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The Air Current • Will Guisbond

FAA nears selection of ASI (over Palantir) and Thales for AI-powered air traffic management tied to SMART NAS overhaul

The FAA is close to awarding its AI-powered air traffic management system contract, weighing ASI against Palantir and Thales, according to the reporting. The program—SMART—was described by the FAA as a central pillar of its National Airspace System modernization plan, poised to reshape the ATC stack built on legacy technology.

2026-06-13T16:20:24.638043-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX goes public at a record scale, with Elon Musk kicking off Nasdaq/NYSE trading debut and IPO leadership messaging

2026-06-11T23:57:00.687075-07:00

The Air Current

Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Brad Surak outlines a high-stakes plan to put AI “earned its seat at the table”

2026-06-12T06:26:36.435526-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX IPO faces governance-and-valuation backlash as funds blacklist company from investment mandates

2026-06-11T07:45:52.938604-07:00

News Timeline

The Air Current

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FAA nears selection of ASI (over Palantir) and Thales for AI-powered air traffic management tied to SMART NAS overhaul The FAA is close to awarding its AI-powered air traffic management system contract, weighing ASI against Palantir and Thales, according to the reporting. The program—SMART—was described by the FAA as a central pillar of its National Airspace System modernization plan, poised to reshape the ATC stack built on legacy technology.

2026-06-13T16:20:24.638043-07:00

FAA nears selection of ASI (over Palantir) and Thales for AI-powered air traffic management tied to SMART NAS overhaul

Bloomberg

Putin: Russia expanding a satellite-drone control constellation to outclass Starlink for strike support; FPV and AI drone work u Vladimir Putin told service members Russia is expanding a domestically produced satellite network intended to control assault drones, positioning it as superior to Starlink for “drone control.” He also cited work on FPV drones and AI-powered drones, alongside a pledge to step up strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.

2026-06-12T10:11:52.438542-07:00

Putin: Russia expanding a satellite-drone control constellation to outclass Starlink for strike support; FPV and AI drone work u

The Air Current

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Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Brad Surak outlines a high-stakes plan to put AI “earned its seat at the table” Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Brad Surak is laying out an ambitious, high-stakes strategy to build AI that operators can trust and actually use—an approach framed as moving beyond experiments toward decision-grade capabilities that earn user adoption. The plan is positioned as central to ForeFlight’s next product direction.

2026-06-12T06:26:36.435526-07:00

Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Brad Surak outlines a high-stakes plan to put AI “earned its seat at the table”

Bloomberg

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SpaceX goes public at a record scale, with Elon Musk kicking off Nasdaq/NYSE trading debut and IPO leadership messaging SpaceX rang the Nasdaq bell in New York and Texas in a dual-listed livestreamed event with Elon Musk addressing employees. The debut follows a record-setting IPO, pushing the company toward a $75B raise and roughly $1.77T valuation, amid investor focus on how the public-market shift will reshape SpaceX’s footprint.

2026-06-11T23:57:00.687075-07:00

SpaceX goes public at a record scale, with Elon Musk kicking off Nasdaq/NYSE trading debut and IPO leadership messaging

Aviation Source

AI avatar and video agents move aviation training and passenger communication from tools to interactive agents The article highlights how AI avatar and video-agent applications are being adopted to improve aviation training effectiveness and strengthen real-time passenger communication. The focus shifts from static content and one-way messaging toward interactive, conversational assistance for both crews and travelers.

2026-06-11T14:42:08.219678-07:00

AI avatar and video agents move aviation training and passenger communication from tools to interactive agents

CNBC

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SpaceX IPO lands as record-setting event at $135/share and ~$1.77T–$1.8T valuation range SpaceX has completed a historic IPO, selling about 555.6 million shares at $135 each—raising roughly $75B and valuing the company at about $1.77T (with market coverage citing ~$1.8T). The offering arrives despite multi‑billion-dollar losses and comes with debate over whether the valuation is sustainable for investors.

2026-06-11T14:27:13.406147-07:00

SpaceX IPO lands as record-setting event at $135/share and ~$1.77T–$1.8T valuation range

APEX

APEX FTE EMEA 2026: SimpliFlying’s agentic AI pitch for airline distribution, with Virgin Atlantic framing AI-led “customer care At APEX FTE EMEA, SimpliFlying CEO Shashank Nigam argued agentic AI will determine which airlines win tomorrow’s travelers by reshaping distribution. Virgin Atlantic’s Juha Jaervinen, meanwhile, positioned AI as a way to make customer relationships feel “truly cared for,” using personalization as the differentiator.

2026-06-11T08:28:41.179536-07:00

APEX FTE EMEA 2026: SimpliFlying’s agentic AI pitch for airline distribution, with Virgin Atlantic framing AI-led “customer care

New York Times

Jeff Bezos-backed Prometheus aims to use AI to “artificially” engineer how devices—including jet engines—are manufactured Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, co-CEO of startup Prometheus, is applying AI to improve manufacturing and engineering workflows for products ranging from computers to jet engines. The company positions the effort as building an “artificial general engineer,” using AI to help drive design and production.

2026-06-11T07:46:48.180618-07:00

Jeff Bezos-backed Prometheus aims to use AI to “artificially” engineer how devices—including jet engines—are manufactured

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AI News

FAA nears selection of ASI (over Palantir) and Thales for AI-powered air traffic management tied to SMART NAS overhaul

SpaceX goes public at a record scale, with Elon Musk kicking off Nasdaq/NYSE trading debut and IPO leadership messaging

Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Brad Surak outlines a high-stakes plan to put AI “earned its seat at the table”

SpaceX IPO faces governance-and-valuation backlash as funds blacklist company from investment mandates

News Timeline