aerospace

A prototype ion engine that uses lithium metal vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than the ion engine on the Psyche mission.

New FAMU-FSU College of Engineering research shows how different angles of flight affect the vortices that form behind the forebody of aircraft in flight. The research, published in Journal of Aircraft, could help design more stable missiles and high-speed aircraft.

This Boeing has left its past behind. What engineers are building from it could open the door to entirely new ways of observing Earth.

Also known as Endurance, MK1 is an uncrewed cargo lander funded by Blue Origin as a commercial demonstration mission to advance Human Landing System capabilities in support of NASA’s Artemis program. The tests in Chamber A represent a public-private partnership model, with Blue Origin conducting work through a reimbursable Space Act Agreement. Endurance will demonstrate […]

Overview Electric powertrain systems face complex design, testing, and integration challenges in both aviation and space applications due to increased power levels operating at higher altitudes. Components such as batteries require high energy density and increased reliability in order to operate safely under extreme conditions and be certified for flight. D-Site offers a unique environment for i…

The U.S. Air Force has finished modifying and testing a Boeing 747 jet donated by Qatar for temporary use as Air Force One and expects to have it ready for President Trump to use this summer.

This next-generation plane is made to go faster than sound without producing a full sonic boom

Pittsburgh-based space robotics and lunar logistics company Astrobotic has completed a hot fire campaign for its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine, with additive manufacturing playing a central role in enabling the milestone. Two prototypes completed eight successful tests at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, accumulating more than 470 seconds of total run&…

Scientific Reports, Published online: 01 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-39587-0 Identifying key influencing factors and their hierarchical structure for green supply chain management in China’s aerospace manufacturing using DEMATEL-ISM

The envelope expansion phase of any experimental aircraft is critical, not just for pushing the aircraft higher and faster, but for understanding how the aircraft operates in flight. As NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft makes progress through its envelope expansion, the team is assessing data collected during specific maneuvers performed by the X-59’s pilot in flight. […] The post NASA’s X-59 Sho…

Teams move the core stage, or largest section, of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for NASA’s Artemis III mission into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in this photo from April 27, 2026. The SLS core stage traveled 900 miles on the Pegasus barge from NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans where the stage is manufactured, to complete […] Th…

How would an aircraft like the Tupolev Tu-154 “Careless”, the Boeing 727, or the Hawker-Siddeley Trident handle the loss of one of the rear mounted engines?

NASA and Boeing have completed wind tunnel testing to study an innovative advanced aircraft design intended to improve aerodynamic efficiency. A truss-braced wing configuration, involving a long, thin wing with aerodynamically shaped structural supports, has the potential to reduce fuel and operational costs for future airliners, which is why NASA has collaborated with Boeing to […]

NASA’s high-power lithium plasma engine test marks a decisive step toward faster, more efficient missions to Mars.

A technology that could propel crewed missions to Mars and robotic spacecraft throughout the solar system was recently put to the test at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. On Feb. 24, for the first time in years and at power levels exceeding any previous test in the United States, a team fired up […]

A new rocket engine concept reaches a milestone that could reshape propulsion for lunar and deep-space missions.

CLASS OF 2026 - From building LEGO airplanes as a kid to winning back-to-back AIAA regional awards and co-founding USC's Human-Powered Flight Research Team, Long Beach native Nicholas Lototsky is finishing his bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering at USC Viterbi the same way he started it: full throttle. The post Engineering Lift-Off: Four Years of Flight, Research, and Curiosity appeared first on …

Rotating detonation rocket engines work differently than traditional rockets to maximize thrust while using less fuel—an advantage that could help spacecraft explore farther in the solar system

IntroductionTo investigate the impact of surface sampling operations on the physical and mechanical properties of lunar soil—defined as the granular, sub-centimeter-sized fraction of the lunar regolith—and to mitigate design errors in sampling missions that arise from neglecting such disturbance, we conducted sampling disturbance experiments using the CUG-1A lunar soil simulant.MethodsThe degree …

NASA’s X-59 is helping the nation celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence with an update to its livery – its official paint job and insignia. The one-of-a-kind research aircraft is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate technology to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms. […]