The New York Times reports a rescue attempt for the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory telescope was to commence on Tuesday, with the launch of a refrigerator-sized spacecraft from Kwajalein…
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Tag: June 2026
NASA’s X-59 Moves Closer to Boom-Free Supersonic Travel
Ars Technica reports, “More than two decades since the Concorde supersonic airliner last took to the skies, NASA has been flying an experimental aircraft designed to replace loud sonic booms with a quieter thump equivalent to a car door slamming shut 20 feet away.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Report Offers In-Depth Look at the T-7 Red Hawk’s Ongoing Challenges
Breaking Defense reports, “A new series of reports from Breaking Defense provides an unparalleled look at how a key Pentagon acquisition program comes together, and where it threatens to fall apart.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Space Founders Urge Grit, Focus, and Community at ASCEND 2026
FROM THE INSTITUTE
If you’re building a space startup, be ready for difficult fundraising cycles, lengthy government sales processes, and hiring decisions that can make or break your company – but also for a community of founders and mentors willing to offer support when things get hard. That was the central message from the Founders Panel at ASCEND 2026, an annual event created and moderated by Rob Meyerson, CEO of Interlune and event co-founder.
Researching Aerospace Stakeholder Engagement at the 2026 Regional Studies Association Annual Conference
FROM THE INSTITUTE
As AIAA programming is traditionally led by engineers with the inclusion of other members of the stakeholder ecosystem, Ashira Beutler-Greene’s goal was…
Report Links China’s Rocket Stage Abandonment to Rising Orbital Collision Risks
Breaking Defense reports, “China has been abandoning used launcher rocket stages in low Earth orbit (LEO) at an ever-increasing pace, putting both military and commercial satellites in that crowded orbital regime at greater risk of serious debris-creating collisions, according to a new report.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)
Beta, Surf Air Test Electric Aircraft for Hawaii Inter-Island Routes
Aviation International News reports, “Beta Technologies and Surf Air Mobility have started flying the all-electric Alia CX300 across Hawaii to test whether battery-powered aircraft can serve the state’s short inter-island cargo and passenger routes. The demonstration campaign, which began Thursday, will run roughly six to eight weeks.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
AIAA Named Finalist for PR Daily’s 2026 Marketing Awards
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Institute was named a finalist in PR Daily’s 2026 Marketing Awards for two initiatives: its brand relaunch and the redesign of Aerospace America’s website. The awards, presented by Ragan Communications and PR Daily, recognize organizations advancing marketing through creativity, strategy, and measurable results.
“Wow, That Space Thing Is Pretty Cool”: STEM Payoff on Display at ASCEND
FROM THE INSTITUTE
Ava Crowder, a high school junior in Virginia, has conducted research on a rust-eating bacteria to determine how it might perform in microgravity. Eva Astrada, another high school student from Texas, worked with a NASA astronaut on an experiment for the International Space Station. The pair attended ASCEND 2026 to share their experiences with the nonprofit Higher Orbits.
Space Force Taps Boeing for Two New MUOS Military Communications Satellites
Defense Daily reports, “The U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command has awarded Boeing [BA] a $2 billion contract for the next two Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellites. Fielded in 2019, four MUOS geosynchronous satellites–built by incumbent Lockheed Martin [LMT]–provide military forces ultra high frequency (UHF) voice and data communications.”
Full Story (Defense Daily)