Also: StratoLaunch Carries On, 5G AD, Helios Anti-Icing, Vertical Flight Society

Walmart has expanded its burgeoning drone delivery program, capping off 2022 with the last of its ambitious expansion plans.

Heading into 2023, the company operates 36 drone delivery hubs across 7 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia. North Dakota's UAS Networking facility, Vantis, will soon be the home of uAvionix BVLOS operations thanks to initial FAA approval. The state's interesting UAV test range appears to be shaping up as intended - part sandbox, part testing ground - as more uncrewed aerial vehicle manufacturers head north to develop their systems in the Vantis network. Roscosmos has indicated it may be willing to return 36 communication satellites Moscow pilfered from OneWeb, the London-based satellite communication company. In exchange for those, Roscosmos seeks to take possession of Soyuz rocket parts currently being held in French Guiana. The 36 purloined satellites were to have departed aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket in March 2022. However, following the dissolution of international niceties with the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin issued an ultimatum denying OneWeb permission to launch until the company guaranteed its satellites would not be put to military use. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-NextGen!!!

Airborne-NextGen 01.18.23 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Wednesday, January 18th, 2023... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Holland Lee, Sophie Hurlock, Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, and Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, this episode covers:

• Walmart Begins Drone Delivery Across US
• uAvionix to Undertake Long-Range UAS Flights at Vantis Location
• Let's Make A Deal: Russia Amenable to Trading Stolen Satellites for Soyuz Parts
• Stratolaunch Completes Second Captive Carry Flight Test
• 5G Airworthiness Directive on the Books for February 2024
• Qarbon's Helios Anti-Icing System Passes Muster
• The Vertical Flight Society Boasts New Corporate Members

Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again next week for the next edition of "Airborne-NextGen" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, next week!

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