Aviation Week reports that The Boeing Company’s “struggles handing over 787s during much of the COVID-19-induced long-haul traffic collapse may have an unintended upside – a forced pause in deliveries during a temporary stretch of low demand when many customers do not want the aircraft.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

CNET News reports that NASA released on Tuesday a 360-degree panorama of Gale Crater taken by the Curiosity rover in July to mark nine years on Mars. Full Story (CNET News)

Federal News Network anchor Eric White interviewed AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher for an episode of the network’s “The Space Hour” podcast. Topics included the impact of civilian space launches by Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos and the future of space tourism. Full Story (Federal News Network)

Inside Defense reports that on Monday, the US Air Force announced that it has awarded “contracts to Kratos and General Atomics to continue development and experimentation on the Skyborg program.” Kratos’ contract is worth up to $13.2 million for its XQ-58A, and General Atomics’ contract is worth as much as $7 million for its MQ-20. In

Aviation International News reported that Embraer President and CEO Francisco Neto said that Embraer’s executive jets division saw record second-quarter sales. Embraer saw a “20 percent reduction in production cycle time for its aircraft this year, indicating improved efficiency,” and “delivered 12 light jets and eight larger jets in the second quarter, for a 54 percent

Space News reported that satellite communications are key to allowing UAVs to fly autonomously beyond visual line of sight. QuadSAT CEO Joakim Espeland said, “This has to come from space because you need something that has coverage everywhere, no matter what.” US startup Rammaxx “recently tested a proof of concept where a small group of

Breaking Defense reports that the US Air Force is “backing off on its 2023 goal to transition the AI-driven Skyborg drone experiments to a formal procurement program, with one of Skyborg’s lead officers today citing the need for considerable budgetary tradeoffs.” Brig. Gen. Dale White, program executive officer (PEO) for fighters and advanced aircraft at the

Aviation Week reports that Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo capsule “rendezvoused with the International Space Station early Aug. 12, where it was grappled using Canada’s 58-ft.-long robot arm and berthed to the seven-person orbital lab’s U.S. segment Unity module.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

The New York Times  reports that NASA scientists announced at a news conference Wednesday that “there was a 1-in-1,750 chance that an asteroid named Bennu, which is a bit wider than the Empire State Building is tall, could collide with Earth between now and 2300.” The most likely day for an impact “would be Sept. 24,

Aviation Week reports that The Boeing Company has flown two KC-46A tanker aircraft “to demonstrate tracking technology for future autonomous air-to-air refueling (A3R) capability.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

ExecutiveGov reports that NASA has installed “software designed to facilitate the flight and guidance of the Space Launch System rocket, which will lift the Orion spacecraft for future exploration missions.” NASA said Tuesday that engineers are running tests to certify the software, installed upon assembly of the SLS at the Kennedy Space Center. SLS Systems Engineering

Aviation Today reports that Volansi’s Voly 10 UAV “completed the first-ever completely autonomous maritime drone delivery demonstration with the Navy and Coast Guard on July 18 near Key West, Florida.” The VOLY 10 had a “5-pound payload and completed a 15 nautical mile trip from a Navy ship to the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump

SPACE reports that the Parker Solar Probe made its ninth pass by the sun Monday at 3:10 p.m. EDT. The Parker Solar Probe is “focusing on understanding the mechanism by which the sun’s atmosphere gets so hot – thousands of degrees hotter than the sun’s surface – and the origins of the solar wind, a constant

ExecutiveGov reports that the US Navy received its first TH-73A Thrasher training helicopter Friday. The TH-73A Thrasher “is developed to deliver better power, speed, payload and endurance than the Sea Ranger, with the enhancements being intended to address capability and capacity challenges and improve preparations for naval pilots.” Rear Admiral Robert Westendorff said, “Using current cockpit

Aviation Today reported that DHL Express announced August 3 that it purchased 12 Alice eCargo electric aircraft from Eviation. DHL Express CEO John Pearson said, “We firmly believe in a future with zero-emission logistics. Therefore, our investments always follow the objective of improving our carbon footprint. On our way to clean logistics operations, the electrification

USA Today reports that NASA is looking for four volunteers to live in the Mars Dune Alpha, “a 3D-printed 1,700-square-foot module inside the Johnson Space Center in Houston” for a year. NASA plans to conduct three experiments in fall 2022, 2024, and 2025, respectively. NASA Advanced Food Technology Research Lead Scientist Grace Douglas said, “The analog

