Three different lunar exploration studies are being conducted by the European Space Agency following NASA's inter-governmental conference in Washington DC last November.
The three architecture-level studies cover: how to explore as much of the Moon as possible; how to use the planetoid as a Mars mission technology test area; and how to operate a manned base there. The USA's emphasis on the Moon in its exploration planning led ESA to initiate the studies.
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.
