hopes that the US can make the coming generation of lunar exploration a “sustainable enterprise” through the use of

The Houston Chronicle reports that the agency plans to test the structural integrity of its Orion space capsule at the Glenn Research Center in Ohio on Friday. Personnel at the center will perform an “acoustic test for the space capsule, designed to ensure that it is structurally sound” before being launched from Cape Canaveral in April 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AIAA CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Awards Honor Outstanding Section Programming in a Variety of Categories August 22, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its 2017–2018 Section Award winners. The Section Awards honor particularly notable achievements made by member sections in a range of

Space News reports that an annual Department of Defense report on China’s military capabilities found that the country’s military strategists see space-based systems, and the denial of access to such systems, as “central to modern warfare.” Despite its public statements to the contrary, China is “stepping up the militarization of space.” According to the report, China

ExecutiveGov reports that NASA Director of Advanced Exploration Systems Jason Crusan, speaking on “Federal Drive with Tom Temin,” stated the agency’s aim for the proposed Deep Space Gateway space station to serve as an “outpost” for future deep space exploration missions. According to Crusan, the gateway should be thought of as a “kind of a space

Spaceflight Now reports that United Launch Alliance (ULA) released new video of the predawn liftoff of the company’s Delta IV Heavy rocket on August 12 “from the perspective of a downward-facing camera, capturing dazzling views of the fiery takeoff and the dramatic separation of the launcher’s two hydrogen-fueled boosters.” The nearly six-minute video “shows the shutdown

ABC News reported that last week, federal officials “warned police around the country that drones are posing an ever-growing threat to safety and security.” In new intelligence bulletin, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Counterterrorism Center warned that an attack “could be conducted by one person or several people using a commercially available,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] August 20, 2018 – Reston, Va. – Geoffrey Andrews from Purdue University has won the 2018 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in Aeronautics. Andrews is receiving the Zarem Award for his paper “A Hybrid Length Scale Similarity Solution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AIAA CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Mechanical engineering student winner is from the University of Memphis August 20, 2018 – Reston, Va. – Ken M. Mitchell from the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., has won the 2018 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation Abe M. Zarem Award for Distinguished Achievement in

Aerospace America reports that the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), known for purchasing large observation satellites, “is learning to think small for some of its needs.” At a talk at the Space Symposium, NRO Director Betty Sapp told an audience that the agency wants to “explore what the tiny rocket marketplace can provide for us.” On April

Space News (Subscription Publication) reports that NASA has called Monday’s test of the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engine for its Space Launch System (SLS) a success despite an unspecified “facility issue” that brought the test to an early end. The first in a series of static-fire tests was conducted on the A-1 stand at Stennis Space Center

Space News (Subscription Publication) reports that NASA has called Monday’s test of the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engine for its Space Launch System (SLS) a success despite an unspecified “facility issue” that brought the test to an early end. The first in a series of static-fire tests was conducted on the A-1 stand at Stennis Space Center

Space News (Subscription Publication) reports that although Arianespace’s new Ariane 6 rocket is nearing completion, the company’s “competitive landscape isn’t getting any easier” due to new rockets being developed in the US by Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance, and abroad by Russia, India, Japan, and China. In the “midst of these changes,” the ESA is

Spaceflight Now hosts video of Sunday’s launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Launch Complex 37. More Info (Spaceflight Now)

The Washington Post reports that as the White House promotes its push to create a “Space Force as a sixth military branch and the first new service since the Air Force was created in 1947, a group of government contractors sees a chance to profit.” According to Capital Alpha Partners analyst Byron Callan, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman

The Houston Chronicle reports that a test module of NASA’s Orion spacecraft passed a “mass and center of gravity test” at NASA Johnson Space Center in “one of the most important” tests prior to an “April 2019 launch to test Orion’s primary safety feature: the launch abort system.” The module is being built “specifically to test this

The  Aerospace America reports on the launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which has now deployed its solar arrays. The article reports that the “spacecraft is operating on its own power.” NASA engineers worked “for a decade designing heat shielding” for the probe that would be “lightweight, reflective and durable enough for the spacecraft” to pass into

The Wall Street Journal  reported that local and state officials across the US are working to develop spaceports in order to take advantage of a maturing space industry and increased private investment in commercial spaceports. There are currently 10 licensed commercial spaceports in the US, twice the amount that were operating in 2004. The proposed Spaceport Camden

The  Daily Mail (UK) reports that the Orbital Reflector “space sculpture” will be launched into orbit for three weeks this fall aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg AFB in October. Orbital Reflector, an installation “co-produced and presented by the Nevada Museum of Art,” is the length of a football field in the “shape of an

Spaceflight Now reports that NASA has approved a SpaceX proposal to “strap in astronauts atop Falcon 9 rockets, then fuel the launchers in the final hour of the countdown as the company does for its uncrewed missions.” The company’s “load-and-go” procedure, “in which an automatic countdown sequencer commands chilled kerosene and cryogenic liquid oxygen to flow

Spaceflight Now reports that NASA has approved a SpaceX proposal to “strap in astronauts atop Falcon 9 rockets, then fuel the launchers in the final hour of the countdown as the company does for its uncrewed missions.” The company’s “load-and-go” procedure, “in which an automatic countdown sequencer commands chilled kerosene and cryogenic liquid oxygen to flow

