CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] September 10, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation has announced the 12 winners of its 2019 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.

10 September 2019 The AP reports that “the U.S. has reached a new ‘Sputnik moment’ in which the military must act to keep the nation’s competitive advantage in space against adversaries such as Russia, China, and to a lesser extent, Iran and North Korea, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.” In remarks at

10 September 2019 Aviation Week reports that UAV “delivery service provider Flirtey on Sept. 9 unveiled the Flirtey Eagle, a boxy quadcopter that it expects will begin delivering food and packages to households by the end of the year.” Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny “said the launch site for the delivery operation will be Reno, Nevada, which

CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] September 9, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Foundation has announced the ten winners of its 2019 graduate awards. Through its Foundation and supported by nearly 30,000 members, AIAA awards academic scholarships and STEM education awards to support the next generation of aerospace professionals.

10 September 2019 Florida Today reported that on Friday, “the 45th Space Wing, which oversees Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base, was reverted to an ‘all clear’ status” following Hurricane Dorian’s “last-minute shift.” A Patrick AFB spokesperson said, “Initial reports show no damage that will affect mission operations, but we have

10 September 2019 Aviation Week reported that the FAA “has postponed the release of a draft rulemaking for remote identification of drones by two months until December, delaying definition of a means of identifying small unmanned aircraft systems…from the ground that is considered essential to expanding their use.” The FAA plans to publish its Remote ID

CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] “Communications Satellites — Then, Now, and Where Next?” September 6, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has selected Eddy W. Hartenstein to give its 2019 David W. Thompson Lecture in Space Commerce. Hartenstein will deliver his lecture, ““Communications Satellites —  Then, Now, and Where

6 September 2019 DroneDJ reports that Prairie Village, Kansas, has passed an ordinance “to limit how and where people can fly drones in the city.” The new ordinance “makes it illegal to fly a drone near people without their consent, or over large events without permission, or over private property without authorization.” Pilots who “violate

6 September 2019 Building Indiana Magazine reports that “Trine University has received a $3,000 grant from the Indiana Space Grant Consortium to support a student team” at AIAA’s Design/Build/Fly competition. The annual contest “provides a real-world aircraft design experience for engineering students by giving them the opportunity to validate their analytic studies.” Trine’s Research and Outreach

5 September 2019 An article in Aerospace America details an August 30 interview with veteran NASA engineer Lisa Watson-Morgan regarding the agency’s 2024 lunar mission plans “and the strategy underlying them.” Watson-Morgan expressed optimism despite the challenges of meeting the planned 2024 launch date, and she emphasized the role of collaboration between NASA and commercial partners.

5 September 2019 Florida Today reports that Hurricane Dorian “barely brushed by Brevard County overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, sparing the Space Coast from major damage.” On Wednesday afternoon, teams at Patrick AFB and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station “started assessing facility conditions.” Starting Thursday, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) teams “will be evaluating possible damages…ahead of

3 September 2019 Politico reports in its Morning Transportation rundown that the FAA has warned UAV pilots to avoid flying in areas affected by Hurricane Dorian “unless conducting an active disaster response or recovery mission.” (Image: DJI Phantom 4. Credit: Associated Press-©) Full Story (Politico)

4 September 2019 CNET News reports that ISS astronauts “have been tracking” Hurricane Dorian “from orbit.” On Monday, NASA astronaut Nick Hague “shared a close-up of Dorian’s deep eye” in a message on Twitter. Said Hague, “You can feel the power of the storm when you stare into its eye from above. Stay safe everyone!”

3 September 2019 An article in Aerospace America details a recent visit to ULA’s Vulcan rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama. According to Hofacker, “Vulcan is on track for its 2021 debut, ULA CEO Tory Bruno told me last week at AIAA’s Propulsion and Energy Forum in Indianapolis, and the company is ‘confident to go directly to

3 September 2019 The Washington Post reported that NOAA scientist Frank Marks “and his team have been experimenting with…specialized drones that can fly around a hurricane’s eye and sophisticated plane-mounted radar units that can measure wind motion, all to better understand what happens inside the storm during intensification.” The aircraft-launched UAVs “can fly…for up to an hour

30 August 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that NASA “has docked its Mars Helicopter to the Mars 2020 rover for the upcoming exploration mission on the red planet.” NASA said Wednesday that JPL engineers installed the twin-rotor helicopter to the rover’s underside. JPL Project Manager for Mars Helicopter MiMi Aung said, “Our job is to prove that

30 August 2019 CBS News  reports that “NASA civil servants and contractors at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida are bracing for high winds and rain from Hurricane Dorian.” Staff at the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) have made preparations to store “a 6.7-million-pound mobile launch tower” at the VAB, which “was designed to withstand winds

CONTACT: Michele McDonald 703.264.7542 [email protected] Air Force Gen. John Raymond to Lead New Combatant Command August 29, 2019 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) applauds the establishment of the U.S. Space Command. The new combatant command prioritizes the protection of our assets and sustains our advantages in space. AIAA Executive

