Industry News

4 June 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that the FAA and the U.S. Air Force have begun “a new initiative to increase partnerships with industry to address the national aircrew shortage.” Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said, “This collaborative effort will enable the Air Force and the FAA to work with industry partners to share best practices

4 June 2019 NBC News reports that the June 22 launch of LightSail 2 “could be a prelude to a new era of spaceflight in which spacecraft forgo the rocket motors they’ve relied on for decades and simply sail on sunshine.” The Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye said, “This will be the first time navigating

3 June 2019 The Daily Mail reported that NASA “has signed a world-first deal” with Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory, Australia “to launch rockets in 2020.” The private spaceport “will become the first privately-owned site outside the US to launch NASA rockets.” Equatorial Launch Australia CEO Carley Scott “said the exciting deal was the

3 June 2019 The Montreal Gazette reported that as demonstrated by this year’s Student Unmanned Aerial System Competition, “the market for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles…is skyrocketing.” The annual student competition “draws industry executives, sponsors and government officials looking for potential hires and to see what the brightest young minds are doing to advance technologies

31 May 2019 Forbes  reports that “NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is one step closer to its 2021 launch, after clearing its final thermal vacuum test.” Astronomers are now preparing for “another round of testing and evaluation ahead of the proposed launch in 2021.”(Image Credit: NASA/Desiree Stover | Aerospace America) Full Story (Forbes)

31 May 2019 Aviation Week  reports that UAV manufacturer DJI “made a bold commitment to equip its new models with surveillance receivers as a safety enhancement,” given that “being the world market leader positions a company to be a trendsetter but also attracts outsized attention from the public and media.” (Image: DJI Phantom 4. Credit: Associated

30 May 2019 CBS News reports that Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Alexey Ovchinin “stepped outside the International Space Station Wednesday, sent birthday greetings to former cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, the first man to walk in space, and then pressed ahead with a full slate of maintenance work.” The two “opened the hatch of the Pirs

30 May 2019 SPACE reports that “the governments of the United States and Japan have agreed to further cooperation in space which could include flying Japanese astronauts to the moon.” In remarks at a bilateral press conference during his May 27 meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, President Donald Trump “mentioned cooperation in

29 May 2019 SPACE reports that “nuclear thermal propulsion technology is making progress for potential use on future NASA deep space missions, although how it fits into the agency’s exploration architectures remains uncertain.” Funding for the technology in the May 23 House Appropriations Committee’s CJS bill “includes $125 million for nuclear thermal propulsion development within

29 May 2019 Bloomberg reports that the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX and the Trump Administration’s decision to reassign “hundreds of aviation security personnel to the Mexican border” are “making airlines and airports nervous” about how they will accommodate the record number of summer travelers expected this year. Domestic airlines in the U.S. are

28 May 2019 SPACE  reported that “SpaceX’s internet-satellite megaconstellation appears to be off to a good start in low-Earth orbit.” After the launch of 60 Starlink satellites, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a post on Twitter, “So far, so good.” He added in a separate message, “Krypton thrusters operative, satellites initiating orbit raise every

28 May 2019 Space News reported that The Boeing Company “has completed ground testing of the thrusters for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle, nearly a year after a setback in earlier testing of those thrusters.” The company “said it completed hot-fire testing May 23 of the spacecraft’s entire propulsion system, including various thrusters, fuel

24 May 2019 The Dallas Morning News reports that during a closed-door meeting Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, “air safety regulators representing more than 30 countries” posed “frank questions” to the FAA “about the process for determining when to let Boeing 737” MAX aircraft begin flying again. The Boeing Company has not submitted its fix for

24 May 2019 The Washington Post reports that NASA has “launched the final stage of a four-year effort to develop a national traffic management system” for UAVs. The agency is testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of UAVs in cities “for the first time…as businesses look in the future to unleash the unmanned devices in

23 May 2019 The Washington Examiner  reports that DJI Technologies “announced Wednesday it will begin including airplane and helicopter detectors in nearly all consumer drones manufactured in and after 2020, making it the first company to do so.” DJI VP of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman “told 100 industry experts in Washington the company will

23 May 2019 Florida Today reports that “SpaceX teams are gearing up to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station late Thursday after two previous attempts were delayed due to weather and technical issues.” According to the USAF’s 45th Weather Squadron, conditions for the 90-minute launch window from 10:30 p.m. to

22 May 2019 The Wall Street Journal (Subscription Publication) reports that US aviation officials are starting to establish that the fatal Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 incident may have started with a bird strike shortly after takeoff, which may have knocked out a sensor that fed information into the MCAS automated system. (Image Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (Wall

