American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Space News reports, “China launched its Long March 10B rocket early Friday and successfully recovered the first stage, marking a huge step for the country’s reusable rocket efforts. The first Long March 10B rocket lifted off at 12:15 a.m. Eastern (0415 UTC) July 10 from Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site on the southern island province of Hainan.” Full Story (Space News) Long March-10B first launch and landing (Launch occurs at the 00:43 mark) SciNews; YouTube

A Boeing Defence Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat prepares to conduct a taxi test during Exercise Valiant Shield, June 21, 2026. | Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Adrien Tran; ; Public Domain Aerotime reports, “Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat has made its debut in a major international exercise during Valiant Shield 2026, demonstrating for the first time how collaborative combat aircraft can integrate with crewed platforms in a multinational setting.” Full Story (Aerotime)

Ehang 184 passenger drone displayed at CES 2016. | Credit: Alex Butterfield; Wikipedia; CC BY 2.0 Aviation News reports, “EHang has successfully completed the first flights of its EH216-S pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft in Switzerland. This milestone demonstration in Quinto, Ticino marks a significant step forward by proving the capability of autonomous aerial mobility in challenging environments.” Full Story (Aviation News)

SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 satellites for the company’s Starlink internet service, July 9, at 5:25 a.m. EDT. | Credit: Spaceflight Now; YouTube; Framegrab Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX broke another rocket reuse record Thursday morning when it launched its most-flown Falcon 9 booster for a 36th time.

E Test Complex at the Stennis Space Center, where Relativity conducts Aeon 1 test firings. | Credit: ; Public Domain Space News reports, “The U.S. Space Force is widening the field of companies eligible to compete for national security launch contracts, adding launch startup Relativity Space and orbital transportation company Impulse Space to a roster of commercial providers as it looks to diversify how military satellites reach orbit.” Full Story (Space News)

Electra.aero’s El-2. | Credit: Electra.aero; ; CC0 Aviation Week reports, “Electric aircraft startup Electra.aero has partnered with fixed-base operator Signature Aviation and vertiport developer UrbanV to build the foundation for a point-to-point regional air mobility ecosystem.” Full Story (Aviation Week)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “Rotorcraft – The New Frontier in Extraplanetary Exploration” set for 5 October July 7, 2026, Reston, Va. — The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are pleased to announce that Marilyn J. Smith, David S.

Artist’s concept of the Starlab commercial space station | Credit: Starlab; NASA Aviation Week reports, “NASA released a long-awaited draft solicitation July 6 for industry partners to design, build and operate a commercial space station in low Earth orbit (LEO) to succeed the International Space Station” Full Story (Aviation Week)

GLCM test firing | Credit: U.S. AIr Force photo; Public Domain Defense Daily reports, “As the Pentagon posits future confrontations involving advanced adversary aircraft and drone swarms, the U.S. Air Force wants rapid prototyping to develop and field 1,000 to 3,500 supersonic ground-launched counter air (GLCA) missiles with a unit cost of $500,00 or lower.

A Zipline Platform 1 drone drops a parachute-equipped package. | Credit: Roksenhorn; ; CC BY-SA 4.0 Flying Magazine reports, “By the end of 2027, the buzzing uncrewed aircraft (UA) could deliver everything from hot meals and cold drinks to pharmaceuticals for residents statewide, according to partners Zipline and Wonder.