The Russian Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS) fired its thrusters for 7min on 30 May to raise the station's orbit by 1.8km (1.1 mile) to avoid a collision with the Italian MegSat mini-satellite, which would have passed through the ISS's collision avoidance zone. It was the sixth time the orbit of the ISS has been raised for such a reason.
Source: Flight International
China’s AVIC has secured a contract from the China Manned Space Agency to develop a winged, reusable spacecraft called Haolong.
The UK Space Command’s first owned earth observation microsatellite has been launched, providing the inaugural element of a planned space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) constellation.
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.
