Tag: Aerospace News

Autonomous Air Taxi Certification Emerges as New Regulatory Frontier

Flying Magazine reports, “Owing to the novelty of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, the FAA is requiring air taxi developers such as Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, and Beta Technologies to complete a gauntlet of testing. One of them, Boeing’s Wisk Aero, is building an aircraft that incorporates not just VTOL but another emerging technology—autonomy. Unlike Archer’s Midnight, Joby’s S4, or Beta’s Alia, Wisk’s Generation 6 is designed to fly autonomously from the jump.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Video

Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft
Wisk Aero | YouTube

Artemis II Crew Nears Moon as Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit Phase

The New York Times reports, “Early on Monday morning Eastern time, the astronauts of Artemis II will enter the lunar sphere of influence, when the pull of the moon’s gravity becomes stronger than Earth’s. That is when their spacecraft will start speeding up for the main event of the 10-day mission, swinging around the moon for a first close-up look by astronauts in more than 53 years.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

NAVAIR Seeks Industry Input on CV-22 Osprey JTT-NG Integration

Military Aerospace reports, “The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is conducting market research to identify companies capable of integrating the Joint Tactical Terminal – Next Generation (JTT-NG) system onto the CV-22 Osprey aircraft, according to a sources sought notice issued on behalf of the V-22 Joint Program Office under the Program Executive Office for Air Anti-Submarine Warfare, Assault & Special Mission Programs.”
Full Story (Military Aerospace)

Artemis II Crew Sets Course for the Moon

The Washington Post reports, “The Artemis II astronauts blasted out of Earth’s orbit Thursday evening and on to the next phase of their mission — a four-day journey toward the moon. NASA officials gave the okay to the ‘translunar injection’ maneuver Thursday afternoon, after extensive checks of life-support systems and other operations gave them confidence that the Orion spacecraft, which the crew named Integrity, was ready to go.”
Full Story (Washington Post – Subscription Publication)

Embraer Reports 47% Jump in First-Quarter Aircraft Deliveries

Embraer handed over 44 aircraft in the first quarter of 2026, a 47% year-on-year increase driven by gains across commercial, executive and defense segments. Aerotime reports, “The Brazilian manufacturer disclosed these figures in a securities filing on April 2, 2026, with growth recorded across all three business segments.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

Artemis II Crew Begins First Full Day in Space After Historic Launch

CBS News reports, “With an exhilarating launch behind them, NASA’s Artemis II astronauts are turning their attention to the next big challenge of their historic mission: a ‘crazy first day’ in space. The crew is spending about 24 hours orbiting the Earth while they put their Orion capsule through its paces before finally heading for the moon. Their spectacular launch Wednesday evening marked the first piloted moonshot since the end of the Apollo program 53 years ago.”
Full Story (CBS News)

SpaceX Secures SDA-4 Launch Task Order from U.S. Space Force

Defense Daily reports, “SpaceX has received a more than $178 million task order from U.S. Space Force’s Systems Command (SSC) for two National Security Space Launch Phase 3, Lane 1 launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., for the Space Development Agency-4 (SDA-4) mission in fiscal 2027. The latter includes ‘dozens of missile tracking satellites’ by Sierra Space, SSC said on Tuesday.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)

NASA Prepares 322-Foot SLS Rocket for Artemis II Moon Flyby

The Wall Street Journal reports, “NASA’s Artemis II mission is designed to power a crew of four astronauts out to the moon, zip them around it and safely bring them back to Earth. It is a big test for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and a swarm of contractors, including Boeing, which developed the core stage of Artemis’s towering Space Launch System rocket, and Lockheed Martin, the company behind the Orion crew capsule.”
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)

Navy Issues Final RFP for T-45 Goshawk Trainer Replacement

Defense Daily reports, “The Navy issued its final Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 26 for its Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) that aims to succeed the current T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft. The requirement for UJTS is to provide intermediate and advanced training for undergraduate U.S. Navy and Marine Corps jet aviators and flight officers.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)