Wired reported that FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell spoke at Uber’s annual Elevate Summit in Los Angeles, where the ride-sharing company presented its vision of future intra-urban drone transportation networks, or “flying taxis.” Among the “nearly 1,000 attendees” from various organizations and institutions, the FAA was “unlike the other participants, who were all gung-ho about the

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX has delayed the launch of five Iridium “message relay satellites and a pair of U.S.-German orbiting geophysics probes” on a Falcon 9 rocket from California by three days to May 22, while a “week-long schedule slip to May 31 is expected for the next SpaceX flight from Cape Canaveral with an

USA Today reports that the FAA ordered faster inspections of Boeing 737 aircraft engines Wednesday in order to “ensure that the oldest fan blades in about 5,400 engines are inspected by June 30.” In a statement, the FAA said that it is “acting to ensure an extra measure of safety for fan blade performance in CFM56

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] May 18, 2018 – 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 2018 AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition (AIAA AVIATION Forum). The awards will be presented during the Excellence in

Space News reports that a NASA advisory committee, concerned about “delays in the development of commercial crew systems,” wants the agency to consider operating the ISS with a reduced crew. At the ISS Advisory Committee’s May 14 meeting, Chairman Thomas Stafford argued that NASA should consider training Russian cosmonauts on key systems for the US Operating

The Wall Street Journal reports that airlines are increasingly using smaller jets such as the Boeing 737 Max for transatlantic flights, providing the airlines with additional scheduling flexibility. JetBlue is considering adding European flights with its Airbus A321neo. This will also provide smaller airlines the opportunity to break into the long-haul market, 75 percent of which is

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] May 17, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce four new at-large members of its Board of Trustees, a new treasurer, and four new members of its Council of Directors. They began their terms on 4 May 2018.

AIAA Profiles AIAA Associate Fellow Dr. Martiqua Post Professor, U.S. Air Force Academy Advanced Full Range Engine (AFRE) Program Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative, DARPA By Michele McDonald, AIAA Communications Manager When Martiqua Post earned her private pilot’s license, the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) professor also learned more about what her students experience. “I passed my FAA check

Bloomberg News reports that with plummeting prices of commercial “airborne data” and the availability of low-cost UAVs, there is growing competition among companies to maximize their profits while still offering affordable services to customers. Companies including General Electric, Intel, Verizon, and new startups like PrecisionHawk and Airware are trying to gain an edge by using new

Reuters reports that a “new look at old data” has made Jupiter’s moon Europa a “leading candidate in the search for life beyond Earth, with evidence of water plumes shooting into space.” A “bend in Europa’s magnetic field” observed by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft in 1997 appears to have been “caused by a geyser gushing through its

Aerospace America reported on discussions at last week’s Humans to Mars Summit in Washington, DC centered on space entrepreneurship. During the event, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, “I believe the first trillionaire will be made in space.” While attendees and presenters “seemed optimistic about growth” of the space industry, some were “less sure about Cruz’s trillionaire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] May 14, 2018 – Reston, Va. – From honoring the top innovators in aerospace to passing the gavel to a new president, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala on May 2 covered a lot of ground. The gala celebrated 22 newly elected

The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA leadership plans to “reassign all 90 employees” working on the agency’s canceled lunar rover to “other opportunities within the agency” when work on the project ends this month. The $250 million Resource Prospector was canceled April 23, the “same day Jim Bridenstine was sworn in as NASA’s new administrator.” The cancellation

FlightGlobal reports that the US Coast Guard issued a request for proposals for “long-range, ultra-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions” in US coastal regions “highly trafficked by illegal drug and migrant smugglers.” The areas include the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and eastern Pacific Ocean. The aircraft must be land-based and

The AP reports that Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced Wednesday that 10 sites have been selected for a “test program aimed at increasing the use of unmanned aircraft for projects that range from monitoring crops and oil pipelines in North Dakota to applying mosquito-killing treatments in Florida and package deliveries in Tennessee.” In a statement, Chao

Bloomberg News reports that Uber announced plans Tuesday to partner with NASA to develop vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that will serve as taxis within cities. Uber made the announcement at its Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles, and set a goal to begin testing in 2020, with commercial service beginning in 2023. More Info (Bloomberg News)

Bloomberg News reports that Uber announced plans Tuesday to partner with NASA to develop vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that will serve as taxis within cities. Uber made the announcement at its Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles, and set a goal to begin testing in 2020, with commercial service beginning in 2023. More Info (Bloomberg News)

