Reuters reports that executives from Airbus and The Boeing Company “said on Tuesday that it was too early to say whether the outbreak of a new coronavirus would affect demand for aircraft.” Airbus CCO Christian Scherer indicated at an industry conference “that the coronavirus could cause an adjustment to demand for aircraft but it would not

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] March 3, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced today the results of its 2020 election for the Council of Directors. The directors represent AIAA members in the Technical Activities Division (TAD), the Integration and Outreach Activities Division (IOD), and the

SPACE reports that NASA began accepting astronaut applications March 2. Applications will be accepted until March 31. The process is expected to be lengthy, “but NASA expects to make its final selections for astronaut candidates in mid-2021.” The agency has not yet said how many “people will be chosen, but competition will be fierce; the agency

Bloomberg reports that in the weeks before 737 MAX production was halted, executives from The Boeing Company “took a hard look at all the personnel who’d be left with little to do when the last jets rolled out of their Seattle-area factory,” and concluded that “the problem wasn’t that there’d be too many mechanics idly milling

Florida Today reported that NASA has chosen SpaceX’s “triple-core Falcon Heavy rocket for the launch of a high-profile mission to study an asteroid in 2022, the agency announced Friday.” The Psyche spacecraft is “designed to study a metal asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.” It is scheduled for a July 2022 launch from

CNBC reported that while being interviewed by U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson at the Air Warfare Symposium, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, “The fighter jet era has passed.” Musk added, “Drone warfare is where the future will be. It’s not that I want the future to be – it’s just, this is what the

FlightGlobal reports that the Air Force is considering replacing older Lockheed Martin F-16s with UAVs when the aircraft reach the “end of their service life in five to eight years.” The Air Force “wants to rethink the way it does aerial combat using new technology, including attritable UAVs, says General James Michael Holmes, head of

The AP reports that astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory “have discovered the biggest explosion seen in the universe, originating from a super-massive black hole.” Scientists “reported Thursday that the blast came from a black hole in a cluster of galaxies 390 million light-years away.” The blast “was so large it carved out a crater in

FlightGlobal reports that India “has concluded purchase agreements for 24 Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters for the navy and six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters for the army,” which were announced during President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the country. The AH-64E deal “is expected to cost approximately US$930 Million and will comprise a Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) between

FlightGlobal reports that Kratos Defense and Security Solutions has started construction of production examples of its XQ-58A Valkyrie attritable UAV, “despite an investigation into an October 2019 mishap which delayed an expected contract from the US Air Force (USAF).” The contract was delayed while DoD “investigated an ‘anomaly’ that caused the UAV to be damaged on

NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson’s calculations were so precise that when astronaut John Glenn was preparing for an orbital mission in 1962..

CNET News reports that NASA has re-created the Apollo 13 crew’s detour around the far side of the moon in 4K resolution “using images from its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.” NASA’s Goddard Media Studios said in a Monday release, “This video showcases visualizations in 4K resolution of many of those lunar surface views, starting with earthset

SPACE reports that NASA has awarded nearly $1 million in Artemis funding to students to create “instruments that will work in permanently shadowed craters on the moon.” NASA awarded eight teams between $80,000 and $165,000 to “continue developing their projects.” The projects include “an Arizona State University proposal to launch spherical sensor-laden probes from a catapult

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] Inaugural Event Held 16–18 November in Las Vegas, Nev. February 26, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce that NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Marillyn Hewson, and Venture Capitalist Steve Jurvetson have joined the notable roster

Space News reports that NASA “is leaning increasingly towards making SpaceX’s crewed test flight to the International Space Station a long-duration mission, a move that could alleviate concerns about a lack of crew on the station later this year.” Originally, the Demo-2 mission was planned to be “no more than a couple” of weeks long. However,

Reuters reports that ANA Holdings announced plans to purchase 15 of The Boeing Company’s 787 Dreamliners “worth $5 billion at list prices, the first commercial order announcement for the U.S. planemaker this year as it wrestles with the grounding of the smaller 737 MAX.” The deal will see the airline switch from Rolls-Royce to GE

Space News reported that NASA engineers “plan to use the robotic arm on its InSight Mars lander to push a heat flow probe into the surface.” The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package team has “spent nearly a year trying to get the instrument’s probe, or ‘mole,’ to burrow into the surface.” However, the mole

