CBS News reports, “Researchers from Purdue University are set to travel to the South Pacific to determine if a ‘visual anomaly’ on a remote island is the wreck of Amelia Earhart’s lost plane, saying there is ‘very strong’ evidence the object is the iconic aviator’s aircraft. Earhart was attempting to become the first female pilot to circle the world when she and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. Earhart, Noonan and their plane, an Electra 10E, were never found.”
Full Story (CBS News)
Tag: aerospace engineering
Physics Can Revolutionize AI Simulations for Better Design
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Incorporating physics into artificial intelligence (AI) models for simulation will help rewrite how to design aerospace systems, noted Juan Alonso, Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder of Luminary Cloud and Chair of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. In a far-reaching and intriguing presentation, Alonso described the Physics AI revolution in an AIAA Aerospace Perspective Series webinar in August, as well as on the Hub stage at AIAA AVIATION Forum and ASCEND in July.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
Beyond the Boundaries: Highlights from the 2025 AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Symposium
FROM THE INSTITUTE
On 12 September, the 2025 AIAA Rocky Mountain Section Annual Technical Symposium (RMS ATS) was held at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Centered on the theme “Beyond the Boundaries: Aerospace Innovations for the Next Frontier,” the event drew over 350 attendees ranging from high school students to seasoned professionals and retirees. Throughout the day, speakers and presenters underscored the value of bringing together thought leaders, students, researchers, and enthusiasts in a shared forum to foster in-depth discussion and community building.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
Starlab Space Partners with Saber Astronautics for Payload Services Aboard Starlab’s Commercial Space Station
Military Aerospace reports, “Starlab Space LLC in Houston announced a strategic partnership with Saber Astronautics in Adelaide, Australia, establishing the company as both a channel and implementation partner for payload services aboard the Starlab commercial space station. Under the agreement, Saber Astronautics will play a dual role: driving business development by engaging new customers for Starlab’s microgravity platform and providing technical execution services, including feasibility assessments, hardware integration, and in-orbit operational support.”
Full Story (Military Aerospace)
ESA Sets Record with Deep-space Laser Link to NASA’s Psyche Probe Using Altechna Optics
Military Aerospace reports, “The European Space Agency (ESA) has completed a deep-space optical communications campaign by sending a laser signal to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Psyche spacecraft more than 186 million miles from Earth, using optical components provided by Altechna. Altechna, a global custom optics manufacturer based in Vilnius, Lithuania, supplied 3-inch mirrors and windows for the Ground Laser Transmitter system, which shaped and stabilized the laser beam. The components maintained beam quality under heavy power use and atmospheric interference.”
Full Story (Military Aerospace)
AIAA Establishes Steve L. Karman Jr. Aerospace Engineering Scholarship to Honor Aerospace Legacy
From the Institute
AIAA is proud to honor the legacy of a remarkable family man who made significant contributions to aerospace over his 40+ year career through the new Steve L. Karman Jr. Aerospace Engineering Scholarship. The $10,000 scholarship aims to support undergraduate students who embody the same dedication to aerospace excellence that Steve demonstrated throughout his career. It was made possible through the generous funding provided by AIAA Fellow John Chawner, a colleague and dear friend of Steve.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
AIAA Announces its Class of 2026 Associate Fellows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2025 – Reston, Va. – AIAA is pleased to announce its newly elected Class of 2026 Associate Fellows. The Institute will formally honor the class at the AIAA Associate Fellows Induction Ceremony and Dinner, Wednesday, 14 January 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando during AIAA SciTech Forum 2026, 12–16 January 2026, Orlando, Florida.
“Congratulations to each member of the Class of 2026 Associate Fellows,” said AIAA President Dan Hastings. “This distinguished group of professionals has performed extraordinary work and advanced the state of science and technology in aeronautics and astronautics. They exemplify a dedication to excellence in their specific technical disciplines. We are proud of their achievements as they shape the future of aerospace.”
The grade of Associate Fellow recognizes individuals “who have accomplished or been in charge of important engineering or scientific work, or who have done original work of outstanding merit, or who have otherwise made outstanding contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.” To be selected as an Associate Fellow an individual must be an AIAA Senior Member in good standing, with at least 12 years of professional experience, and be recommended by three AIAA members.
For more information on the AIAA Honors Program or AIAA Associate Fellows, contact Patricia A. Carr at [email protected].
Class of 2026 AIAA Associate Fellows
Ajit Achuthan, Clarkson University
Kevin R. Anderson, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Dale C. Arney, NASA Langley Research Center
Dilmurat M. Azimov, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
Damiano Baccarella, University of Tennessee
Sean Bailey, University of Kentucky
Brent W. Barbee, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / University of Maryland, College Park
Tadas P. Bartkus, Ohio Aerospace Institute
Tahllee Baynard , Lockheed Martin Space
David R. Beering, Intelligent Designs LLC
Kevin D. Bell, The Aerospace Corporation
Mark G. Benton, Sr., Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Arizona
Reid A. Berdanier, Pennsylvania State University
Robert A. Bettinger, Air Force Institute of Technology
Natasha Bosanac, University of Colorado Boulder
Pablo C. Bueno, Southwest Research Institute
Goutam Chattopadhyay, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
John G. Clark, Lockheed Martin
Cameron W. Coates, Kennesaw State University
Richard K. Cohn, Ursa Major Technologies
Lt. Col. Christopher Coley, United States Air Force
Velibor Ćormarković, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Christopher Courtin, Electra.aero
Beni Cukurel, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology
Daniel R. Cuppoletti, University of Cincinnati
Danielle S. Curcio, RTX
Andrea Da Ronch, University of Southampton
Scott T M Dawson, Illinois Institute of Technology
Jan W. Delfs, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Edward P. DeMauro, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Benjamin Dickinson, Air Force Research Laboratory
Con J. Doolan, University of New South Wales
Christopher Brian Dreyer, Colorado School of Mines
Harold Ennulat, Software Engineering Institute
Alper Erturk, Georgia Institute of Technology
Antony D. Evans, Airbus
Nicolas Fezans, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Matthew L. Fotia, Air Force Research Laboratory
Jacob George, Metrolaser Inc.
