Flying Magazine reports, “The Texas Military Department has deployed unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) to assist in search and rescue efforts following severe flooding in Kerr County and surrounding regions. The floods have caused significant damage and prompted widespread evacuations as emergency teams continue operations across affected areas. In a statement delivered during a press briefing on Sunday, Major General Thomas Suelzer, who serves as the adjutant general of Texas, detailed the deployment of an MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Tag: July 2025
AIAA Draft Standard S-110A Undergoing 2nd Public Review
The draft standard AIAA S-110A (revision of AIAA S-110-2005), Space Systems—Structures, Structural Items, and Pressurized Structures is undergoing a second public review. The AIAA Structures Committee on Standards is responsible for developing this revised draft standard. The document establishes baseline structural requirements for the design, test, qualification, and acceptance of spaceflight structures and pressurized structures. To obtain a copy for review, please contact Michele Dominiak . Public review deadline: 29 August 2025.
Learn More
Early Tests Indicate ChatGPT Could Pilot a Spacecraft Unexpectedly Well
SPACE reports, “In a recent contest, teams of researchers competed to see who could train an AI model to best pilot a spaceship. The results suggest that an era of autonomous space exploration may be closer than we think.”
Full Story (SPACE)
FAA to Receive $12.5B for Air Traffic Control Overhaul
FlightGlobal reports, “The US Congress has passed a sweeping spending and tax bill that will provide $12.5 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration to fund air traffic control (ATC) modernisation…”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
ULA Starts Stacking 1st Post-certification Vulcan Rocket
Spaceflight Now reports this is the second time the rocket is being prepared for launch following a months-long delay in certifying the launch vehicle. “It was previously readied in late October in support of the USSF-106 mission, the planned, first national security flight of a Vulcan rocket.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
U.S. Air Force Set to Add Drone Launchers to KC-135 Tankers
The War Zone reports, “The U.S. Air Force has developed a means to launch small drones from its KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, and is now looking at adding that capability to the fleet. The service says the tankers could send out uncrewed aerial systems to help defend themselves from incoming threats and just provide useful additional situational awareness, as well as to potentially perform other missions in the future.”
Full Story (The War Zone)
Space Force to Support Development of Atomic-6 Solar Power for Satellites
Space News reports, “Composite materials startup Atomic-6 secured a $2 million agreement with the U.S. Space Force to mature its solar power array for military satellite applications, the company announced July 2.”
Full Story (Space News)
ASCEND 2026: Building a Space Week in Washington, D.C.
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The space industry has reached an inflection point. We are witnessing unprecedented growth in commercial space activity, accelerated national security priorities, international realignment in civil space programs, and a new generation of professionals entering the field. We need a technology-focused forum that matches the complexity and ambition of our moment. That’s exactly what we’re creating with ASCEND 2026.
Full Story (Aerospace America)
Joby Delivers First Electric Air Taxi to UAE
Flying Magazine reports, “Before arriving in the U.S., electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis are expected to debut in the Middle East. This week, they moved one step closer. Joby Aviation, developer of the piloted, four-passenger S4, on Monday announced it delivered its first air taxi to the United Arab Emirates. Joby has a six-year agreement with the Emirate of Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) that it says gives it exclusive rights to operate an air taxi service in the area. The company anticipates the UAE’s first passenger-carrying S4 flights in 2026, slightly later than the initial 2025 target it set when that deal was announced.
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
Second Launch of New Glenn Expected to Take Place Sometime This Fall
Ars Technica reports, “Blue Origin is making steady progress toward the second launch of its New Glenn rocket, which could occur sometime this fall … Two sources say the first stage for this launch is in the final stages of preparation at the company’s facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida … One source told Ars that a mid- to late-September launch date was ‘realistic,’ but another person said late October or November was more likely … Multiple people have told Ars that the current plan is to launch NASA’s ESCAPADE mission on the second launch of New Glenn. This mission encompasses a pair of small spacecraft that will be sent to Mars to study the red planet’s magnetosphere.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)