TransOrbital has received US government approval to operate a commercial spacecraft to explore, photograph and land on the moon. The first will be launched by a Russian booster from Baikonur within a year. Trailblazer will offer high-definition 1m-resolution video and maps of the lunar surface, and will also allow customers to put personal photographs and messages on to the surface.
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.