The Washington Post reported that The Boeing Company had Starliner inspected for water or electrical damage after the cancellation of Tuesday’s launch. NASA declined to give a date for the next launch. A NASA spokesperson said, “NASA and Boeing will look for the next available opportunity after resolution of the issue.” Boeing said that the mission was

Reuters reports that Qatar Airways announced Thursday it grounded 13 Airbus A350 aircraft under instruction of its regulator due to deterioration of fuselage surfaces. Qatar Airways has been in a dispute with Airbus for months over the dispute and insisted that it would not take further A350 deliveries until the issue was resolved. Qatar Airways Chief

CNN Business reports that The Boeing Company’s Starliner test flight was delayed once again on Tuesday to an unspecified date. Officials have so far only been able to rule out software issues, indicating the issue is unrelated to the 2019 Starliner misfire. Full Story (CNN Business)

FlightGlobal reports that the US Marine Corps is to receive two MQ-9A Reapers in August to increase its ISR capabilities over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The MQ-9A Reapers are also being used to “inform future requirements for the service’s revamped MUX (Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary)” program. The MUX program, an effort

The Hill reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shared photos this week “of Raptor engines being fitted onto the Super Heavy booster that makes up the bottom half of the two-stage Starship rocket.” SpaceX plans to launch the Starship from its Boca Chica, Texas, facility. The reusable Super Heavy booster will separate three minutes into the

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that NASA shared a time-lapse video showing construction of the X-59 QueSST aircraft at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The 43-second clip shows development of the fuselage and the 29.5-foot-wide wing. Full Story (Daily Mail)

SPACE reports that NASA’s Flight Director at mission control in Houston during the Nauka docking, Zebulon Scoville, said that the ISS tilted more severely than the reported 45 degrees. Scoville said that Nauka caused the station to spin “one-and-a-half revolutions – about 540 degrees – before coming to a stop upside down. The space station

Aviation Week reports that widebody aircraft manufacturers are focusing on freighters as demand for airliners has stagnated. Airbus already has promoted a freighter version of its A350 airliner, and The Boeing Company is considering producing the 777X freighter, an upgraded version of its popular 777F freighter. Full Story (Aviation Week)

Space News reports that NASA and The Boeing Company are to make a second attempt to launch the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a test flight August 3. On Friday, NASA announced “they were proceeding with [the August 3] … launch, in an instantaneous launch window at 1:20 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Aviation International News reported that Volocopter made the first FAA-approved flight of an eVTOL aircraft Tuesday at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The crewed Volocopter 2X prototype flew a four-minute sortie at around 164 feet. Volocopter confirmed that it is working on the four-seat VoloConnect aircraft, expected to have a 60-mile range and top

Space News reports that GeoOptics plans to deploy a constellation of smallsats over the next five years to collect Earth science and weather data. GeoOptics announced Thursday that it would be launching its new CICERO-2 satellites to collect GNSS radio occultation data and GNSS signals reflected off the Earth Full Story (Space News)

Aviation Today reports that AFWERX Director Col. Nathan Diller said that the US Air Force’s Agility Prime program has been investing in electric air taxis and could have them in use by 2023. The vertical takeoff and landing capable air taxis potentially could be used to evacuate downed aircrew. Full Story (Aviation Today)

The Drive reports that the first XQ-58A Valkyrie stealthy, affordable UAV is being retired after having completed four public test flights. The test platform will be used as a museum exhibit. The XQ-58A in question “suffered a mishap in late 2019 while completing its third flight, but was subsequently repaired and flew again.” Full Story (The

Space News reports that US Space Force Vice Chief Gen. David Thompson said Wednesday that space vehicles powered by small nuclear reactors could be used for military missions in deep space. Thompson said at the Mitchell Institute virtual forum that nuclear propulsion “holds the potential for significant advantages in terms of efficiency compared to standard chemical

Space News reports that NASA and The Boeing Company “say a second test flight of the company’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle remains on track for launch July 30, with weather the biggest concern.” A launch readiness review “for the uncrewed Orbital Flight Test (OFT) 2 mission July 27 confirmed that both the Starliner spacecraft

