Scaled Composites has performed the first manned glide test of SpaceShipOne, its X-Prize contender. The craft was dropped from its mother ship at 47,000ft (14,300m) at 105kt (195km/h) on 7 August, and reached 150kt before landing at Mojave, California. The company aims to conduct two manned sub-orbital spaceflights within a fortnight.
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.