Leslie Gertsch, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Ritesh Ghimire, United States Federal Aviation Administration
Keith D. Goodfellow, Aerojet Rocketdyne / L3Harris
Amelia D. Greig, BAE Systems Inc.
Mark Robert Grindle, Systems Enginuity
Peter Hancock, University of Central Florida
Darren John Hartl, Texas A&M University
Liam M. Healy, Naval Research Laboratory
Jesse B. Hoagg, University of Kentucky
Kristin Houston, L3Harris Technologies
Erin Hubbard, NASA Glenn Research Center
Lester A. Ingham, Honda Aircraft Company
Louise Jandura, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Elishka L. Jepson, RTX
Michael Jones, Systems Technology, Inc.
Daewon Kim, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Hyun Jung Kim, KAIST
Michael P. Kinzel, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Julie E. Kleinhenz, NASA Glenn Research Center
Ali R. Kolaini, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ramesh Kolar, U.S. Army DEVCOM AvMC TDD-A DSE CD&A
Jarret M. Lafleur, Sandia National Laboratories / Ursa Major Technologies
Rhea P. Liem, Imperial College London
Yu Cheng Liu, Tsinghua University
Yang Liu, City College of New York
Francisco Lopez Jimenez, University of Colorado Boulder
Alejandro Lopez Ortega, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mark H. Lowenberg, University of Bristol
Christopher A. Lupp, Air Force Research Laboratory
Ou Ma, University of Cincinnati
Lori A. Magruder, University of Texas at Austin
Luca Massa, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Ellen Yi Chen Mazumdar, Georgia Institute of Technology
Matthew McCrink, Ohio State University
Matthew McGilvray, University of Oxford
Michael D. McPartland, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Marcel Milanes, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Michael Z. Miller, Georgia Tech Research Institute
Guy Juan Montoro, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
James D. Moreland, Jr., MEI Innovative Solutions Inc.
Catalin C. Nae, INCAS – National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli”
Björn Nagel, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Douglas J. Neill, Computational Engineering Software, LLC
Linda O’Brien, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Mark Olmos, Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Michael Otte, University of Maryland, College Park
Ganesh J. Pai, KBR
Pinaki Pal, Argonne National Laboratory
Amit Pandey, Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Marco Pavone, Stanford University / NVIDIA
Tanya Pemberton, The Aerospace Corporation
Daniel Plakosh, Carnegie Mellon University / Software Engineering Institute
Brent Pomeroy, NASA Langley Research Center
Savio James Poovathingal, University of Kentucky
Russell W. Powers, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
Michael W. Renfro, University of Kentucky
Nilton O. Renno , University of Michigan
Christopher L. Reynolds, Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Daniel R. Richardson, Sandia National Laboratories
James L. Rutledge, Air Force Institute of Technology
Umberto Saetti, University of Maryland, College Park
Marco Sagliano, University of Bologna
Abhishek Saha, University of California, San Diego
Gerald B. Sanders, NASA Johnson Space Center (retired)
Grady Pike Saunders, Amentum Technology, Inc.
Bryan E. Schmidt, Case Western Reserve University
Brandon Sforzo, Argonne National Laboratory
Peter J. Sharer, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Paul Sierpinski, NASA Kennedy Space Center
Rohan Sood, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Shawn S. Stephens, United States Air Force
James P. Stewart, Electra.aero
Liang Sun, Baylor University
Takao Suzuki, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Hideyuki Taguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Jimmy C. Tai, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jekan Thangavelautham , University of Arizona
James Chris Thomas, Southwest Research Institute
Christoph Torens, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Paul J. van Susante, Michigan Technological University
Diane C. Villanueva, The MITRE Corporation
James M. Walton, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Alan Weston, Astra
Brian S. Woodard, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Kris Zacny, Honeybee Robotics, a Blue Origin Company
Hossein Zare-Behtash, Emirates Aviation University
Bo Zhang, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Yufei Zhang, Tsinghua University
Liwei Zhang, University of Texas at Arlington
Dianyun Zhang, Purdue University
Wenwen Zhao, Zhejiang University
AIAA Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
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 X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Beta Technologies Files for U.S. IPO
Reuters reports, “Electric aircraft maker Beta Technologies filed for an initial public offering in the United States on Monday, the latest company to join the rush to tap a record-breaking bull run in the equity market. Easing trade tensions, robust stock markets and pent-up investor demand have combined to create one of the busiest windows for listings in years, with technology, aerospace and green energy firms leading the charge.”
Full Story (Reuters)
Firefly Alpha Rocket Destroyed During Preflight Testing
Aviation Week reports, “The first stage of a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket being prepared for launch on a commercial mission for Lockheed Martin was destroyed Sept. 29 during preflight testing at the company’s Briggs, Texas, facility. ‘During testing at Firefly’s facility in Briggs Texas, the first stage of Firefly’s Alpha Flight 7 rocket experienced an event that resulted in a loss of the stage,’ the company said in a statement.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Blue Origin to Grow New Shepard Fleet
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin is developing three new suborbital New Shepard launch systems and mulling expanding flight services beyond West Texas, the company said Sept. 28. The current two-ship fleet will be retired by the end of 2027, with the first of three new spacecraft expected to debut next year, Senior Vice President Phil Joyce said during the Global Spaceport Alliance forum ahead of the International Astronautical Congress being held in Sydney this week.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)