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April 23, 2022

Natilus Announces Expansion

Autonomous Cargo Aircraft Facility Inbound to San Diego

Natilus has announced an expansion to its operations at San Diego, California's Brown Field to prepare for mass production of their short-haul feeder UAV. Manufacture of the first aircraft in the Natilus family, an uncrewed cargo hauler sporting a 3.8 ton payload, has begun in preparation for its first flight in early 2023. The Brown Field facility includes a 12,000 square-foot hangar for prototype final assembly, structural testing, system's integration and the extensive secondary structural binding required to complete the aircraft.

Applicants Gain Status Updates During Medical Process

The FAA has (finally) enabled application tracking to MedXPress, allowing aviators to track the status of their medical certificates online throughout their application and review process. The change obviates the former need to call the Office of Aerospace Medicine for updates on their status. For those procrastinators running up against a time crunch, the feature is a thankful addition to the process. The change of pace at the FAA may seem slow to younger members of the collective aviation scene, but recent developments do seem to be coming quicker than ever before.

HawkEye 360 Mission to Become Inaugural Launch of New Virginia Complex 2

Rocket Lab has obtained another contract, this time being the lucky recipient of business from HawkEye 360 for the launch of 3 Electron rocket missions towards the end of this year. The multi-launch contract will deliver 5 clusters, totaling 15 satellites for the Virginia company. Their satellite constellation will allow them to offer radio frequency geospatial analytics to their customers. The first HawkEye 360 mission will launch in December 2022, with additional launches across 2022 and 2024. The first 3 satellites will be launched as part of a rideshare mission, with 6 each on the following launches.