Industry News

Aviation Week reported that initial trials of the Lockheed Martin F-35 and “Britain’s new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier have exceeded expectations, senior officers say.” The first two of three “planned rounds of developmental testing” concluded with 202 takeoffs and 187 vertical landings. More Info (Aviation Week)

UPI reported that the economy of Florida’s Space Coast “is getting a boost from space and defense companies that are bringing back high-paying tech jobs to an area hit hard by the 2008 recession and the 2011 retirement of NASA’s space shuttle program.” Although government agencies such as NASA brought fame to the area, “it is

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company canceled a conference call “it had scheduled for Tuesday morning with airlines to discuss systems on the 737 MAX model that crashed in Indonesia last month, two sources familiar with the matter said.” According to an emailed Boeing statement, Boeing “continues to engage with our customers. We continue to schedule

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company plans to hold a “conference call with airlines on Tuesday morning to discuss systems on the 737 MAX model that crashed in Indonesia last month, according to four sources…familiar with the matter.” In a message to employees on Monday, “Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said news reports that claimed the manufacturer

The New York Times reports that NASA announced that its next Mars rover “will search the Jezero Crater and delta for the chemical building blocks of life and other signs of past microbes.” The rover, “scheduled to launch in July 2020, will largely be a clone of NASA’s Curiosity rover, which is currently exploring Mars.” The explorer

Space News reports that Virgin Orbit successfully performed the first “captive carry flight of its LauncherOne air-launch system Nov. 18, a key testing milestone as the company moves closer to a first flight.” Virgin Orbit’s “Cosmic Girl” aircraft took off with a “pylon added to its left wing to which the LauncherOne rocket attaches,” and landed

CNBC reported that Lockheed Martin’s experimental X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology aircraft “has officially entered production, the defense giant announced Friday.” The X-59, which is designed to “cruise at 55,000 feet and reach speeds of about 940 miles per hour,” was developed as part of a $250 million NASA contract. The new aircraft is expected to “create

Reuters reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously Thursday to grant “market access” to SpaceX, Telesat Canada, Kepler Communications, and LeoSat in their bids to “offer high-speed internet service and connectivity for sensors and other intelligence devices.” The FCC approved SpaceX’s initial plans in March, and “further approved the company’s request on Thursday for

Aviation Week reports that NASA and Northrop Grumman have “delayed for a second day the company’s 10th agency contracted resupply mission launch to the International Space Station (ISS) because of high winds and rough seas at the Wallops Island Flight Facility launch site” on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. SPACE reports that the launch of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket

Defense News reports that the US Air Force is devoting “fresh energy to plugging cybersecurity holes in the F-35’s external support systems, as they are deemed the easiest entry points for hackers into the fifth-generation combat jet, according to a key service official.” According to Air Force F-35 Integration Office Director Brig. Gen. Stephen Jost, “It’s

In continuing coverage of the Lion Air crash and questions surrounding the safety of an anti-stall system on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, Reuters reports that an American Airlines spokesman said, “We value our partnership with Boeing, but were unaware of some of the functionality of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) installed on the MAX

Aviation Week reports that Airbus plans to carry out testing of a prototype manufacturing system “based on an autonomous robotic arm” through early 2019. The design of satellites assembled in space and not subjected to the acceleration and vibration of launches “could be very different, according to Gwenaëlle Aridon, a research and development engineer at Airbus.”

SPACE reports that on Saturday, JAXA’s HTV Small Re-Entry Capsule (HSRC) became the “first Japanese spacecraft to bring experiments back to Earth from the space station.” The HSRC was released from the Japanese HTV-7 cargo resupply vessel during reentry following a deorbit burn and “began its own descent.” The capsule was recovered and “brought to JAXA

The AP reports that an unmanned rocket carrying a Cygnus cargo craft is scheduled to launch shortly before 5 a.m. Thursday from a spaceport on Virginia’s Wallops Island on an ISS resupply mission. The craft will “carry 7,500 pounds of groceries, hardware and research.” NASA TV will “stream the launch on its website beginning at 4:15 a.m.”

In a video, the Wall Street Journal (Subscription Publication) reports on The Boeing Company subsidiary Aurora Flight Science’s work to develop autonomous aircraft – including helicopters, UAVs, and planes for the US military – and flies aboard an autonomous Aurora helicopter, the first journalists to do so. Aurora CEO John Langford is interviewed and said that autonomous

FlightGlobal reports that ATR and Air New Zealand signed an agreement to “explore the potential for hybrid propulsion to be used in regional aircraft.” Under the agreement, both companies will “consider the development of hybrid technology and how they might be supported in operations as they come to market in future years.” Air New Zealand CEO

