NASA's Galileo Jupiter orbiter plunged into the Jovian atmosphere on 21 September to be destroyed to prevent contamination of the subsurface water oceans the probe may have discovered on the icy moon Europa. Launched by Space Shuttle in October 1989, Galileo reached Jupiter in December 1995, releasing an atmosphere probe and making 35 orbits.
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.