TechCrunch reports that Joby Aviation has carried out the lengthiest “test flight of an eVTOL to date: Its unnamed full-sized prototype aircraft concluded a trip of over 150 miles on a single charge, the company said Monday.” The test was carried out this month at the company’s Electric Flight Base in Big Sur, California. The

July 27, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The 2021 AIAA AVIATION Forum begins Monday, August 2, kicking off nearly two weeks of high-profile speakers and panelists within the aerospace community, as well as deep technical content from more than 1,000 technical papers covering the latest innovations and important topics in aviation. The 2021 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum

TechCrunch reports that iRocket “has entered into a new partnership with NASA in its quest to reach commercialization in just two years.” The partnership “will give iRocket access to testing facilities and engineering support, chiefly at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.” The company “is hoping that it will conduct its first rocket

ExecutiveGov reports that NASA “has completed the high-voltage testing of its all-electric X-57 Maxwell aircraft at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.” The test “plugged an auxiliary power to the” Empirical Systems Aerospace-developed aircraft “to ensure that all integrated systems could function as designed at full power, NASA said Friday.” The test was

Reuters reported that former Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides “will fly to space on the aerospace company’s next test spaceflight, CNBC reported on Friday.” Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson “announced the news about Whitesides during a party in New Mexico on July 11, following his own spaceflight, the report said.” Full Story (Reuters)

National Defense Magazine reported that Mike White, principal director for hypersonics in the office of the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, recently indicated that the “Air Force’s AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon is poised to be the first hypersonic offensive system to move from development to procurement. … There will be a number of

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2021 – 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 2021 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, which will be held online 9-11 August. The awards ceremony will be held online Wednesday, 11 August,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 23, 2021 – 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 2021 AIAA AVIATION Forum, which will be held online 2-6 August 2021.  The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, 6 August, 1300-1430 hrs

Reuters reports that “seismic waves from quakes detected by NASA’s robotic InSight lander have helped scientists decipher the anatomy of Mars, including the first estimates of the size of its large liquid metal core, thickness of its crust, and nature of its mantle.” The findings, disclosed Thursday, “shed light on what had been a poorly understood

FlightGlobal reports that the Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant rotorcraft “demonstrated the ability to lift a 2,400kg (5,300lb) sling load in a recent test flight.” The co-axial helicopter “with a pusher propeller is still undergoing flight tests as the US Army reportedly recently sent out request for proposals for its Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) to

The AP reports that Spirit AeroSystems “expects to hire more than 4,600 workers in Wichita by 2024, after losing more than 5,000 jobs during the coronavirus pandemic and since the 737 Max was grounded.” Adam Pogue, Spirit AeroSystems vice president of manufacturing services, “said in a presentation given to the City Council Tuesday the aviation company also

Space News reported that during an AIAA online event Tuesday, Jennifer Warren, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of civil and regulatory affairs, “said space sustainability is a common objective of many countries ‘but I really think achieving and maintaining it requires a level of international collaboration and cooperation that we’re still aspiring to.’” Warren said that

CBS News reports that on Monday, NASA released two new images from the Hubble Space Telescope – the first images released since the telescope resumed operations after fixing a computer anomaly. The two images, captured over the weekend, are of “a ‘rarely observed’ pair of colliding galaxies, and a large ‘unusual’ spiral galaxy, NASA announced.

Reuters reports that on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin “inspected a prototype of a new Sukhoi fifth-generation fighter” that Russia “unveiled at its annual MAKS air show with an eye on export markets.” The project Checkmate fighter “is likely to be touted as a rival to the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter, said Oleg Panteleyev, head

AIAA congratulates our corporate member Blue Origin on its successful first human flight of its New Shepard rocket today.

Aviation Week reports, “Honda Aircraft Co. is offering a new upgrade package for the HondaJet Elite…

Spaceflight Now reports that The Boeing Company’s “second Starliner crew ferry spacecraft rolled out of its factory early Saturday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for mounting on top of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket set for liftoff July 30 on a redo of a problem-plagued unpiloted test flight in 2019.” ULA’s “ground crew

FlightGlobal reports that US Air Force “plans to start updating its fleet of MQ-9A Reapers with an automatic land-and-take-off capability starting in…

Forbes reports that on Sunday, Blue Origin “announced that everything looks set and ready to go for its first human spaceflight, which will launch” company founder Jeff Bezos “and three others over 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface before their safe return.” The mission is scheduled to launch Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. EDT. Chief engineer