Tag: engineering

Gulfstream Aerospace Begins G400 Flight-test Program

Aviation International News reports, “Gulfstream has officially begun the flight test program for its G400, successfully completing its first flight on August 15. The large-cabin twinjet departed Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV) at 9:04 a.m. and returned just under three hours later having reached a top speed of Mach 0.85 and an altitude of 41,000 feet. The flight was conducted using the manufacturer’s supply of blended sustainable aviation fuel.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)

SpaceX Launches Two Earth-imaging Satellites to Orbit

SPACE reports, “SpaceX launched two Earth-imaging satellites today (Aug. 15), continuing to build out the WorldView Legion constellation for Maxar. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the WorldView Legion 3 and 4 satellites lifted off today from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).”
Full Story (SPACE)

Future Flight Global May Purchase Up to 116 Air Taxis from Archer Aviation

Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Archer Aviation this week secured another purchase order agreement for its flagship Midnight air taxi. The company on Tuesday said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Future Flight Global (FFG), a startup that plans to operate eVTOL and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, for the planned sale of as many as 116 air taxis.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Alaska Airlines Becomes First Commercial Operator to Invest in JetZero’s Blended Wing Body

Aviation Week reports, “Alaska Airlines has become the first commercial operator to declare serious interest in the blended wing body (BWB) aircraft under development by JetZero, signing options for an undisclosed number of aircraft while investing in the California-based startup. … JetZero has also revealed that Alaska was the first airline to back the company when it made a previously undisclosed initial investment in 2023 as part of the startup’s Series A financing round after it emerged from stealth mode.”|
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Intuitive Machines to Lead Coalition in Pursuit of Taking Over NASA’s VIPER Lunar Rover

Space News reports, “Intuitive Machines says it is organizing a coalition of organizations that will offer to take over a NASA lunar rover mission, launching it on one of the company’s landers. In an Aug. 13 earnings call, Intuitive Machines executives said they were planning to respond to a request for information (RFI). … Steve Altemus, chief executive of Intuitive Machines, said on the call that his company, which also responded to an earlier call for ‘expressions of interest’ from NASA regarding VIPER, is working with other companies, universities and international partners on responding to NASA’s RFI.”
Full Story (Space News)

Piper M700 Cleared for Unpaved Field Operations by FAA

Flying Magazine reports, “Piper Aircraft’s M700 Fury has received FAA approval for unpaved field operations, the company announced Monday. According to Piper, the M700 Fury, which was certified in March, underwent ‘rigorous testing for unpaved field certification.’”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)


Video

Piper Introduces the M700 Fury
(Piper Aircraft, Inc.; YouTube)

NASA Issues RFI on Potential VIPER Partnerships

Space News reports, “NASA is requesting concepts from companies and organizations willing to take over a robotic lunar rover that the agency announced last month it would cancel even through it is nearly complete. NASA issued a request for information (RFI) Aug. 9 for the operation of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) spacecraft. NASA announced July 17 it planned to cancel the rover, citing development delays and cost overruns amid broader budget pressures in the agency’s science programs.”
Full Story (Space News)

NASA Shuts Down NEOWISE Spacecraft, Closing More than a Decade of Asteroid Observations

Spaceflight Now reports, “A spacecraft that helped bolster planetary defense is now at the end of its operational mission. On Thursday, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California sent the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) spacecraft into its final hibernation mode by shutting off its transmitter. The command, issued from the Earth Orbiting Missions Operations Center at JPL, brought to an end more than a decade of observations of comets and asteroids that helped further the understanding of celestial bodies that could potentially pose a threat to Earth.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)

Archer Aviation to Operate Electric Air Taxis in Los Angeles by 2026

Flying Magazine reports, “Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Archer Aviation is adding a third major U.S. city to its planned air taxi network in partnership with United Airlines. The company on Thursday announced it intends to launch a city center-to-airport network in Los Angeles by 2026, building on its plans to fly in New York City and Chicago. The service is meant to replace one-to-two-hour drives by car with more direct aerial routes while remaining cost competitive with ground-based rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)