Many of the science instruments aboard the Cassini spacecraft en route to Saturn in 2004 have been calibrated and tested during a 1.5 million kilometres flyby of the asteroid Masrusky. Cassini was launched in October 1997 aboard a Titan 4B en route to Saturn via flybys of Venus and the Earth.
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.