Air Force Times reported that the Air Force “is hoping to have a fix in hand for the KC-46 tanker’s most critical technical problem by the end of March, the service’s top general told Defense News in an exclusive interview.” The Air Force and [The Boeing Company] are looking “to sign off next month on a

Spaceflight Now reports that JAXA has approved “a robotic mission to retrieve a sample from the Martian moon Phobos for return to Earth to begin full development for a planned launch in 2024, officials said Thursday.” The Martin Moon eXploration (MMX) spacecraft would return the first samples from Phobos to Earth. Scientists hope to determine whether

Aviation International News reported that Congress is “keeping a spotlight on” aviation workforce concerns “as the numbers surrounding future employment needs remain daunting.” House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) said, “Challenges in sustaining this workforce are looming, if not already upon us.” DeFazio “noted half of the 330,000 aviation maintenance technicians in

The Daily Mail (UK) reports that as a part of this year’s GoFly competition, “competitors were tasked with creating a flying device that’s safe, compact, quiet, capable of carrying one person for 20 miles without refueling or recharging, and providing ‘the thrill of flight.’” From February 27-29, the five finalists will exhibit their entries and conduct

Reuters reports that global business jet deliveries “hit a decade high in 2019, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) said on Wednesday, helped by strong market demand for new models.” Deliveries rose 15% from 703 to 809 jets, according to GAMA’s year-end billing and shipment reports. GAMA “said North America accounted for 67.1% of business

Spaceflight Now reports that Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus “cargo freighter arrived at the International Space Station Tuesday two-and-a-half days after” launch. Astronaut Drew Morgan used the ISS’ “robotic arm to capture the Cygnus spacecraft at 4:05 a.m. EST (0905 GMT) Tuesday while the cargo freighter hovered less than 40 feet (12 meters) below the complex.” Ground teams

SPACE reports that NASA and Zero Gravity Corp. (Zero-G) have established a new partnership which would see Zero-G “fly NASA payloads along with research teams from the agency, providing microgravity flights to test new technology and support scientific experiments.” Zero-G “is a company that provides people with a once-in-a-lifetime experience of floating in microgravity on parabolic

Spaceflight Now  reported that on Saturday, Northrop Grumman launched the Cygnus supply ship to the ISS aboard one of its Antares rockets. Launch occurred “from pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at 3:21:04 p.m. EST (2021:04 GMT) Saturday after Northrop Grumman scrubbed two previous launch attempts due to an issue with ground support equipment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 18, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) thanks Lockheed Martin Corporation for its generous donation for educational outreach. “AIAA is deeply appreciative for the long-standing financial support that the Lockheed Martin Corporation continues to provide to the AIAA Foundation,”

SPACE reports that Northrop Grumman is targeting a Friday “launch of its next Cygnus cargo ship filled with NASA supplies bound for the” ISS. The mission, which has been delayed since February 9, is scheduled to launch the uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft aboard an Antares rocket at 3:43 p.m. EST from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 14, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the Louisville Regional Airport Authority as the 2020 winner of the Jay Hollingsworth Speas Airport Award for their area safety program. The Louisville Regional Airport Authority (LRAA) won the award “for seeking

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 13, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates AIAA Fellow Darryll J. Pines on becoming the next president of the University of Maryland. Pines has been the dean of the university’s Clark School of Engineering at College Park since January

Florida Today reports that Air Force weather forecasters “are expecting 60% ‘go’ conditions for” Saturday’s “10:46 a.m. liftoff from Launch Complex 40 with another batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites.” The 45th Weather Squadron said, “For the launch window Saturday morning, a few showers will linger off the coast. With low-level winds from the east,

Spaceflight Now reports that Christina Koch, “six days after returning from a record 11-month stay aboard the” ISS, “said Wednesday she’s re-adapting to gravity with no major problems.” Koch told reporters at the Johnson Space Center, “I’m really fortunate, a lot of people…when you’re re-adapting to one G (gravity) on Earth, you might experience some

Reuters reports that FAA Administrator Steve Dickson “has set out in detail a ‘waterfall’ of actions that must be carried out before the grounded Boeing 737 MAX returns to service.” During a briefing to reporters at the Singapore Airshow, Dickson described a variety of “actions that must be carried out.” They include a “certification test flight,”

CNET News reports that NASA announced Tuesday that it will be accepting applications “for its next generation of astronauts” between March 2 and March 31. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement, “We’re on the verge of sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024.” He added that the agency would

