Flying Magazine reports, “President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to usher in a new generation of drones, self-flying planes, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis while shutting out “unfair foreign competition” from countries like China. The order, “Unleashing American Drone Dominance,” contains a package of measures designed to bolster the U.S. drone industry by lifting restrictions and streamlining manufacturing, testing, and access for American-built uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS).”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Tag: 2025
SpaceX Launches 70th Falcon 9 Mission of the Year
SPACE reports SpaceX launched 26 Starlink satellites to orbit from California on Sunday (June 8), on the 70th mission of 2025 for the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. “Fifty-two of those flights have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation in low Earth orbit (LEO), the biggest satellite network ever assembled.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
SpaceX launches 70th Falcon 9 mission of 2025 from California, June 8, 2025 (Launch at 10:15 mark)
(Space Affairs; YouTube)
Amazon’s Second Batch of Kuiper Internet Satellites Targeted for June 13 Launch on Atlas V
SPACE reports, “Amazon’s second fleet of internet satellites now has a target launch date. The stack of 27 satellites, part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation, is scheduled to launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket next Friday (June 13). Liftoff of the mission, known as Kuiper 2, is set for 2:29 p.m. EDT (1829 GMT), from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, ULA announced.”
Full Story (SPACE)
2025 AIAA Awards Gala Held in April
FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA presented its premier awards at the AIAA Awards Gala, 30 April, at Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC. The Class of 2025 AIAA Fellows and AIAA Honorary Fellows and AIAA Foundation award and scholarship recipients also were recognized.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
Beta’s Alia CX300 Makes First Electric Flight into New York City Airport
Aviation International News reports, “Beta Technologies’ Alia CX300 on Tuesday [became] the first all-electric aircraft to land at a New York City airport … One of Beta’s prototypes landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) after a passenger-carrying demonstration flight with a pilot and four passengers, including Blade Air Mobility CEO Rob Wiesenthal and Republic Airways president Matt Koscal. According to Beta, the energy cost for the 45-minute flight was just $7 compared with what it estimated as $160 in fuel costs for a helicopter making the same trip. The Alia flew at 135 knots, operating under a market survey ticket that the FAA issued.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Future of Flight Takes Center Stage at 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA announced its program for the 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 21–25 July, Caesars Forum, Las Vegas. The five-day event will focus on the theme, “Navigating the Future: Sustainability, Safety, and Innovation.”
“We’re thrilled to bring together the aviation industry during this time of unprecedented transformation,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “As the industry grows and evolves, it’s crucial to ensure the next generation of air transportation systems are safe and efficient. This event is mission essential for aviation professionals in industry, government, and academia—it’s where the future of aviation takes shape.”
Educational, Interactive, Mission-Critical Program Planned
From the main stage, attendees will learn about the innovative technologies and services that are driving efficient growth in civil and military aviation. The lineup of speakers and panelists represent the leading aviation agencies, companies, and universities from around the world. They will showcase groundbreaking capabilities that are redefining what’s possible in flight – from sustainable aviation fuels and electric propulsion to advanced air mobility and hypersonics.
AIAA forums are well known for the depth of technical content presented. The technical program will feature over 1,200 presentations spanning more than 20 research topics, including fluid dynamics, applied aerodynamics, air transportation systems, thermophysics, and multidisciplinary design optimization. More than a dozen technical workshops are scheduled, providing attendees with valuable in-depth learning opportunities. Attendees also can participate in the AIAA/CEAS Aeroacoustics Conference during the week. In addition, the FlightLab sessions include important content from the aviation community submitted on a range of timely and important topics.
