Arianespace successfully launched its 100th Ariane 4 booster, carrying the 4,170kg (9,200lb) Alcatel Spacecom/Loral Space and Communications Europe-Star communications satellite into a 200km (125 miles) by 35,955km geostationary transfer orbit on 29 October.
The company has had a 100% success rate with its nine launches this year and plans two more before 2001, including the 14 November flight of an Ariane 5 with PanAmSat 1R.
Source: Flight International
Orbital launch pioneer SpaceX is being contracted by the American space agency NASA to develop a so-called “US Deorbit Vehicle” that can safely return the International Space Station to Earth via controlled re-entry.
BAE Systems has completed its acquisition of Ball Aerospace, with the move further strengthening its US business presence.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has retired its Mars helicopter Ingenuity after the craft suffered damage upon landing.
