Tag: Aerospace

AIAA Expands International Reach with New Section, Student Branches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 5, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce it has chartered a new section in the United Kingdom (UK) and new student branches in seven countries. The AIAA Council of Directors approved the moves at its meeting during the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando, Florida.

The UK Section is located in AIAA Region VII and includes AIAA members living in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The addition of the UK Section brings the global total of AIAA sections to 58, in seven regions. Sections are led by AIAA members who volunteer to organize and offer technical programs, networking, educational opportunities, and other activities tailored to local aerospace professionals, students, and educators.

The seven new student branches have been granted three-year provisional charters to ensure they are sustainable before being officially chartered as a student branch. The universities include:

  • Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia
  • King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
  • M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, India
  • Military Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
  • Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, United States
  • TED University, Turkey
  • University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

“We are thrilled to welcome the UK Section and new student branches to AIAA. We are building bridges across the globe to strengthen our connections everywhere, growing international contributions to the AIAA community. We look forward to seeing how they shape the future of aerospace,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry.

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.

Marines Plan to Buy More Carrier-based F-35Cs While Scaling Back VTOL Variant

Defense One reports, “The Marine Corps plans to double its buy of the carrier-borne F-35C variant and scale back its buy of the short-takeoff-vertical-landing F-35B, according to a new aviation plan from the service. The service’s total F-35 buy of 420 aircraft remains unchanged, but the service will now buy 280 F-35Bs instead of the planned 353 jets, and 140 F-35Cs instead of the planned 67 jets, according to the 2025 Marine Aviation Plan released Monday. This means the Marines will field 12 F-35B squadrons and eight F-35C squadrons. Notably, the plan also expands the size of F-35 squadrons from 10 to 12 fighters.”
Full Story (Defense One)

India to Launch European Proba-3 Satellites on Dec. 5 to Create Artificial Eclipses in Space

SPACE reports, “A European mission that will use two satellites to create artificial eclipses in Earth orbit will launch early Thursday morning (Dec. 5) … The ESA’s Proba-3 formation-flying mission is scheduled to lift off atop an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center on Thursday at 5:42 a.m. EST (1042 GMT; 4:42 p.m. local time in India).”
Full Story (SPACE)

FAA is Getting Closer to Certifying ZeroAvia’s Electric Propulsion System

Aerospace Global News reports, “ZeroAvia has moved one step closer to certification of its first commercial product, having received Certification Basis for its 600kW electric propulsion system (EPS) from the FAA – a key document outlining the applicable airworthiness regulations with which the manufacturer must comply. The G-1 Issue Paper (Stage 2) contains a formally confined agreement, designating the standards to which ZeroAvia will validate the design requirements of its EPS.”
Full Story (Aerospace Global News)

Blue Origin Set to Launch New Shepard Moon-Gravity Mission

SPACE reports, “Blue Origin is targeting Feb. 4 for the 29th launch of its New Shepard suborbital rocket, which was postponed from Jan. 28 due to weather and a technical “issue with the rocket’s avionics. But everything appears to be in order now … Liftoff of the NS-29 mission is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. ET.”
Full Story (SPACE)

AIAA Statement on Blue Origin’s Successful NS-29 Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 4, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement from AIAA CEO Clay Mowry:

“On behalf of the 30,000 professional and student members of AIAA, we congratulate Blue Origin on its successful NS-29 mission. The rocket included 30 payloads that experienced two minutes of lunar gravity forces. We look forward to learning the results of these experiments to help us prepare for more activities on the lunar surface in the future.”

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.

 

Video

New Shepard Mission NS-29 Webcast
(Blue Origin; YouTube)

Pipistrel Flight-Tests NUUVA V300 Hybrid-Electric VTOL

Aerotime reports, “Pipistrel, a division of Textron eAviation, announced that its new NUUVA V300 hybrid-electric unmanned VTOL aircraft successfully completed its first flight on January 31, 2025, in Gorizia, northeastern Italy, next to the Slovenian border. The NUUVA is an unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed to carry 300 kg of cargo (the equivalent of three euro-pallets) over distances of up to 300 km.”
Full Story (Aerotime)

 

 

 

Video

Nuuva V300 makes first successful flight-test
(Pipistrel Aircraft; YouTube)

Japan’s H3 Rocket Launches Michibiki 6 Navigation Satellite

Space News reports, “Japan’s flagship H3 rocket successfully launched the Michibiki 6 navigation satellite early Sunday, enhancing the country’s regional GPS capabilities. The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H3 rocket lifted off at 3:30 a.m. Eastern (0830 UTC) Feb. 2 from Tanegashima Space Center. Aboard was the 1,900-kilogram Michibiki 6 satellite, also known as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-6), for Japan’s navigation satellite system.”
Full Story (Space News)

 

Video

Japan’s flagship H3 rocket launches Michibiki 6 aboard H3-22S (Launch at 0:45:57 mark)
(The Launch Pad; YouTube)

Supply Chain and Labor Challenges Continue in High-Demand Commercial Market Forecast

Aviation Week reports, “Demand is surging across commercial aviation even as an imbalance persists between supply and demand, according to the Aviation Week Network 2025 Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast presented at the Aero Engines Americas conference on Jan. 28. Hamstrung by supply chain and labor challenges, deliveries by major aircraft OEMs in the fourth quarter of 2024 were down 17% over 2023 and 20% over 2019. Overall, in 2024, deliveries in 2024 fell 10% on an annual basis.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)