29 August 2019 CNET News reports that “NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites are tracking” Hurricane Dorian as the weather formation “takes shape.” NASA’s Terra satellite has captured images of the storm, which “is making its way across the Atlantic and looks set to impact the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and

29 August 2019 Aviation Week reports that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) “is looking at leveraging NASA’s work on hybrid- and turbo-electric propulsion to increase the performance and capability of large unmanned aircraft, including ‘loyal wingman’ vehicles that would support manned fighters.” Power & Control Division Chief Engineer John Nairus said, “Near term, we

28 August 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that “a transport helicopter built by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary to replace the aging Marine One presidential aircraft is on track to achieve [initial] operational capability next year, National Defense Magazine reported Monday.” The Sikorsky VH-92A helicopter, a twin-engine “based on the company’s S-92A commercial aircraft,” is meant “to succeed

28 August 2019 SPACE reports that NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) mission team confirmed August 23 that the clock has been activated successfully. The mercury-ion atomic clock, launched in June, “is now in orbit around Earth and ready to begin a year-long tech demo.” The DSAC, “developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,” is meant to

27 August 2019 Aviation Week reports that UAS manufacturer AeroVironment “said it has donated 87 Quantix hybrid drones and supporting data analytics systems to agricultural departments at 35 U.S. universities.” The Quantix, introduced in 2016, is “designed for automated ‘crop-scouting’ of agricultural tracts.” The UAS “lifts off and lands vertically using four small rotors, then transitions

27 August 2019 SPACE reports that at 6:43 a.m. ET Monday, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B space plane surpassed its spaceflight-duration record “of 717 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes, which was set by the previous mission, known as Orbital Test Vehicle 4 (OTV-4).” The current campaign, which is classified, “began on Sept. 7, 2017,

26 August 2019 Fleet Owner reported that UPS, which “flew the first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-sanctioned commercial drone delivery earlier this year,” is now “seeking exemption from FAA regulations to allow its UPS Flight Forward (UPS FF) division to expand, according to its application, published Aug. 22 in the Federal Register.” UPS has been working

26 August 2019 CNET News reported that when NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine “addressed engineering students at the University of Colorado Boulder on Friday,” a student asked via livestream “near the end of the Q&A if NASA had considered sending an all-female crew for the Artemis mission.” Bridenstine answered, “Have we considered it? Yes, and it wouldn’t

22 August 2019 Florida Today reports that on Thursday, “teams are looking to launch” a ULA Delta IV rocket “no earlier than 9 a.m. from Launch Complex 37,” in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The weather forecast for the 27-minute launch window opening is favorable, with 80 percent “go” conditions, but “in the event of a delay,

22 August 2019 Aviation Week reports that on August 21, NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Drew Morgan equipped the ISS “with a second set of hardware to accommodate two simultaneous U.S. segment dockings during a…spacewalk.” (Image: Nick Hague (top) and Andrew Morgan conduct a spacewalk Wednesday to install the International Docking Adapter (IDA-3) to the

by Cat Hofacker, Aerospace America Staff Reporter AIAA PROPULSION AND ENERGY FORUM, Indianapolis, August 22, 2019 — Aviation faces unique challenges in becoming more sustainable, but the industry is more than up to the challenge, Alan Newby, director of aerospace technology and future programs at Rolls-Royce, said during the “Towards Sustainable Aviation” session here. Newby spent

by Michele McDonald, AIAA Communications Manager AIAA PROPULSION AND ENERGY FORUM, Indianapolis, August 21, 2019 — Efficient use of the U.S. military’s operational energy, which comprises everything from training, equipping, moving and sustaining military forces, can save lives. About 30% of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq happened while delivering fuel and water, Roberto “Bert” Guerrero,

21 August 2019 Aviation Week reported that “NASA has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from U.S. companies capable of carrying out up to $7 billion in re-supply missions to its planned lunar-orbiting, human-tended Gateway.” The RFP “asks for a service similar to how multiple commercial providers deliver pressurized and unpressurized cargo to and from”

21 August 2019 Reuters reports that The Boeing Company “said on Tuesday it plans to add extra staff and hire ‘a few hundred’ temporary employees at” Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washington. Boeing also “said the workers will assist with aircraft maintenance and customer delivery preparations.” The hiring plans are “a key step” in

by Hannah Godofsky, AIAA Communications AIAA PROPULSION AND ENERGY FORUM, Indianapolis, August 20, 2019 — Researchers who are part of the Purdue Engineering Cislunar Initiative said during the “Partnering Advances in Aerospace” panel here that the orbital economy is booming and that the initiative wants to help expand it. “Right now, the orbital economy generates about $350 billion

20 August 2019 Spaceflight Now reports that “weather forecasters expect a 70 percent chance of favorable conditions at Cape Canaveral for liftoff of a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket Thursday with a GPS navigation satellite.” A weather outlook issued Monday by the U.S. Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predicts “a typical summertime weather pattern over