Confirmed speakers from industry, government, and academia across the aviation community include:
- Michael Berube – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation & Fuels, U.S. Department of Energy
- Yemaya Bordain – President of the Americas, Daedalean AI
- Sergio Cecutta – Founder and Partner, SMG Consulting
- Jan de Regt – Director, Advanced Aviation Systems, Flight Safety Foundation
- Lt. Col. David Dunwoody – Deputy Director Data & Analytics Enablement, National Defence of Canada
- Michael Dyment – Managing Partner, NEXA Capital Partners
- Roberto Guerrero – Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Operational Energy
- Rafferty Jackson – Principal, Jack Industries
- Greg Feith, former Senior Air Safety Investigator, National Transportation Safety Board
- Natasha Neogi – Senior Technologist for Assured Intelligent Flight Systems, NASA
- Linda O’Brien – Vice President and Chief Engineer, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
- Alain Siebert – Chief Technology and Strategy, SESAR
- Walter A. Silva – Senior Research Scientist, NASA Langley Research Center
- Michael Sinnett – Senior Vice President, Product Strategy, Product Development and Development Programs, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
- Akbar Sultan, Director, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, NASA
- Lt. Col. Taylor Wilson – Commander, 40th Test Flight Squadron, U.S. Air Force
Registration for the forum is open, with early-bird rates ending 23 June. Journalists can request a Press Pass online. For the most updated program information, visit www.aiaa.org/aviation.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
AIAA is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org or follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 27 Starlink Satellites from West Coast
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX closed out May with its 16th Falcon 9 launch of the month. The Saturday afternoon launch from the company’s West Coast launch pad carried 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to a low Earth orbit. Liftoff of the Starlink 11-18 mission from a foggy Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base occurred at 1:10 p.m. PDT (4:10 p.m. EDT, 2010 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink satellites from California, June 1, 2025 (Launch at 30:15 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
Trailblazing STEM Educator Amy Medina Jorge Completes Spaceflight on Blue Origin’s NS-32 Mission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 31, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry:
“Congratulations to Amy Medina Jorge on her journey beyond the Kármán line! We are thrilled to see such a remarkable educator-astronaut make the journey of a lifetime as part of Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-32 mission. Amy is one of those teachers who literally goes above and beyond to inspire the next generation of explorers and innovators.
We were honored to recognize Amy in 2023 with the Trailblazing STEM Educator Award in partnership with Challenger Center. Amy stood out due to her tireless work every day to empower students in STEM – especially those who are traditionally underserved and underrepresented. She’s given her students the chance to participate in real space experiences, leading more than 60 space experiments including developing and flying biometric sensors and performing in-flight 3D printing on a parabolic zero-gravity flight.
As a middle and high school teacher at Odyssey Academy Galveston, in Galveston, Texas, Amy is also an AIAA Educator Associate Member. Teachers like Amy are invaluable – not only to their local communities but to the space community as a whole.
Amy’s lessons are launchpads for her students’ dreams, giving them every opportunity to see their potential. Certainly, her students’ dreams were onboard with her today. What an inspiration!
AIAA applauds Blue Origin on continuing to open up access to space to more people, totaling nearly 60 commercial astronauts so far. We salute the countless aerospace professionals whose expertise has brought the New Shepard fully reusable, suborbital rocket system to this point. Reusability is the future of launch.”
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. Visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
SpaceX Says Engine Hardware Failure Caused Starship Flight 8 Mishap
Space News reports, “The failure of SpaceX’s Starship on its most recent test flight had a different root cause than the previous failure, despite happening at about the same time. SpaceX released details May 23 about the cause of the Flight 8 mishap that took place March 6, when several Raptor engines on the Starship upper stage shut down and the vehicle started to tumble.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
Brand-New SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 23 Starlink Satellites to Orbit
SPACE reports that SpaceX launched another batch of its Starlink broadband satellites late Tuesday night, atop a Falcon 9 rocket that was flying for the first time. Launch took place “from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Tuesday (May 20) at 11:19 p.m. EDT (0319 GMT on May 21), carrying 23 of the company’s Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO).”
Full Story (SPACE)
Video
SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites on new Falcon 9 rocket
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)