Tag: aerospace engineering

SpaceX Pushes Reusability Record With 33rd Falcon 9 Flight

The Starlink 6-104 mission added another 28 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites into low Earth orbit. As Spaceflight Now reports, “Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 10:47 p.m. EST (0347 UTC). The Falcon 9 rocket flew on a south-easterly trajectory upon leaving the pad.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Video

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 28 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (Launch occurs at the 0:10 second mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube

Canada Certifies Airbus H175, Opening Door to Public Service Missions

Vertical Magazine reports, “Airbus is fielding interest from ‘a range of customers’ in Canada following domestic certification of the H175 super-medium helicopter, but won’t say if the type has landed its first operator or when deliveries might begin. Still, the company sees significant potential for search-and-rescue (SAR), law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS) in Canada’s harsh and unforgiving cold-weather climate.”
Full Story (Vertical Magazine)

AIAA Members Named to National Academy of Engineering

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Twelve AIAA members are among the 130 newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

SpaceX Marks Second Bahamas Landing After Starlink Mission

SPACE reports, “SpaceX landed a rocket in The Bahamas for the second time ever on Thursday, Feb. 19. A Falcon 9 rocket topped with 29 of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 8:41 p.m. EST (0141 GMT on Feb. 20).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Video

SpaceX launches Starlink satellites, lands off coast of Bahamas. (Launch occurs at the 0:11 second mark)
VideoFromSpace; YouTube

Boeing Lands Historic 737 MAX Order from Vietnam Airlines

Aviation News Daily reports, “Vietnam Airlines has officially signed a landmark agreement to purchase 50 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, marking the flag carrier’s first-ever commitment to Boeing’s single-aisle family. This massive investment aims to catalyze the airline’s domestic and regional expansion as travel demand in Southeast Asia reaches record heights. The deal was finalized on February 18, 2026.”
Full Story (Aviation News Daily)

NASA Outlines Flight Plan for Crewed Artemis II Mission

Aviation Week reports, “NASA used its first Space Launch System rocket to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a 25-day test flight around the Moon in late 2022, kicking off its Artemis lunar exploration campaign. On Artemis II, the agency will attempt to broaden Orion’s operational envelope by adding a flight crew, with assessments of the spacecraft’s environmental control, life support and astronaut interactive systems on tap.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

General Atomics’ LongShot Air Combat Drone Officially Named X-68A

Aviation Week reports, “An air-launched missile-carrying uncrewed aircraft developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems for DARPA’s LongShot project has been designated the X-68A ahead of flight tests expected by year-end. The LongShot is designed to be carried by fighters and bombers, or as a palletized munition on airlifters, and launched to fly ahead and engage targets with its own internally carried air-to-air missiles. The goal is to increase launch platform survivability and extend combat reach.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Space Systems Command Seeks Industry Input on GEO Refueling Services

Aviation Week reports, “The U.S. Space Systems Command is looking for companies that could provide refueling services in geostationary orbit to spacecraft configured for such operations. The goal is to find vendors that, by 2030, could provide the service through standard interfaces that the service has previously approved, Space Systems Command said in a Feb. 13 request for information. Among the information the government is seeking is cost and schedule estimates to get to a first flight.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)

AIAA Book Talks Launch with The Anatomy of Autonomy

FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA Book Talks highlights books and authors published by AIAA. The series provides a forum to introduce newly released titles, new editions, discuss key themes and contributions, and explore how these works support ongoing research, teaching and scholarship in aerospace science and engineering. The first online seminar will be held 11 March with the authors of The Anatomy of Autonomy.

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ISS Back to Full Strength with Arrival of New Crew

AP News reports, “The International Space Station returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns.  SpaceX delivered the U.S., French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.”
Full Story (AP News)