22 May 2019 CNET News reports that during the next test flight of Starhopper, SpaceX “is expecting a maximum altitude of 16,400 feet, according to documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission and spotted by The Verge.” The filing said, “The vehicle will fly vertically from the ground to under 500 meters for its

21 May 2019 CNET News reports that “SpaceX is planning to launch its delayed Starlink mission into orbit on Thursday.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon 9 on launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, 1 March 2019. Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (CNET News)

21 May 2019 The AP reports that Honda Aircraft Co. “announced Monday it is expanding its global headquarters” in Greensboro, North Carolina, “with an extra 82,000 square feet for expanded wing assembly and more parts storage for the private jets rolling off the production line.” Honda Aircraft spokeswoman Jessica Ketner indicated that “the expansion due for

17 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that “in an effort to expedite a crew landing on the Moon, NASA on May 16 hired 11 companies for studies and prototypes of descent modules, orbit-transfer stages and refueling capabilities, in advance of an upcoming solicitation for integrated lunar landing.” (Image Credit: NASA | Wikipedia) Full Story (Aviation Week)

17 May 2019 Florida Today reports that “SpaceX was forced to delay the second attempt to launch 60 of its Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Thursday night due to software issues, the company said.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon 9 on launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, 1 March 2019. Credit: Associated Press–©)

16 May 2019 SPACE reports that China’s Yutu-2 rover “may have discovered the first samples from the moon’s mantle, released from the lunar interior by a giant, ancient cosmic impact, a new study finds.” (Image: Chinese moon rover. Credit: NASA) Full Story (SPACE)

16 May 2019 The Financial Times (subscription publication) reports that German startup Lilium on Thursday will debut an all-electric jet that the company plans to adapt for public air taxi services. (Image Credit: Lilium) Full Story (Financial Times)

15 May 2019 The Daily Mail reports that “NASA-funded research is investigating the possibility of developing all-electric airliners that produce no greenhouse gas emissions.” The “Center for Cryogenic High-Efficiency Electrical Technologies for Aircraft” (CHEETA) project “is exploring the potential of liquid hydrogen fuel cells as an environmentally friendly power source.” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Professor Phillip

15 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that Airbus is incorporating “additive manufactured parts” on the A350 aircraft, and “it also is digitally redesigning components for other platforms to avoid sourcing them from a new supplier.” Airbus Head of Technology, Asia Pacific Cyrille Schwob said in remarks at the Aerospace & MRO Summit Bangkok last week, “3D

14 May 2019 FlightGlobal reports that the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) “plans to launch a competition to teach artificial intelligence (AI) software programmes how to control aircraft and their weapons in dogfights.” DARPA views the Air Combat Evolution (ACE) challenge as the beginning of the development of automated air-to-air combat software.

14 May 2019 Spaceflight Now reports that “SpaceX ground teams at Cape Canaveral transferred a Falcon 9 rocket to launch pad 40 and rotated the booster vertical Monday for a preflight hold-down firing, ahead of a liftoff scheduled for Wednesday night carrying 60 satellites into orbit for the company’s planned Starlink broadband constellation.” (Image: SpaceX Falcon

13 May 2019 Reuters reported that “a failed fuel tube caused the first crash of an F-35 jet in September of last year, U.S. government investigators said in a report issued this week.” (Image: F-35 Lightning II performs demonstration flight at Paris Air Show, Tuesday, 20 June 2017. Credit: Associated Press–©) Full Story (Reuters)

10 May 2019 Space News reports that “the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center on Thursday awarded United Launch Alliance a $149 million contract for a Delta 4 Heavy launch of the National Reconnaissance Office mission NROL-68, the second of three missions awarded to ULA under the Launch Vehicle Production Services contract in October

9 May 2019 The AP reports that “Swedish manufacturer Saab plans to open” a $37 million facility at Purdue’s Discovery Park District “as part of its production of a new Air Force training jet, bringing a major aviation project” near Purdue University. Saab CEO Hakan Buskhe “said the facility is expected to open next year

9 May 2019 Aviation Week reports that in materials dated May 7, the FAA “‘cannot confirm the legality’ of using technologies designed to detect small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the agency states.” The FAA provided “information to airport operators interested in testing systems that can detect and track drones flying within the vicinity of an

8 May 2019 FlightGlobal reports that Pegasus Universal Aerospace’s vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) business jet “will make its first public outing this month at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.” The startup “will debut a one-eighth-scale model of the all-composite aircraft and open the orderbook for the eight-passenger type.” The

8 May 2019 CBS News reports that a hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, is “pioneering the use of drones to speed up the delivery of critical medical samples across WakeMed Hospital’s campus.” WakeMed “partnered with…UPS and drone-maker Matternet to launch the program in March.” The program debuts the “first revenue-producing commercial drone flights approved by