ExecutiveGov reports that a DARPA official recently suggested that small launch vehicles such as the Northrop Grumman Pegasus or Rocket Lab Electron “could contribute to the survivability of U.S. military assets in space, Space News reported Tuesday.” DARPA Tactical Technology Office Program Adviser Todd Master, speaking at last month’s Small Payload Rideshare Symposium, cited the growing

ExecutiveGov reports that a DARPA official recently suggested that small launch vehicles such as the Northrop Grumman Pegasus or Rocket Lab Electron “could contribute to the survivability of U.S. military assets in space, Space News reported Tuesday.” DARPA Tactical Technology Office Program Adviser Todd Master, speaking at last month’s Small Payload Rideshare Symposium, cited the growing

SPACE reports that NASA astronauts recently tested a “superfast” emergency evacuation system for The Boeing Company’s new CST-100 Starliner crew capsule. Photographers captured the test in “captivating imagery for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.” More Info (SPACE)

The Roanoke Times reports that Wing, an Alphabet subsidiary, conducted its first UAV package delivery Tuesday. Jackson Smith, a 2-year-old from Montgomery County, Virginia “became the recipient of the most advanced drone package delivery to ever occur in the United States, according to those who conducted the Tuesday’s operation.” Until now, “Wing…hasn’t been allowed to fly long

Florida Today reports that SpaceX crews are preparing for the first launch early Tuesday of a re-used Block 5 Falcon 9 rocket. The US Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron expects 80 percent “go conditions” for the two-hour launch window opening at 3:18 a.m. EDT. SpaceX is expected to carry out “considerably more flights for the vehicle

SPACE reported that NASA’s Kepler space telescope “woke up from a four-week hibernation yesterday (Aug. 2) and has begun beaming data home, just as planned, NASA officials announced today.” Kepler has been in a state of hibernation “in an attempt to save thruster fuel” and to “make sure the spacecraft had enough propellant left to orient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AIAA John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] Awards Recognize Outstanding Engineering, Math, Science and Technology Students August 6, 2015 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its 2014–2015 Section Award winners. The Section Awards honor particularly notable achievements made by member sections in a range of activities that

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] August 6, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation announced the nine winners of its 2018 graduate awards. Through its Foundation and supported by nearly 30,000 members, AIAA awards academic scholarships and STEM educational grants to support the next generation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] August 6, 2018 – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation announced the 12 winners of its 2018 undergraduate scholarships. Through its Foundation and supported by nearly 30,000 members, AIAA awards academic scholarships and STEM educational grants to support the next generation of aerospace professionals.

AIAA Profiles AIAA Educator Associate Douglas Ferguson By Lawrence Garrett, AIAA web editor AIAA Educator Associate Douglas Ferguson Influenced by his father’s passion for aerospace and his mother’s dedication to education, it is not surprising that Douglas Ferguson became a K-12 educator, a strong proponent of STEM K-12 programs, and an inspirational force to future generations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] August 1, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Christopher J. Scolese to give its 2018 von Kármán Lecture in Astronautics. Scolese will deliver his lecture on “Strategies for Technology Infusion and Risk Mitigation at NASA” at 6:30 p.m. (EDT),

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] July 31, 2018 – Reston, Va. – Giving aerospace leaders insight into how to anticipate emerging markets and guide transformative technology to widespread acceptance is at the heart of the new David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce Award. GPS pioneer Charles Trimble will be the first speaker

Aviation Today reported that Boeing’s KC-46A Pegasus “has completed more than 3,300 flight testing hours,” and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, said they “recently completed all flight tests required to deliver the first aircraft, which is expected to be in October of this year, as now agreed upon with the U.S.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] July 30, 2018 – Reston, Va. – Princeton University Professor Emeritus Irvin Glassman will be awarded the 2018 Daniel Guggenheim Medal on August 18 for his education and inspiration of today’s aerospace engineers and scientists and for his influential contributions to the fields of combustion and propulsion. “Professor

GovCon Wire reports that AIAA [Immediate Past President] Jim Maser has been named senior vice president of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s space business unit effective August 13. Maser “will report directly to President and CEO Eileen Drake and oversee the unit’s work with NASA, defense and commercial launch systems; space and launch strategy and in-space propulsion systems.” Maser

SPACE reports that NASA’s New Horizons team is “gearing up for one last shadow-chasing adventure.” This Saturday, the 2014 MU69 space object will pass in front of a distant star, “casting a dim shadow on two slivers of Earth in Senegal and Colombia.” There, New Horizons team members will study the occulation to “give us hints

In a multi-media feature titled “All the Things Satellites Can Now See From Space,”  Bloomberg News  (7/26) reports that increasing numbers of satellites and the data that they generate are being put to a variety of uses, including in-flight weather forecasting, detection of airborne particulate matter, and more. More Info (Bloomberg News)

Houston Chronicle   reports that Senate Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a new bill Thursday that would extend US operation of the ISS to 2030, and called the White House’s plan to end federal funding for the station by 2025 “foolish.” The Space Frontier Act, Cruz wrote in a

Aviation Week reports that United Launch Alliance (ULA) has completed work on its “first dual-engine Centaur upper stage for an Atlas V rocket, a vehicle configuration purchased by Boeing for upcoming CST-100 Starliner flight tests and crew rotation missions to the International Space Station.” More Info (Aviation Week)

CNET News reports that Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson believes that the company is “on the verge” of reaching its goals to reach space. During an interview, Branson admitted, “Before the end of the year I hope to be sitting in a Virgin Galactic spaceship, going to space.” More Info (CNET News)