A space first for Israel occurred on 25 March when the national satellite Ofeq 3, launched in 1995, was manoeuvred into a higher orbit, reports the Molniya Space Consultancy, London. The spacecraft's 354-519km orbit was raised to 496-518km by two burns of the Ofeq's propulsion system.
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.
