Yahoo News reports, “South Korea today unveiled a new stealthy loyal wingman-type drone, the Low Observable Unmanned Wingman System, or LOWUS, which it plans to operate alongside the locally developed KF-21 Boramae next-generation fighter. The new drone is part of a growing fleet of low-observable drones being developed in South Korea as the country seeks to introduce new uncrewed technologies for a range of missions.”
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Tag: Aerospace
Blue Origin Scheduled to Launch 10th Space Tourism Flight Today
SPACE reports, Jeff Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origin, “plans to launch its 10th space tourism mission this morning (Feb. 25), and you can watch the action live . Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard vehicle will lift off from the company’s West Texas site today during a window that opens at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT; 9:30 a.m. local Texas time).”
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First Asteroid Mining Prospector to Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Wednesday
The New York Times reports, “A private company is aiming to heave a microwave oven-size spacecraft toward an asteroid later this week, its goal to kick off a future where precious metals are mined around the solar system to create vast fortunes on Earth. AstroForge’s second robotic spacecraft, called Odin, is bundled into a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will also launch a privately built moon lander and a NASA-operated lunar orbiter as soon as Wednesday from Florida. About 45 minutes after the launch, Odin will separate and begin its solo journey into deep space, while the moon missions — the Athena lander from Intuitive Machines and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer — take off on their own separate journeys.”
Full Story (New York Times)
US, India to Collaborate on Autonomous Systems
Defense One reports, “The U.S. and India are launching a new alliance for autonomous systems, which builds on bipartisan groundwork laid by previous administrations and could be a stabilizing force for the democracies’ future tech exchanges. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined President Donald Trump in Washington on Feb. 13 to discuss tariffs, technology, and energy and defense initiatives.”
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Space News Podcast: Building a Construction Firm for Space
Space News reports, “In this week’s episode of Space Minds meet Lee Rosen who reflects on his SpaceX tenure, co-founding ThinkOrbital and where the industry is headed.
Listen to Podcast (Space News)
AIAA Releases Report Advocating for Certification of Advanced Air Mobility Vehicles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2025 – Reston, Va. – With novel aircraft poised to usher in a global revolution in aerial operations and travel, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has released recommendations addressing regulatory and other hurdles that could hinder the certification and integration of novel aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS).
The report, “Challenges to the Commercialization of Advanced Air Mobility,” is written by the AIAA Certification Task Force composed of technical aviation experts with public and private sector experience. The report is available for download here.
“The aerospace industry is on the cusp of an exciting new era of flight,” says AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “New aerial vehicle technologies coming online today will enable capabilities we are only just imagining. We urge our lawmakers to work together to prioritize regulations and investments that ensure U.S. leadership in aviation innovation.”
The report notes that despite successes in meeting many technological challenges, regulatory and legal hurdles remain. Navigation, type and production certification, and urban traffic management present significant barriers in advanced air mobility becoming a commercial reality. Recommendations include:
- Establishing a standing working group of government and stakeholder organizations to create a unified national plan for employing advanced air mobility vehicles, driving new standards to ensure safety and support innovation.
- Revisiting current laws and regulations with an eye toward “future proofing,” or ensuring all laws are applicable to both legacy and emerging aircraft systems.
- Creating a workforce development plan that sets a foundation of awareness about infrastructure, certification requirements, and NAS management for AAM vehicle startups as well as other professionals and decision makers involved in the development of regulations and operations involving novel aircraft in the National Airspace.
Media Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell
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 aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
General Atomics Preparing for Massive MQ-9B Sale to Saudi Arabia
Defense News reports, “General Atomics is preparing to offer a package deal to Saudi Arabia to acquire a number of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, company executives said in an interview at the IDEX arms fair in Abu Dhabi. “We are still in the very early stages but are pursuing this hard as there is a huge interest coming from Saudi regarding the MQ-9B — we expect they have significant requirements [for these drones] that could result in many of tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S. if we were to close that sale,” Dave Alexander, president of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, told Defense News.”
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Blue Origin to Launch 10th Crewed New Shepard Private Astronaut Mission
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin has announced plans for a 10th crewed New Shepard suborbital rocket mission with six private astronauts. A date for the launch of the reusable New Shepard with its crew capsule from the company’s West Texas launch site will be announced soon, the company’s Feb. 18 announcement says.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
FAA Certification Frees Archer Aviation to Assemble eVTOL Pilot Team
Aerotime reports, “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Archer Aviation the green light to begin assembling a team of pilots to fly its future fleet of electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Archer Aviation announced on February 18, 2025, that the eVTOL developer had received its Part 141 certificate from the FAA signifying that it is a formally recognized and regulated institution for pilot training.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
General Atomics to Reveal New ‘Super Wide Area’ Sensor for ‘Iron Dome for America’
Breaking Defense reports, “General Atomics is ready to step in the ring to compete for contracts to build President Donald Trump’s ‘Iron Dome for America’ with a new technology the company believes can radically contain the costs of the project, the head of General Atomics’ aeronautics unit said. The special sauce, Dave Alexander told Breaking Defense in an exclusive interview, is a long-range, high resolution sensor that has been under development for about a decade, has a “super wide area” of coverage, and is ready for production.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)