Bloomberg News reports that hackers have been able to access “the flight paths, photos, and aerial video footage” collected by UAV manufacturer DJI Technology, “adding to fears about the security of pilotless flying devices.” According to a report from Check Point Software Technologies, “Access to customer accounts…could be gained via a vulnerability on the company’s website

ExecutiveBiz reports that NASA held a two-day meeting in Seattle last week “to inform commercial, academic and government organizations of the space agency’s plans to develop an urban air mobility ecosystem.” More than 400 government and aviation industry representatives “engaged in discussions about the UAM Grand Challenge, which is scheduled to officially launch in late 2020,

Space News reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk outlined plans Wednesday to “attempt an orbital flight of a reusable version of a Falcon 9 upper stage by the middle of next year to test technologies for the company’s next-generation launch vehicle.” Musk announced the modification in a series of tweets in an “apparent reference to a

Florida Today reports that teams scrubbed the first attempt to launch a “Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket carrying the $242 million Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission after it took off from Cape Canaveral under the belly of a carrier aircraft” just before 3 a.m. EST. According to NASA’s Launch Services Program, engineers “encountered an anomaly” while

Reuters reports that The Boeing Company plans to send a bulletin to operators of the 737 MAX aircraft “as soon as Wednesday warning that erroneous readings from a flight-monitoring system could cause a dramatic dive, a person briefed on the matter said.” The warning stems from preliminary information “gathered in the investigation of a Lion Air

Florida Today reports that the US Air Force’s weather forecasters estimate 80 percent “go” conditions for the planned launch of NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) spacecraft early Wednesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Skid Strip. A L-1011 Stargazer aircraft will carry a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket to launch ICON into low-Earth orbit. Teams are

Reuters reports that Indonesian accident investigators “said an airspeed indicator of a Boeing Co (BA.N) 737 MAX plane that crashed in the Java Sea last week was damaged for its last four flights, but US authorities responded cautiously to suggestions of fleet-wide checks.” The error was revealed after data was “downloaded from the plane’s flight data

Aviation Week reported that NASA has rolled out its “Grand Challenge plan to help guide, foster and enable the coming generation of urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles,” and is asking for industry feedback to “fine tune and guide the initiative.” Although electric and hybrid-electric aircraft “hold the potential to revolutionize society, NASA Aeronautics Associate Administrator Jaiwon

Reuters reported that Airbus delivered the “powerhouse” Friday for NASA’s new Orion spacecraft “that will take astronauts to the Moon and beyond in coming years, hitting a key milestone that should lead to hundreds of millions of euros in future orders.” Airbus engineers in Bremen, Germany, on Thursday “carefully packed the spacecraft into a special container

Aerospace America reports that the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) issued a request for information asking for ideas for “Directed Energy on an Airborne Platform,” specifically laser and microwave weapons with the ability to “precisely attack ground targets” while defending against “surface-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles.” The request adds that “responses could also determine the

Aerospace America reports that on Thursday, Russia announced “plans to launch an American astronaut, a Canadian astronaut and a cosmonaut to the space station on Dec. 3, about two months after an aborted launch sent a Soyuz capsule plunging to the Kazakhstan desert in an accident that miraculously left neither occupant seriously injured.” Roscosmos officials made

ExecutiveGov reports that a group of NASA researchers is working on a “technology that will leverage carbon nanotube composite materials to conduct rocket and spacecraft launches for use in deep space exploration missions.” The scientists are led by NASA’s Langley Research Center and have “partnered with Nanocomp Technologies to increase the production of high-strength carbon nanotube

FlightGlobal reports that the Royal Canadian Air Force issued a draft request for proposal (RFP) “to five potential suppliers to replace its Boeing CF-18A/B Hornet fleet,” including The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, Dassault Aviation, Airbus Defense, and Saab. The suppliers will have around eight weeks to provide feedback to “help refine and finalize the formal RFP.”

MIT Technology Review reports that a group of scientists is seeking to markedly increase the rate at which batteries discharge electricity. If the scientists are successful, according to MIT Technology Review, “it would enable regional commuter flights that don’t burn fuel or produce direct climate emissions.” The scientists’ first plan is to make a battery that

Bloomberg News reports that Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Peter Thiel are among investors funding efforts to create the “first commercially viable fusion reactor.” The technology has long been known to have the “potential to revolutionize the energy industry, but development costs have been too high for all but a handful of governments and investors.” However,

FlightGlobal reports that Airbus has “tentatively narrowed the A330-800 first flight window to the week beginning 5 November.” The company has been conducting ground and engine tests on the aircraft, and hopes to “carry out the maiden flight next week,” subject to weather conditions. The aircraft recently had its Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines installed, and once

The AP reports that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe is “now closer to the sun than any spacecraft has ever gotten.” The spacecraft passed the previous record “of 26.6 million miles (43 million kilometers) set by Helios-2 back in 1976,” and will keep approaching “until it flies through the corona, or outer atmosphere, for the first time next

