China launched a Long March 4B from Taiyuan on 15 May carrying the 428kg (940lb) Fengyun 1D meteorological satellite and the country's first dedicated ocean-monitoring satellite, the 360kg Haiyang 1, into polar, sun-synchronous orbit. China plans to launch the biggest-ever thermo-optical/X-ray space telescope in 2005, but has ditched plans to launch a national direct broadcast satellite.
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.