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX confirmed a Thursday launch date for its upgraded “Block 5” Falcon 9 rocket in a tweet Monday. Launch crews successfully completed a test fire of the rocket Friday at Kennedy Space Center’s Pad 39A. Florida Today reports that SpaceX will have more than two hours to launch the rocket “with Bangladesh’s first geostationary

USA Today reports that 2017 was the second-most profitable year ever for US airlines, which brought in “nearly $15.5 billion, the Transportation Department announced Monday.” Combined after-tax net profit at 23 airlines “improved from the $14 billion in 2016, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).” Fees for checked bags and changed flights contributed 4.6

Aerospace America reported that on Thursday, the NTSB said investigators examining the Southwest Airlines Boing 737-700 which experienced a broken engine blade last month have found “six crack lines from metal fatigue in pieces of the blade discovered inside the CFM56-7B engine built by CFM International, the joint venture of Safran Aircraft Engines and GE Aviation.”

Spaceflight Now reported that on Saturday, “an automated SpaceX supply ship parachuted into the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, bringing more than 3,800 pounds of cargo – including a NASA robot requiring repair – back to Earth after a month-long mission at the International Space Station.” The Dragon cargo capsule splashed into the Pacific about 400 miles

FlightGlobal reports that Boeing subsidiary Insitu debuted its ScanEagle3 UAV at the “annual AUVSI gathering.” Boeing is promoting the UAV as a “primarily commercial product that is free of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations that govern its other aircraft, such as the ScanEagle2 and Integrator.” According to Insitu Commercial Vice President Mark Bauman, this “enables

The Washington Post reports that NASA’s InSight spacecraft is “slated to launch early Saturday morning, carrying instruments to take the temperature and pulse of the Red Planet’s deep interior.” The probe will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in “NASA’s first interplanetary launch from the West Coast.” The mission aims to help scientists understand how

SPACE reports that NASA and SpaceX have postponed the “return to Earth of the CRS-14 Dragon cargo ship” from the ISS until Saturday due to “rough seas at its splashdown zone.” According to NASA spokesperson Gary Jordan, mission managers wanted to avoid unnecessary risk to scientific experiments and equipment aboard the Dragon. Jordan stated, “It’s really

Reuters reports that aerospace suppliers are beginning to explore the use of blockchain technology as a way to “keep tabs on their supply chain, potentially tracking parts such as those identified as the cause of a Southwest Airlines accident last month.” Blockchain technology is best-known as the “digital transactions technology that underpins cryptocurrency,” but can also

Bloomberg News reports that although Intel UAVs played “starring roles at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the music and arts festival Coachella and danced above the Bellagio Hotel’s fountains in Las Vega,” the company anticipates that new software for “more utilitarian unmanned aerial vehicles may play a more lasting role in its attempts to spread the reach

Space News reports that the National Space Council (NSC) is studying better coordination of the radiofrequency spectrum to “protect satellite communications from terrestrial interference, the council’s executive secretary said April 30.” Speaking at the Hudson Institute, NSC Executive Director Scott Pace called for setting aside parts of the spectrum for satellite services in order to protect

SPACE reports that the heat shield for NASA’s Mars rover suffered a “fracture during testing recently, but the incident won’t change the mission’s launch date, agency officials said.” The rover is part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission to search for signs of microbial life and “characterize potentially habitable environments.” Structural damage to the shield’s outer edge

Aviation Today reports that Gulfstream Aerospace plans to build a $55 million, 202,000-square-foot service center at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia. The new service center is expected to create 200 jobs when it opens in the second quarter of 2019, and will “complement the main Gulfstream Savannah Service Center, the world’s largest purpose-built business jet

Florida Today reported that Orbital ATK is targeting “late May for the next launch of its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft on a mission to resupply the International Space Station.” Orbital ATK launch teams will have a five-minute window on May 20 to launch the rocket and a Cygnus spacecraft from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company’s profits “surged past Wall Street estimates in the first quarter” amid “booming demand” for commercial jets, causing the company to raise its “forecasts for cash flow and earnings in what promises to be another record year.” Referencing concerns expressed by Caterpillar about rising steel and aluminum costs, Boeing CEO Dennis

Space News reports that according to a report released Thursday by NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), the agency is paying more money for less cargo delivered to the ISS as part of commercial cargo contracts issued in 2016. The OIG report also “flagged a number of issues with all three companies that received Commercial Resupply

Florida Today reports that SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell estimated at a recent TED Talk that the company’s Starlink satellite internet constellation will cost at least $10 billion to deploy and will “change the world.” SpaceX plans to launch thousands of small satellites to low-Earth orbit which will “beam internet connectivity back down, bypassing the

