FROM THE INSTITUTE
Jared Isaacman was confirmed as NASA Administrator on 17 December 2025. “Congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his confirmation as NASA’s 15th administrator. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for the agency as it advances ambitious exploration goals, strengthens partnerships across government and industry, and delivers scientific and technological value for the nation.”
Tag: December 2025
SpaceX Pulls Off Dual-Coast Starlink Launch Doubleheader
SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets Wednesday, each carrying Starlink satellites, one from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and another from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. As SPACE reports, “First up was a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 of the broadband internet relay units (Group 6-99) into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The satellites were successfully deployed about an hour and five minutes after the 8:42 a.m. EST (1342 GMT) liftoff … Then came 27 more Starlink satellites (Group 15-13), riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Lifting off at 10:27 a.m. EST”
Full Story (SPACE – videos)
Wisk Completes First Gen 6 eVTOL Air Taxi Flight
Aerotime reports, “Wisk Aero, a fully owned subsidiary of Boeing, has successfully completed the first flight of its Generation 6 aircraft, bringing autonomous passenger air taxis a step closer to commercial reality. In a statement issued on December 16, 2025, Wisk announced that this achievement marks a significant industry milestone.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Video
Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft
Wisk Aero | YouTube
Rocket Lab Readies Electron for Space Force–NASA DiskSat Test Flight
Space News reports, “A U.S. Space Force and NASA experiment is set to launch later this week to test a new small-satellite architecture designed for operations in very low Earth orbit. Four flat, disk-shaped satellites known as DiskSats are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12:00 a.m. Eastern on Dec. 18 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission, designated STP-S30, was accelerated from an initial target of spring 2026.”
Full Story (Space News)
AIAA Announces 2026 Premier Award Winners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2025 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is pleased to announce the 2026 recipients of the AIAA Premier Awards, recognizing the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace whose outstanding contributions merit the highest accolades. The winners will be recognized at AIAA events throughout the year.
“Congratulations to our premier award winners,” said AIAA President Daniel Hastings. “In honoring these remarkable pioneers, we celebrate their transformative contributions that will echo through generations of aerospace innovation. Their groundbreaking work exemplifies the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines our community as they set new horizons for what humanity can achieve in the vast frontiers of air and space.”
“I’m simply in awe of this outstanding group of award winners. These are the aerospace professionals who push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said AIAA CEO Clay Mowry. “These leaders are making sure we stay at the forefront of innovation and maintain our national leadership in aerospace. They are truly shaping the future of aerospace.”
The winners are:
AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award – Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award – Boom Supersonic XB-1 Team
AIAA Distinguished Service Award – Mark J. Lewis, President & CEO, Purdue Applied Research Institute
AIAA Engineer of the Year Award – Jenna L. Eppink, Research Aerospace Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center
AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award – Thomas C. Underwood, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin
AIAA Public Service Award – Thomas Zurbuchen, Professor of Space Science and Technology, ETH Zurich
Daniel Guggenheim Medal – Charbel Farhat, Vivian Church Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures School of Engineering, Stanford University
Award Citations
AIAA Goddard Astronautics Award
The highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievement in the field of astronautics. It was endowed by Mrs. Goddard in the 1940s as the ARS Goddard Memorial Award to commemorate her husband, Robert H. Goddard—rocket visionary, pioneer, bold experimentalist, and superb engineer whose early liquid rocket engine launches set the stage for the development of astronautics.
Indian Space Research Organisation, honored “For the groundbreaking landing of the ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar south pole region, to deepen our understanding of the moon and beyond.”
AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award
The highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievements in the field of aeronautics. The award is named after Dr. Sylvanus A. Reed, aeronautical engineer, designer, and founding member of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences in 1932.
Boom Supersonic XB-1 Team, honored “In recognition of the historic design and development of Boom Supersonic’s demonstrator, XB-1, the first independently developed supersonic jet, which demonstrated Boomless Cruise on two supersonic flights in 2025.”
AIAA Distinguished Service Award
AIAA recognizes an individual member who has provided distinguished service to the Institute over a period of years.
Mark J. Lewis, President & CEO, Purdue Applied Research Institute, honored “For outstanding and notable contributions to AIAA at the sectional, regional, and national level over the past four decades.”
