Flying Magazine reports, “The market for FBOs—the companies that handle services at airports like fueling, hangaring, and aircraft maintenance—is set to grow at a “healthy” rate over the next several years, according to a new report. Market research firm The Insight Partners predicts the fixed base operator market will expand from $25.5 billion in 2024 to $41.4 billion by 2031. Analysts attributed the forecasted gains to a more dynamic business travel environment and demand from established and emerging regions, especially North America, Europe, and Asia.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Tag: Aerospace
U.S. Suspends Exports of Jet Engine and Semiconductor Technology to China
The New York Times reports, “The Trump administration has suspended some sales to China of critical U.S. technologies, including those related to jet engines, semiconductors and certain chemicals and machinery. The move is a response to China’s recent restrictions on exports of critical minerals to the United States, a decision by Beijing that has threatened to cripple U.S. company supply chains, according to two people familiar with the matter.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Space Ops: Blue Origin Prepares to Leapfrog SpaceX to the Moon
Aviation Week reports, “Blue Origin plans to attempt a lunar landing this year. If successful, the MK1, which is 26 ft. tall and 10 ft. in diameter, would become the largest vehicle to touch down on the surface of the Moon, eclipsing the Apollo program’s Lunar Modules (LM) that landed crews six times in 1969-72. Fully fueled, the MK1 weighs 47,000 lb., compared with the 36,200-lb. mass of the extended Apollo LM.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Hermeus Quarterhorse Demonstrator Makes First Flight
Aviation Week reports, “High-speed aircraft developer Hermeus has successfully flown its remotely piloted Quarterhorse Mk. 1 demonstrator at Edwards AFB, California, marking a key step toward the follow-on development of supersonic and hypersonic vehicles. The short flight, which Hermeus describes as a simple “hop,” was achieved after the aircraft completed two high-speed taxi tests earlier on May 21. After takeoff the aircraft climbed briefly to low altitude before making a straight-ahead landing on the base’s 6.2-mi.-long dry lakebed Runway 15/33.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Physicists Record Rocket Launches for Acoustic Insights
The New York Times reports that physicists who record rocket launches and landings are learning important facts about the acoustics of spaceflight. “Rocket launches are loud, and big rockets are louder. Launches used to be occasional spectacles, and not many people minded the noise. But the pace has quickened. SpaceX, the rocket company started by Elon Musk, now sends a Falcon 9 rocket to space at least once every few days from launchpads in Florida and California. Other companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, also have ambitions to send rockets to space at an accelerating pace.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Beta Technologies’ CX300 Kicks Off European Tour After Completing Flights Across U.S.
Flying Magazine reports, “In February and March, Beta Technologies flew its all-electric CX300 production aircraft on a six-week, 25-state, 8,000 nm barnstorm across the U.S. Now, the manufacturer is kicking off a European Grand Tour.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
SpaceX Says Engine Hardware Failure Caused Starship Flight 8 Mishap
Space News reports, “The failure of SpaceX’s Starship on its most recent test flight had a different root cause than the previous failure, despite happening at about the same time. SpaceX released details May 23 about the cause of the Flight 8 mishap that took place March 6, when several Raptor engines on the Starship upper stage shut down and the vehicle started to tumble.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Starship launches on flight 8, catches booster but loses ship again (Launch at 00:25:35 mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
Japan’s Skymark Airlines to Purchase Six 737 Max 8s
Flight Global reports, “Skymark Airlines is to acquire six Boeing 737 Max 8s, in an orderbook top-up for fleet renewal purposes. The deal, which was approved by the Japanese carrier’s board on 22 May, is valued at Y143.4 billion ($997 million) at list prices, and includes the purchase of CFM International engines.”
Full Story (Flight Global)
Blue Origin Announces Passengers for 12th Space Tourism Launch
SPACE reports that Blue Origin has revealed the identities of the six passengers who will fly on the company’s 12th human spaceflight mission. A target date has “yet to be announced.”
Full Story (SPACE)
Boeing Increases 737 MAX Production Rate
Reuters reports, “Boeing expects to stabilize 737 MAX production at 38 airplanes a month over the next couple of months, its Commercial Airplanes Vice President of Quality Doug Ackerman told reporters on Tuesday. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration capped output at 38 airplanes a month after a mid-air panel blowout in a nearly new 737 in January 2024.”
Full Story (Reuters)