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 12, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) congratulates the newly elected members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE), nine of whom are AIAA members or award winners. “These newly elected NAE members are already well known to AIAA for

CNN reported that NASA engineers were able to revive the Voyager 2 spacecraft following a January 25 incident in which the spacecraft failed to conduct a scheduled maneuver. The failure “triggered the spacecraft’s fault protection software routine, which responds if it senses that Voyager 2 is consuming too much energy,” and caused it to shut

Reuters reports that on Tuesday at the Singapore Airshow, Airbus “unveiled a curvaceous aircraft design that blends wing and body, designed to slash carbon emissions by some 20%.” Airbus had been conducting flight tests of the plane “at a secret location in central France since last year.” Blended Wing Body Aircraft “are complex to control

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 10, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) mourns the passing of Jerry Grey, an AIAA Honorary Fellow and founding publisher of Aerospace America, the Institute’s flagship publication. Grey died on 4 February 2020 from complications of pneumonia at age 93.

The New York Times reported that government agencies “are split on how best to handle national security concerns surrounding popular and ubiquitous Chinese-made” UAVs. The Department of the Interior “grounded all those made in China or built with Chinese parts” in October and “reaffirmed” the decision in January. However, last year, both the Department of Agriculture and

Aerospace America reported that Jerry Grey, “editor emeritus of Aerospace America and the magazine’s founding publisher,” died February 4…

Reuters reports that Airbus “posted its biggest January order haul in at least 15 years.” Airbus “said it had taken orders for 296 aircraft in January, including the recently finalised order for 102 planes from Air Lease Corp as well as 100 jets from U.S. low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines.” Following cancellations, it “started the year with

Florida Today reports that “weather is currently forecasted as 80% ‘go’” for Sunday’s launch of the NASA-ESA Solar Orbiter aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket. The 45th Weather Squadron said that “the primary concern for launch is the Cumulus Cloud Rule (meaning an increase in clouds and rain showers during the launch window).” Should the mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] February 6, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 Sustained Service Awards. “AIAA’s volunteers are the aerospace community’s greatest resource,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “They lead by example, using their talent

The Wall Street Journal reports that Airbus has said that travel restrictions to China are hindering production at its Tianjin, China, factory. Most large plants had been ordered closed by the Chinese government until February 10, but Airbus said Wednesday that it plans to extend the closure indefinitely. The closure could cause delivery delays for Asian

The Newport News (VA) Daily Press reports that women from the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) and AIAA are leading STEM education activities at Jones Magnet Middle School in Hampton, Virginia. The appearances are a part of the school’s “BraveHearts club,” which is “a national organization for middle school girls, aimed at increasing confidence, leadership and

Florida Today reports that the NASA-ESA Solar Orbiter is scheduled to launch “atop United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket no earlier than 11:03 p.m. Sunday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 41.” If successful, the Solar Orbiter “will provide a never-before-seen global view of our sun” and “is the latest effort in what helophysicists

CNBC reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that to work at SpaceX, “you need to have ‘a super hardcore work ethic, talent for building things, common sense and trustworthiness.’” Musk announced on Twitter that the company plans to hold a career day on Thursday at its Startgate Building in Boca Chica, Texas. According to Musk

The Wall Street Journal reports that according to a Federal Register filing, the FAA is developing new safety standards for UAVs. Specifically, the FAA is beginning the process of certifying UAVs as a “special class” of aircraft. Such a move would mean significant progress toward the use of UAVs in package delivery efforts. Full Story (Wall Street Journal–subscription

Aviation Today reports on a presentation given by BAE Systems Systems Engineering Manager Robert Hess at the Transformative Vertical Flight 2020 conference hosted by the Vertical Flight Society. Hess’ presentation noted that “designers and manufacturers of electric air taxis may run into issues sourcing the batteries they want at reasonable prices.” Hess “explained to Avionics

The Wall Street Journal reported a new point of contention has arisen between US and European aviation regulators over wiring in the grounded Boeing 737 MAX jet, with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency requesting that some wires be moved in order to lower the risk of short circuiting that could impede flight-control systems. The article

The Los Angeles Times reported “the next crucial step in the investigation of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people should occur next week, when the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release some preliminary findings.” In the past week, NTSB investigators “have spent days at the scene”