FROM THE INSTITUTE
The center of gravity in the space economy is shifting from hardware to users. That was the message from Voyager Technologies’ Manwei Chan during a recent ASCEND 2026 panel exploring the strategic pillars for in-space R&D expansion.
Tag: aerospace engineering
SpaceX Sets New Reusability Record with Falcon 9 Booster’s 35th Flight
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX continued to push its Falcon 9 rocket fleet to the next level by flying its flight leader, tail number B1067, on a record-breaking 35th flight Monday morning. It launched SpaceX’s latest batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station shortly before sunrise.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
VideoFromSpace; YouTube
SpaceX launches on booster’s record-breaking 35th flight (Launch at 00:13 mark)
Airbus Introduces U145 Uncrewed Helicopter with AI-Powered Autonomy
Aerotime reports, “Airbus Helicopters has introduced the U145, an uncrewed variant of its H145 light twin, presenting a full-scale mock-up of the aircraft at the ILA Berlin airshow on June 8, 2026. The manufacturer said a maiden flight with a safety pilot on board is planned for the end of 2026, with entry into service expected at the start of the next decade.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Explore Aerospace America’s Coverage from AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026
USAF Eyes Low-Cost, Modular Successor to MQ-9 Reaper
The War Zone reports, “Modularity is a key area of interest as the U.S. Air Force formulates its latest set of requirements for a successor to the MQ-9 Reaper, according to Gen. John Lamontagne, the service’s Vice Chief of Staff. A modular design, both in terms of hardware and software, would help make the chosen platform more flexible and adaptable to different mission sets.”
Full Story (The War Zone)
Performance, Productivity, and the Potential Cost of Artificial Intelligence
FROM THE INSTITUTE
As a member of the AIAA AVIATION Forum 2026 Guiding Coalition, it was clear to Tracy Elving that a nuanced discussion about artificial intelligence had to kick off the forum. When asked about the core value of AI, some on the Guiding Coalition felt that it could provide solutions to ambitious technical challenges, while others argued it could enable engineers to do higher order tasks. A lack of consensus created a provocative opportunity.
Podcast: Space Competition: AIAA’s Clay Mowry on What The Commercial Sector Wants
The Downlink Podcast reports, “Citing China’s possible mission to send Taikonauts around the moon, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told AIAA’s ASCEND conference attendees that the launch cadence to the moon must increase. Laura Winter speaks with Clay Mowry, CEO of AIAA and immediate past president of IAF.”
Full Story (The Downlink Podcast)
Military’s Drone Wingman Vision Hinges on Production and Training Capacity
Breaking Defense reports, “In our final video looking at manned-unmanned teaming, we consider likely changes ahead for defense manufacturers as the US increasingly partners with drones in combat.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
NASA Retires MAVEN After More Than a Decade Studying Mars’ Atmosphere
The New York Times reports, “On Wednesday, NASA announced the end of a more than 11-year mission aimed at solving a key mystery about Mars: What happened to the air that once made the planet habitable? The NASA spacecraft MAVEN, short for Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, had been orbiting around the Red Planet since 2014. NASA last received a signal from MAVEN on Dec. 6, shortly before the spacecraft passed behind Mars.”
Full Story (New York Times – subscription publication)
Experts Debate the Why, What, and How of Preserving the ISS for Future Generations
FROM THE INSTITUTE
On the final day of ASCEND 2026, NASA leaders, historians, and science stakeholders came together for three back-to-back International Space Station (ISS) Heritage sessions to explore the “why, what, and how” of preservation — why the legacy of the ISS matters, what artifacts should be saved, and how the story of continuous human presence in low Earth orbit can be told through real hardware and lived experience.