AIAA Engineer of the Year Award
The award is presented to a member of the Institute who has made a recent individual technical contribution in the application of scientific and mathematical principles leading to a significant technical accomplishment.
Jenna L. Eppink, Research Aerospace Engineer, NASA Langley Research Center, honored “For exceptional engineering and technical innovation developing Lensless Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and a simple static-pressure-tap boundary-layer transition detection technique, expanding near-body flow-physics measurement capabilities.”
AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award
The award is presented for a notable contribution made by a young person, age 35 or under, to the advancement of aeronautics or astronautics. This award honors Lawrence B. Sperry, pioneer aviator and inventor, who died in 1923 in a forced landing while attempting a flight across the English Channel.
Thomas C. Underwood, Assistant Professor, University of Texas at Austin, honored “For pioneering contributions to air-breathing electric propulsion and plasma-enabled pathways for sustainable and in situ fuel production.”
AIAA Public Service Award
The award honors a person who has demonstrated sustained and visible support for aviation and space goals.
Thomas Zurbuchen, Professor of Space Science and Technology, ETH Zurich, honored “For bold and impactful leadership through energetic public service in space science, entrepreneurship, education, and NASA space program management.”
Daniel Guggenheim Medal
The Medal was established as an international award honoring an individual who makes notable achievements in advancing the safety and practicality of aviation. Jointly sponsored by AIAA, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), SAE International, and Vertical Flight Society (VFS), the Medal recognizes contributions to aeronautical research and education, the development of commercial aircraft and equipment, and the application of aircraft to the economic and social activities of the nation.
Charbel Farhat, Vivian Church Hoff Professor of Aircraft Structures School of Engineering, Stanford University, honored “For pioneering advances in the computational mechanics of fluid–structure interaction, transforming simulation methodologies and enabling major breakthroughs in aircraft design and optimization.”
Contact: Rebecca Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
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 www.aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on X/Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Joby Aviation Predicts Its Passenger Air Taxi Service Will Take Off in 2026
Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Joby Aviation believes 2026 will be the year its air taxi begins flying passengers. As the new year approaches, Joby on Monday shared a recap of its 2025 flight test milestones, reiterating its plans for the launch of passenger service in the coming months. The company intends to integrate its flagship S4 on the Blade Air Mobility and Uber platforms to offer 10-20-minute flights between U.S. city centers and airports. It is partnered with Delta Air Lines, with plans for service in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
MAVEN Telemetry Reveals Changes to Spacecraft Orbit and Rotation
Space News reports, “New analysis suggests that problems with NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter may be more serious than a simple communications glitch. NASA said Dec. 9 that it lost contact with the spacecraft three days earlierafter MAVEN failed to resume communications following a pass behind Mars as viewed from Earth. At the time, the agency provided few details and did not indicate the problem extended beyond the spacecraft’s communications systems.”
Full Story (Space News)
Space Station Model Mimics Real ISS to Inspire Students
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Teachers who wish they could bring the International Space Station (ISS) out of orbit and into their classroom can have their wish come true. A group of passionate engineers and educators has done exactly that with ISS Mimic. ISS Mimic is an open-source, real-time desktop model of the ISS, designed to strengthen students’ connection with human spaceflight and to embed authentic STEM learning in the classroom.
Vertical Aerospace CEO Says New Valo eVTOL to Become ‘People’s Air Taxi’
Flying Magazine reports, “U.K. developer Vertical Aerospace this week unveiled its flagship electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Valo, which, according to CEO Stuart Simpson, will be the ‘people’s air taxi.’ A chief criticism of eVTOL aircraft is their anticipated cost, leading many to characterize electric air taxis as a service for the wealthy. But Simpson said that won’t be the case for Vertical’s flagship model.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Rocket Lab Launches JAXA Tech Demo Satellite atop an Electron Rocket
Space News reports, “A Rocket Lab Electron rocket successfully launched a technology demonstration satellite for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on Dec. 13 as the company reshuffles its launch manifest. The Electron lifted off from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 10:09 p.m. Eastern. The payload, JAXA’s Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite-4, or RAISE-4, was deployed into a 540-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit nearly 55 minutes later.”
Full Story (Space News)