Tag: From the Institute

IQT: Seeding Early-Stage Private Sector Innovation into Defense Programs

FROM THE INSTITUTE
QT (In-Q-Tel), the independent strategic investor focused on accelerating national security innovation, was featured in a HUB session at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 in January.  Founded in 1999, IQT serves as an independent, not-for-profit strategic investor that bridges the gap between government needs and rapidly advancing private-sector innovations. Over the past 25 years, IQT has invested in more than 800 startups across the globe, helping fuel the commercial space industry.

Advanced Autonomy Critical for Future Air Superiority

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Chuck Yeager predicted that autonomous aircraft would someday dominate the future of air combat. Last October, Yeager’s vision was realized when Anduril Industries’ YFQ-44A Fury became the first next-gen autonomous fighter jet to fly its full mission profile without direct human intervention.

No Fans Needed: Sophia Space’s Orbital Data Centers Will Cool, Compute, and Conquer Space-Based Computing

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Keeping cloud servers cool is a major headache. Vast amounts of chillers are needed to keep data centers humming. On Earth. But in space, that’s another story. Entrepreneur Rob DeMillo, CEO of Sophia Space, formerly of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, with a portfolio of seven acquisitions and IPOs out of nine companies, said cooling servers in orbit is not a concern.

My Daily Launch

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we will not publish on Monday, 19 January. Service will resume on Tuesday, 20 January.
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Space Funding Picture Mixed Heading into 2026

FROM THE INSTITUTE
The future of U.S. research funding was debated Tuesday at AIAA SciTech Forum, where academic, industry, and startup space leaders expressed cautious optimism for America’s science and technology innovation pipeline. The budget picture for NASA and the U.S. Space Force in 2025 saw yearlong continuing resolutions and DOGE canceling or pausing contracts, which together “make it difficult to talk about 2026 relative to 2025,” said Carissa Christensen, founder and CEO of BryceTech.

In the Race Against China, U.S. AI Leadership Depends on High-Quality Data, the Right Use Cases, and People Owning Validation of AI Output

FROM THE INSTITUTE
In today’s race with China for AI superiority, the United States must use quality data, lean into the right use cases, and keep humans front and center when validating results, urged Craig Martell, vice president and chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin, at AIAA SciTech Forum on Wednesday. “The Department [of Defense] is right in pushing hard for AI,” said Martell, referring to the latest memos calling for Pentagon-wide adoption of AI.

AIAA SciTech Goes Inside the High-Tech World of Formula 1

“You’re driving a car on adrenaline and playing a chess game at the same time. That’s what wins most of these races.” That’s how Arbi Karapetian, Formula 1’s new director of Innovation & Technology, described the highly competitive, tech-driven world of F1 racing on the second day of AIAA SciTech Forum.

AIAA Welcomes RTX as an AIAA Corporate Partner

AIAA announced today that RTX has elevated its engagement with the world’s largest aerospace technical institute to the Corporate Partner level. RTX joins Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman in an elite group of Corporate Partners – the highest level of support and engagement in AIAA.

Durand Lecture Highlights 30-Year Journey Deploying Autonomous Drones to Understand Tornadoes

As a child growing up in Oklahoma, Brian Argrow had two passions: meteorology and aerospace engineering. He never imagined one day he would combine both interests — deploying tornado-chasing drones that showed how tornadoes form, key to increasing warning times. On Monday, Argrow, Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, delivered the 2026 Durand Lecture for Public Service.