ExecutiveGov reported that NASA aims to “build habitats on other planets and landing pods through the use of additive manufacturing processes.” NASA Director of Advanced Exploration Systems Jason Crusan “said manufacturing advancements on Earth have made 3D printers capable of developing necessary tools for the agency’s space-based operations.” Crusan anticipates that additive manufacturing could help NASA

Aerospace America reported that the NTSB “has asked the FAA to require cockpit voice recorders to be able to carry 25 hours of audio” in order to aid investigators of airline accidents. The relative rarity of fatal airline accidents means that “investigators now have more time to investigate close calls.” According to NTSB Director of Aviation

Space News reports that United Launch Alliance (ULA) now expects to “perform the first launch of its next-generation Vulcan rocket in the spring of 2021, a slip of nearly a year that the company says is due to requirements of a recent Air Force award.” During a panel at the American Astronautical Society’s Wernher von Braun

Space News reports that United Launch Alliance (ULA) now expects to “perform the first launch of its next-generation Vulcan rocket in the spring of 2021, a slip of nearly a year that the company says is due to requirements of a recent Air Force award.” During a panel at the American Astronautical Society’s Wernher von Braun

The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA has not rescheduled spacewalks “canceled after American astronaut Nick Hague’s launch to the International Space Station was aborted earlier this month.” The spacewalks were originally scheduled for October 13 and Thursday to upgrade the ISS’s power systems. However, NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) Director Mark Geyer “said he is confident everything

SPACE reports that NASA’s “long-suffering” Kepler Space Telescope returned to sleep mode “just a few days after its most recent observing campaign began, the agency said in a statement released” Tuesday. According to the agency, “Following a successful return of data from the last observation campaign, the Kepler team commanded the spacecraft into position to begin

CBS News reports NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Tuesday that he expects Russia to resume piloted Soyuz flights in December. Bridenstine said that Russian engineers have a “really, really good idea” what forced Soyuz MS-10 commander Alexey Ovchinin and NASA flight engineer Nick Hague to abort their launch to the ISS on Oct. 11. More Info (CBS

USA Today reports on the future possibility of “putting down a $1,000-reservation to buy a ‘personal helicopter’ – a small, relatively inexpensive, partially electric powered craft designed for two people taking short hops.” Workhorse Group, based in Cincinnati-based Workhorse, “believes it’s on the forefront of electric vertical take off and landing technology, or eVTOL.” The company

Space News reports that engineers have made progress “correcting a faulty gyro on the Hubble Space Telescope, making NASA optimistic the space telescope can resume normal operations in the near future.” Hubble has been kept in safe mode “since the failure of the third of its six gyroscopes Oct. 5.” During a Monday meeting of NASA’s

Aviation International News reports that the US Navy commissioned its first test squadron dedicated to UAVs in a ceremony on October 18. The creation of the squadron was “approved by Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, in April.” Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (UX) 24 continues the “work of the UAS Test Directorate of the

ExecutiveGov reported that NASA is considering the possibility of using the moon as an “observational platform from which scientists can gather data on the sun or other celestial bodies.” NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Steve Clarke “said such efforts can serve as a step toward developing capabilities to embark on future Mars missions.” Clarke added

Aerospace America reported that the deadline is approaching for companies to submit bids for a US Army-led “Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems” competition for “runway independent” UAVs slated to begin test flights in 2020. The deadline for responses to the request for proposals is October 29. The Army and Special Operations Command currently operate “hundreds of

SPACE reports that the US Air Force’s X-37B space plane “has now passed the 400-day mark” for its classified mission in orbit. The Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-5) mission began October 7, 2017 when it launched mounted “atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.” The only OTV-5

Bloomberg News reports that The Boeing Company is creating a new unit to focus on new technologies including neuromorphic processing, which “mimics the synapses of the human brain and hack-proof communications links based on applied quantum physics.” Such technologies “increasingly form the core of aerospace innovation, like the networks that may one day manage millions of

Aviation Week reports that with “advanced aerostructures technology already in flight test on an unidentified high-speed military aircraft and ground tests of new low-noise, compact nacelle concepts underway,” UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) believes that it is “well-positioned to penetrate the nascent civil supersonic market.” The nacelle development comes amid a “broader UTAS focus on the business

Reuters reports that Honda Aircraft CEO Michimasa Fujino “said on Tuesday he expects deliveries of the HondaJet to rise in 2019 above the estimated 50 aircraft customers will take this year, as the light business plane maker targets Asia for growth.” The company recently introduced a longer-range version of the HondaJet Elite and “announced a new

The Houston Chronicle reports that NASA canceled a spacewalk planned for Friday following the failure of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft last week. No decision has been made on a second spacewalk planned for October 25. According to NASA Johnson Space Center spokesman Kelly Humphries, it will take “a few days at least to sort out the near-term