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company’s profits “surged past Wall Street estimates in the first quarter” amid “booming demand” for commercial jets, causing the company to raise its “forecasts for cash flow and earnings in what promises to be another record year.” Referencing concerns expressed by Caterpillar about rising steel and aluminum costs, Boeing CEO Dennis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 26, 2018 – Reston, Va. – Paul M. Bevilaqua will be awarded the Daniel Guggenheim Medal next month for his influential aeronautics work, which has led to such advancements as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Daniel Guggenheim Medal was established in 1929 to honor innovators who

Spaceflight Now reports that SpaceX technicians at Cape Canaveral are readying for the first launch of an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket next week, a mission that will “debut changes to make the launcher” safer for astronauts as well as make it easier and safer for SpaceX to reuse first-stage boosters. The launch of the “European-built Bangabandhu

Reuters reports that Airbus subsidiary Voom, which operates a helicopter booking app, “expects its new Mexico City operations to capitalize on some of the worst traffic in the world to eclipse the growth it has seen in Brazil, the company’s chief executive said.” Voom began operations in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Mexico City is the company’s

The Apache Junction Independent reports that the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is adding eight UAVs to “help its engineering staff safely and more efficiently inspect hard-to-reach areas on some bridges and perform surveying work along state highways.” ADOT purchased the UAVs through an Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation program grant. This spring, the Arizona Council for

FlightGlobal reports that United Airlines has taken delivery of its “first Boeing 737 Max 9, marking the stretched Max variant’s debut at a US carrier.” The aircraft was handed over at Boeing’s Seattle delivery center Monday, and the jet was given a “special swoosh livery” due to the aircraft’s fuel efficiency. The 737 Max 8, which

Aerospace America reported that a team from Clarkson University won the 2018 Design/Build/Fly competition in Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, “besting fellow students from around the United States and world.” The team’s aircraft was one of the lightest radio-controlled planes in the competition, and was made in part from the “takeout container box from a Chinese restaurant.”

Aviation International News reported that Lockheed Martin Vice President and F-35 Program General Manager Greg Ulmer declared that its F-35 program has completed the “most comprehensive flight-test program in aviation history.” The final flight of the fighter’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase was take from Naval Air Station Patuxent River “on April 11, when F-35C

Reuters reported that Honeywell posted “higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday and lifted its full-year earnings forecast for the second time this year, citing higher sales in its aerospace business.” The aerospace division benefited from a “rise in global travel as it sold more aircraft parts and services to the commercial airline sector, while also seeing robust

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] April 23, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) today announces that President-Elect John Langford has made a generous donation of $250,000 to fund an annual $10,000 AIAA Foundation Daedalus 88 Undergraduate Scholarship. “John has set a high standard for others to

Aerospace America reports that following a fatality aboard a Southwest Airlines flight caused by the failure of one of the aircraft’s CFM56-7B engines, Southwest will work toward inspecting all similar engines in its fleet within a month. When the FAA sought public comment last year on a proposed rule requiring inspections of the engines’ fan blades,

Aerospace America reports that DARPA has selected a team led by Dynetics to develop and test elements of its “proposed concept for dispatching drones from C-130 transport planes” and recovering them using a “tethered capture device that resembles an aerial refueling boom.” The company announced Wednesday that it had won the “next phase of DARPA’s $64

Aerospace America interviewed attendees of the Space Symposium about their thoughts on Jim Bridenstine, “whose nomination was mired in controversy in the months since he was named.” Attendees reported that “they were ready to move forward” from the past controversies, chiefly “because of what they see as his strong support for the US industry and space

Aerospace America reports that US Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced a reorganization of the Space And Missile Systems Center (SMC) on Tuesday, “with the aim of getting missile warning satellites to orbit years sooner than she said today’s acquisition processes and bureaucratic structure would permit.” The service is developing the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: John Blacksten 703.264.7532 [email protected] AIAA President Congratulates Rep. Bridenstine April 19, 2018 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates Oklahoma Congressman Jim Bridenstine on being confirmed as the 13th NASA Administrator. AIAA President Jim Maser made the following statement upon Bridenstine’s confirmation. “There is much for

Bloomberg News reported that India announced Friday it would accept proposals from industry to provide 110 single- and twin-seat fighters that would “be mostly manufactured locally” in the world’s “biggest such order currently.” The order could be worth as much as $15 billion, and will require manufacturers to produce at least 85 percent of the jets

Reuters reports that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is backing the development of a “United Nations-led” global UAV registry. According to IATA Director of Air Traffic Management Infrastructure Rob Eagles, the database also could be used to track incidents involving UAVs and jets. IATA also would consider “collaborating with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)