The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Space Coast “has another new rocket in town as the United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur arrived by ship over the weekend ahead of its first-ever launch this year.” The replacement for ULA’s Atlas V and Delta IV rockets “still has testing to endure at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as well as the integration of its payloads, but the hardware separated into three massive parts was offloaded from the company’s RocketShip transport on Sunday.” It arrived at Port Canaveral “the day before after traveling more than 2,000 miles by river and ocean rom ULA’s factory in Decatur, Alabama.” Its arrival “marks the fourth new orbital-class rocket to call the Space Coast home in just over a year joining NASA’s Space Launch System that took off from Kennedy Space Center for the first time last November on the Artemis I mission, small rocket provider Astra Space’s Rocket 3.3, which had two launches from Cape Canaveral, and Relativity Space’s Terran-1, a 3D-printed rocket awaiting its first-ever launch early this year from Canaveral as well.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel – Subscription publication)
Tag: adds
AIAA Charters Two New Student Branches
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 24, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is excited to announce the addition of two new AIAA student branches at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio, and the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. These universities join more than 240 AIAA student branches around the world.
Both universities are unique additions to AIAA’s student branch community. The AIAA Cedarville University Student Branch is under the School of Engineering and Computer Science. Cedarville University is developing an aerospace engineering minor degree program. Establishing the AIAA student branch is a stepping-stone toward achieving its goal of expanding to a Bachelor of Science degree program.
The University of Calgary offers a minor in aerospace engineering at its Schulich School of Engineering. The AIAA student branch was established to foster more interest in aerospace engineering, as it has become a target area of growth for the Government of Alberta.
“Membership in an AIAA student branch is a valuable foundation for a budding engineer’s journey from classroom to career,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director. “AIAA student branch members meet and collaborate with fellow students who share their passion and commitment to aerospace. Student branch membership is an important part of how AIAA supports young people today who will shape the future of aerospace tomorrow.”
AIAA currently has more than 240 student branches, including 40+ international student branches, with a total active membership of over 8,000 students worldwide. The universities must be accredited by ABET or an equivalent regional accrediting body to start a student branch. Find a complete listing of AIAA student branches in our online directory. For those interested in forming an AIAA student branch, use these resources to begin the process.
Contact: Rebecca B. 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. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Southwest Airlines Adding Cockpit Alert System to Increase Runway Safety
The Wall Street Journal reports, “Southwest Airlines is adding a new cockpit-alert system to help its pilots avoid dangerous situations, after carriers navigated a series of close calls at U.S. airports in recent years. The Honeywell-designed system delivers verbal warnings and text alarms if a pilot is about to use the wrong runway, for example, or take off from or land on a taxiway. The Dallas-based carrier said the system has been added to nearly all of Southwest’s approximately 800 aircraft.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)
AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 Adds Prominent Speakers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA will kick off SciTech Forum 2026 with opening remarks from America’s most experienced astronaut, Peggy Whitson, Vice President of Human Spaceflight, Axiom Space. The event is scheduled 12–16 January, Hyatt Regency Orlando. Other daily plenary speakers will cover the latest innovations transforming aerospace, including:
- Jonathan Arenberg, Fellow and Chief Mission Architect for Science and Robotic Exploration, Northrop Grumman, shares insights from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
- Arbi Karapetian, Director, Innovation and Technology, Formula 1, brings nearly 30 years of aerospace experience to reveal how innovation fuels performance across industries
- Jason Levin, SVP of Engineering for Air Dominance & Strike, Anduril, showcases lessons learned in developing its Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Fury
- Craig Martell, CTO, Lockheed Martin, and Ylli Bajraktari, President and CEO, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP), discuss the challenges and opportunities of next-gen artificial intelligence
AIAA SciTech Forum is known for setting the pace of innovation and connection for the year. This year’s inspirational theme, “Breaking Barriers Together: Boundless Discovery,” will envision the possibilities for aerospace’s future. Other notable speakers include:
- Camille Alleyne, Founder and CEO, Arusha Space, LLC
- Carissa Christensen, CEO, BryceTech
- Todd Citron, CTO, The Boeing Company
- Greg Ombach, Senior Vice President, Airbus
- Will Roper, CEO, Istari Digital, and former Assistant Secretary of Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, U.S. Air and Space Force
- Brad Rothenberg, CEO, nTop
- Ryan Tseng, President, Co-founder, and Chief Strategy Officer, Shield AI
- Danica Vallone, CEO, Making Space
The new Career Accelerator Program for university students will deliver an intensive day of career advice and tools from AIAA Corporate Member hiring managers and recruiters, plus confirmed speakers:
- Hillary Coe, Chief Design and Marketing Officer, Vast
- Amy Medina Jorge, Educator and Blue Origin commercial astronaut
- Joan Misner, Social Media Influencer @YourFemaleEngineer
Registration with the best pricing is available through 15 December. For the most up-to-date program information, visit SciTech.aiaa.org. Journalists can request media credentials at [email protected].
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. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter, and Facebook.