NASA's Mars Odyssey 2001 spacecraft, launched by a Delta II on 7 April, has taken an image of the crescent Earth and the moon using its Thermal Emission Imaging System. From a distance of 3 million km, it measured surface temperatures on the Earth's south pole of –50°C.
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.
