NASA is aiming to launch Space Shuttle Atlantis's STS-117 International Space Station mission on 8 June. The flight was delayed from March by external tank insulating foam damage caused by a hailstorm. A decision to swap the current tank for a new one could yet push back the launch date.
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.