20 August 2019 The Puget Sound (WA) Business Journal reports that The Boeing Company “has paused development of the ultra-long-range version of its 777X passenger jet, though the company said Friday the decision was not related to ongoing work to return its 737 [MAX] to service.” Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman said, “We reviewed our development program schedule

19 August 2019 SPACE  reported that last week, SpaceX had “hop[ed] to launch Starhopper, an early test prototype of the company’s Mars-colonizing Starship vehicle, to an altitude of about 650 feet…from its facility in Boca Chica, Texas.” However, officials in Cameron County, Texas, “announced Friday (Aug. 16) that Boca Chica Beach and part of State

by Cat Hofacker, Aerospace America Staff Reporter AIAA PROPULSION AND ENERGY FORUM, Indianapolis, August 19, 2019 — Rolls-Royce is drawing on its record of innovation to advance the future of aerospace, the company’s president of defense programs Phil Burkholder said here during the morning keynote address “Pioneering the Power That Matters.” “Over the decades, Rolls-Royce employees have pioneered

16 August 2019 Aviation Week reported that DARPA has formally begun “a program to build and fly an X-plane designed around active flow control (AFC), potentially eliminating the need for moving control surfaces.” On August 12, “a broad agency announcement (BAA) was released…for the first two of four planned phases of the Control of Revolutionary Aircraft

16 August 2019 Florida Today reports that next week’s launch of a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket will be the last ever featuring the “single stick” medium-lift variant. Space Florida Chief of Strategic Alliances Dale Ketcham said, “Delta IV was an awesome beast that put a lot of heavy, extremely important payloads into space.”

15 August 2019 The AP reports that on Thursday, Virgin Galactic “officials will offer the first glimpse” of “the once-empty hangar that anchors the taxpayer-financed launch and landing facility…where Virgin Galactic will run its commercial flight operations.” The company “posted on social media earlier this week that its carrier plane had landed in New Mexico and

15 August 2019 Aviation International News reports that “the first-ever beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operation using only onboard detect-and-avoid systems in the U.S. will be conducted in Kansas following just-received FAA approval, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced” Wednesday. The operation, “a collaboration between Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus, electric utility Westar Energy, Iris Automation, and

14 August 2019 Aviation Week reports that “using experiments and digital simulations, Siemens’ eAircraft said it has proved the feasibility of a high power-density superconducting generator that could be used in a hybrid-electric propulsion system for future short-haul commercial aircraft.” Siemens is performing “laboratory tests of the 2-megawatt SP2000 conventional, non-superconducting electric motor that will

13 August 2019 SPACE reports that SpaceX “aims to get Starhopper, an early test prototype of the company’s Mars-colonizing Starship vehicle, about 650 feet (200 meters) off the ground this weekend, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said via Twitter on Friday.” In response to the question “Starhopper 200m on Aug 16-18?” by another Twitter

13 August 2019 Air Force Times reports that the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) “has returned 74 C-130s to service as of Aug. 9, AMC spokeswoman Alexandra Soika said…Monday.” The Air Force temporarily grounded the C-130s “after finding cracks in the lower center wing joint, or ‘rainbow fitting,’ of a C-130 during scheduled depot

12 August 2019 WFMY-TV Greensboro, NC reports that the city of Greensboro is hosting “the 2019 North Carolina Drone Summit and Flight Expo through Tuesday.” The event is being coordinated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation in collaboration with “partners including Crown Consulting, Inc.” Among the keynote speakers are “leadership from the Federal Aviation Administration,

12 August 2019 Xinhua News Agency (CHN) reports that “NASA’s Mars Cube One (MarCO), the first briefcase-sized satellites to journey to another planet, has been honored ‘Small Satellite Mission of the Year’ by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, according to a latest release of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.” (Image: Cubesat – MarCO | JPL-NASA)

8 August 2019 Aviation Week reports that “the U.S. Army and Air Force successfully demonstrated using Lockheed Martin F-35 track data with the Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (AIAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) during the Orange Flag exercise in Palmdale, California, and Ft. Bliss, Texas.” (Image: F-35. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Master

6 August 2019 Spaceflight Now reports that “U.S. Air Force officials signed off Monday on a plan for SpaceX and United Launch Alliance, rivals in the launch services market, to fire off Falcon 9 and Atlas 5 rockets from neighboring launch pads at Cape Canaveral on Tuesday evening and Thursday morning.” SpaceX has a launch window

6 August 2019 CNBC reports that The Boeing Company CEO Dennis Muilenburg said Monday that Boeing has conducted nearly 500 test flights of the 737 MAX with the new software update installed. In remarks during an interview at the Global Business Travel Association conference, he added, “We know that trust has been damaged over the

5 August 2019 The Guardian (UK) reported that FCC documents indicate that the US military “is conducting wide-area surveillance tests across six midwest states using experimental high-altitude balloons.” As many as “25 unmanned solar-powered balloons are being launched from rural South Dakota and drifting 250 miles through an area spanning portions of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin