Aerospace

Rising fuel costs, environmental regulations and an increase in airline traffic have helped drive the increasing use of composite materials in the aerospace industry. Composites are used in military, business and commercial aircraft of all sizes, including spacecraft.

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Researchers Create World’s First Reconfigurable Carbon Fiber Robotic Machine Tool

Composite manufacturing specialists at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) have made what some have called the world’s first reconfigurable carbon composite robotic...

Airbus A350-1000 Jet Completes Historic First Flight

On Thursday, the first of three Airbus A350-1000 aircraft – the latest member of the all-new A350 XWB wide-body family – successfully completed its first flight, which lasted four hours and 18...

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SpaceX Successfully Tests Carbon Fiber Tank for Mars Spaceship

SpaceX has completed a critical test for the carbon fiber fuel tank of its Interplanetary Transport System spaceship, which is designed to transport humans to Mars. Last month, during an “Ask Me Anything”...

MIT and NASA Design ‘Morphing” Aircraft Wings for Efficient Flight

Researchers from MIT and NASA have designed a flexible “morphing wing” system made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) that draws inspiration from the twisted wings from the Wright Brothers’ first...

NASA Completes Construction of Highly Anticipated James Webb Space Telescope

After 20 years of development, NASA has officially finished construction of its James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – the largest space telescope ever made. The telescope, which is viewed by many as a...

Composites Assist a Worldwide Journey

In 1999, pilot Bertrand Piccard had a radical idea – build a plane capable of flying night and day without using any fuel, propelled solely by solar energy. Four years later, after Piccard conducted a...