Space Shuttle orbiter Atlantis has arrived back at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, after its 10-month upgrade at Boeing in Palmdale, California. The main features of the upgrade include the $9 million Multifunction Electrical Display Subsystem "glass cockpit" and a global positioning satellite-based navigation system. The Atlantis, which is the first orbiter to undergo these upgrades, will be used primarily for International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions.
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.