7 May 2019 CNET News reports that “NASA on Monday tweeted out a time-lapse video of” SpaceX’s uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft as it was “being captured” by the ISS. NASA posted on Twitter, “Checkout this incredible time lapse video of this morning’s capture of the @SpaceX Dragon cargo craft by astronaut @Astro_DavidS of @CSA_ASC, backed

1 May 2019 SPACE reports that “six flybys of relatively large asteroids will happen over a span of two years, beginning in June 2027,” and they “will offer an incredible spree of close asteroid flybys, and none will pose a threat to life on Earth.” NASA JPL Radar Specialist Lance Benner said in remarks April

1 May 2019 The Los Angeles Times reports that “a video circulating on the internet that appeared to show SpaceX’s astronaut capsule exploding during an April 20 test was leaked from the test area, according to an internal memo issued by a major NASA contractor.” Both “NASA and SpaceX have been tight-lipped about the extent

26 April 2019 Reuters reports that “Japan expanded its search for a missing F-35 stealth fighter on Thursday with a maritime survey vessel joining a navy ship and a U.S. Navy salvage team is expected in the area in coming days, a Japanese air force spokesman said.” Only small pieces of the aircraft’s tail have

26 April 2019 Reuters reports that the FAA will host a meeting of top civil aviation officials May 23 to discuss the safety of the 737 MAX. The FAA said that the meeting “is intended to provide participants the FAA’s safety analysis that will inform its decision to return the 737 MAX fleet to service

25 April 2019 The Orlando Sentinel reports that NASA “reinforced its confidence in SpaceX on Wednesday as the company moved ahead with a planned resupply mission to the International Space Station despite an apparent explosion over the weekend during testing of its astronaut capsule.” In a statement Wednesday, NASA spokesperson Stephanie Martin said that the

25 April 2019 ExecutiveGov reports that Layne Merritt, head of U.S. Army’s Aviation Development Directorate, “said the service plans to conduct a series of demonstrations for a new fleet of air-launched unmanned aircraft in the coming years, Defense News reported Tuesday.” The military branch “looks to develop a capability to deploy drones from a larger

24 April 2019 Reuters reports that “NASA’s robotic probe InSight has detected and measured what scientists believe to be a ‘marsquake,’ marking the first time a likely seismological tremor has been recorded on another planet, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California reported on Tuesday.” (Image Credit: NASA) More Info (Reuters)

24 April 2019 The Los Angeles Times reports that the use of “hypergolic propellants” by SpaceX could be part of “the investigation into an accident Saturday during a ‘static fire’ test of a Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco engines in Florida.” The SuperDraco thrusters are “powered by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide – propellants that, when combined, immediately

18 April 2019 Space News reports that “a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket successfully launched a Cygnus spacecraft April 17” at 4:46 p.m. local time from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. The Cygnus carried “nearly three and a half metric tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station,” and it “separated from the Antares rocket’s upper

CNET News reports that NASA and Blue Origin “have signed an agreement that will provide Blue Origin access to the historic test stand and strengthen growth in the commercial space sector, NASA announced Wednesday.” Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said in a press release, “Through this agreement, we’ll provide for the refurbishment, restoration and modernization of

CNET News reports that NASA is studying the lunar South Pole as part of its “plan to return astronauts to the moon within five years.” Although “the Apollo missions of the ‘60s and ‘70s all landed around the moon’s equator…the pole has” ice capable of extraction and use in various applications. NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for

16 April 2019 Reuters reports that United Continental Holdings Inc. announced Monday that it was removing flights operated using Boeing 737 MAX jets from its schedule “through early July.” The carrier has limited the number of cancellations to date by using Boeing 777 and 787 passenger jets to service its 737 MAX routes, but United Airlines

CNN reports that “NASA’s planet-hunting TESS mission has found its first Earth-size exoplanet,” dubbed HD 21749c, “in a star system only 53 light-years from Earth.” Researchers determined in a study “published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on Monday” that the planet “completes an orbit of its host star every eight days,” and “the density suggests that

15 April 2019 Reuters reports that “the world’s largest aircraft took off over the Mojave Desert in California on Saturday, the first flight for the carbon-composite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp.” The Roc aircraft “has a wingspan the length of an American football field and is powered by six engines on a twin fuselage.” The

15 April 2019 SPACE reported that on Thursday, NASA “announced that SpaceX will fly its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary-defense mission.” DART “will launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in June 2021,” and it will have a “total launch cost for NASA” of “about $69 million, agency officials