CALL FOR CONTENT: The 28th Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar invites submissions of abstracts on parachute and aerodynamic decelerator design, testing, and analysis, from Orion and Artemis Mission parachute systems to deployable decelerators and/or aero-capture. Submit your abstract by 18 December 2025.
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Tag: aerospace engineering
Navy to Create Drone ISR Services Through Basic Ordering Agreements
Defense Daily reports, “Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced it plans to establish delivery orders for land and sea-based Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) services under four Basic Ordering Agreement (BOAs), according to a Nov. 20 announcement. All of the BOAs will be completed on a limited source basis exclusively to AeroVironment [AVAV], , Boeing [BA] subsidiary Insitu Inc., Shield AI and Textron [TXT].”
Full Story (Defense Daily)
SpaceX Launches Another Batch of Starlink Satellites from Vandenberg on New Falcon 9
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched a brand new Falcon 9 booster on a mission from California to deploy another batch of satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, occurred for 12:48 a.m. PST (3:48 a.m. EST / 0848 UTC).”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX launches a new Falcon 9 rocket from California (Launch ocurrs at the 29:03 mark).
Spaceflight Now; YouTube
DARPA X-plane Steered by Air Bursts to Make First Flight in 2027
Defense News reports, “An experimental DARPA plane that would steer using bursts of air is expected to have its first flight in late 2027, more than two years later than originally planned, after the program was paused and restructured. The unmanned X-65, being built by Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences as part of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program, is designed to test a concept called ‘active flow control’ to steer an aircraft.”
Full Story (Defense News)
SpaceX’s Next-Gen Starship Booster Damaged During Testing Friday Morning
Ars Technica reports, “During the pre-dawn hours in South Texas on Friday morning, SpaceX’s next-generation Starship first stage suffered some sort of major damage during pre-launch testing. The company had only rolled the massive rocket out of the factory a day earlier, noting the beginning of its test campaign said on the social media site X: “The first operations will test the booster’s redesigned propellant systems and its structural strength.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
AIAA Announces Candidates for the 2026 Election
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Council Nominating Committee has selected candidates for next year’s openings on the AIAA Council of Directors. Council Nominating Committee Chair Laura Richard and AIAA Governance and Executive Operations Administrator Susan Silva confirmed the names of the candidates who will appear on the 2026 ballot.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
AIAA Survey: Forecast of Emerging Aerospace Technologies
FROM THE INSTITUTE
AIAA is working with BryceTech to produce the AIAA 2026 Forecast of Emerging Aerospace Technologies, a strategic assessment of the innovations that will define the aerospace landscape over the next two decades. This forecast will explore technologies driving future competitiveness, national capability, and societal impact. As a member of the AIAA community, your expert perspective will provide valuable insights into these technology trends. Please take a moment to fill out the emerging technology trends survey by Friday, 21 November.
U.S. Army Apache Pilots to Train with Augmented Reality for First Time
Flying Magazine reports, “For the first time, U.S. military helicopter pilots will train using augmented reality (AR) technology that can recreate real-world scenarios within a digital space. On Monday, augmented reality flight training systems developer Red 6 said it has integrated its Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality Systems (ATARS) on Boeing’s AH64E Apache Crewstation Advanced Technology Testbed (CATT). That marks the company’s first integration with a U.S. Army platform and the first-ever integration of such a system on a rotorcraft platform, Red 6 said.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
AIAA Niagara Frontier Section: Thinking Outside the Sphere
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Bonnie Dunbar, retired NASA astronaut and Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University, was the special guest at two recent events organized…
Full Story (Aerospace America)
Eastern Range Hosts 100th Orbital Launch of the Year
Aviation Week reports, “Less than a decade ago, the country’s primary spaceport was working on modernizing processes and equipment to support 48 rocket launches a year—more than double the annual flight rate at the time. This week, the Eastern Range hosts its 100th orbital launch of the year, with another 20-30 remaining on the 2025 flight manifest.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)