CALL FOR CONTENT: The 28th Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference and Seminar invites submissions of abstracts on parachute and aerodynamic decelerator design, testing, and analysis, from Orion and Artemis Mission parachute systems to deployable decelerators and/or aero-capture. Submit your abstract by 18 December 2025.
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Tag: December 2025
U.S. Advocates for Advanced Air Mobility Call for Increased Regulatory Clarity
Aviation International News reports, “As eVTOL developers edge closer to operational approval, U.S. lawmakers and stakeholders alike stress the need for regulatory clarity and consistency and close collaboration between Congress, the FAA, the industry, and the states to ensure a safe transition for advanced air mobility (AAM).”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
International Space Station Set to Receive New Commander
Spaceflight Now reports NASA astronaut Mike Fincke will take command of the orbiting outpost as Expedition 74 begins with the undocking of Soyuz MS-27 on Monday, Dec. 8. “After 25 years of continuous human presence, the International Space Station is heading into its final half decade of planned habitation.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Higher Orbits: A 10-Year Journey from Classrooms to Cosmos
U.S. DOT Selects Peraton For ATC Modernization Integrator Role
Aviation Week reports, “Peraton has been chosen as the sole integrator in the ambitious U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) plan to upgrade the country’s air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure by 2029, the agency announced late Dec. 4.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
China Temporarily Without Emergency Launch Capabilities Following Space Station Lifeboat Crisis
Space News reports, “China could be without emergency launch capability to Tiangong space station for months, leaving no rapid-response option for any new crisis following the Shenzhou-20 incident.”
Full Story (Space News)
Honda Plans First Flight of its Full-Scale Hybrid eVTOL Prototype in Early 2026
Aviation International News reports “At the Dubai Airshow, the aviation division of Japanese automotive group Honda finally talked openly about its plans to bring a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft to market. Until now, the company—which already makes the HondaJet—has been working in stealth mode.”
Full Story (Aviation International News – Subscription Publication)
Video
Honda’s first full-scale hybrid eVTOL prototype to make first flight in Early 2026
AIN; YouTube; Framegrab
Air Force Authorizes SpaceX to Develop SLC-37 in Florida as Starship Launch Site
SPACE reports, “SpaceX just took a big step toward launching its Starship megarocket from Florida. The U.S. Air Force has given SpaceX permission to develop Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as a launch site for Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built. All 11 of the giant vehicle’s test flights to date have flown from Starbase, SpaceX’s facility in South Texas.”
Full Story (SPACE)
New Boeing CFO Highlights Improved Economic Outlook
Aviation Week reports, “Boeing CFO Jay Malave said Dec. 2 that the company expects to report a $2 billion cash burn for all of 2025, better than predicted before, and that in 2026 it will record low-single-digit billions of dollars of positive free cashflow that grows annually.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
8 Spacecraft Are Docked to the ISS for the 1st Time Ever
SPACE reports, “All eight docking ports for spacecraft on the current configuration of the International Space Station (ISS) are fully occupied for the first time in the complex’s history, NASA officials said in a statement on Monday (Dec. 1).”
Full Story (SPACE)