Tag: aerospace engineering

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Fourth Axiom Space Private Astronaut Mission to ISS

Space News reports, “SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station June 25 after weeks of delays. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 2:31 a.m. Eastern from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. The Crew Dragon spacecraft deployed from the upper stage in low Earth orbit nearly 10 minutes later. The Falcon 9’s first stage returned to land at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral.”
Full Story (Space News)

 Video

Axiom Mission 4 Launches to the International Space Station (Launch takes place at the 52:42 mark)
NASA; YouTube

Aviation Autonomy Experts Discuss What it Will Take to Ensure Safer Skies

FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates the busiest and most complex airspace in the world with more than 45,000 daily flights operating to over 5,000 public use airports. The United States is now experiencing the limits of what the current system was designed to handle and maybe the limit of what any human-centric system can achieve.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Student Rockets Soar at Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition

From the Institute
On the dusty plains of West Texas, over 2,000 university students from 22 countries gathered with a shared goal: launch the rockets they spent the past year building, testing, and perfecting. From liftoff to landing, 2025 IREC, hosted by the Experimental Sounding Rocket Association, offered a real-world proving ground for tomorrow’s aerospace professionals.
Full Story (Aerospace America)

Opportunities in Defense, Healthcare, Cargo Offer Chance to Expedite Reality of Flying Taxis

Reuters reports, “Opportunities in defence, emergency healthcare and cargo could help make flying taxis a reality in the next few years after the sector recently received backing from the Trump administration, executives in the industry said at the Paris Airshow. President Donald Trump this month told regulators to speed up certification to accelerate the development of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), aiming to secure a U.S. lead over Asia in the technology.”
Full Story (Reuters)

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Reignites Thrusters After Switching to Backup Mode

Ars Technica reports, “A NASA spacecraft bound for an unexplored metal-rich asteroid has reignited its plasma thrusters, continuing its cruise deeper into the Solar System after switching to a backup fuel line. The $1.4 billion Psyche mission, built to explore an asteroid with the same name, has four electric thrusters fueled by xenon gas. Psyche’s solar-electric propulsion system is more fuel-efficient than conventional rocket thrusters, and it works by flowing xenon through an electromagnetic field, which ionizes the gas and expels the ions at high speed to produce thrust.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

FAA Partners with Regulators in Four Countries to Develop Air Taxi Certification ‘Roadmap’

Flight Global reports the Federal Aviation Administration and agencies in four partner countries have rolled out a ‘roadmap’ for the type certification of electric air taxis.  “The air taxi certification roadmap, revealed by [U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean] Duffy on 17 June, comes from the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK – all members of the National Aviation Authorities Network.”
Full Story (Flight Global)

ULA to Launch Amazon’s Second Batch of Kuiper Internet Satellites

SPACE reports, “United Launch Alliance (ULA) is set to launch Amazon’s second group of satellites for its Kuiper internet satellite constellation today (June 16), and you can watch the action live. The 27 satellites, riding atop a ULA Atlas V rocket, are scheduled to lift off at 1:25 p.m. EDT (1725 GMT) today from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.”
Full Story (SPACE)

NASA Delays Commercial Crew Launch to Inspect Space Station Leaks

The Washington Post reports, “NASA said Thursday it was postponing a launch of private astronauts to the International Space Station while it works with its Russian counterparts to investigate persistent leaks on the orbiting laboratory. In a statement, NASA said that Russian cosmonauts recently sealed ‘some areas of interest’ in a module on the Russia side of the space station. As a result, ‘the segment is holding pressure,’ NASA said. It added that crews also noticed a ‘new pressure signature,’ and need additional time ‘to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary.’”
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication)
More Info (CBS News)

Experts Needed for AIAA Standard Revision Project

The AIAA Standards Steering Committee has approved a revision project for AIAA S-120B, Mass Properties Control for Space Systems. This standard outlines mass control requirements for space system development. If you are interested in contributing as a subject matter expert on the revision committee or have any questions, please contact Michele Dominiak , Senior Vice President, Publishing & Education, AIAA.

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