William Pickering, NASA's former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1954 to 1976 - the year of the of Viking Mars soft landings - died on 15 March, aged 93. Pickering led the successful effort to place the USA's first satellite, Explorer 1, in orbit in 1958 and was involved in all the US planetary missions, including the first Venus and Mars explorers, Mariners 2 and 4 in 1962 and 1965, respectively.
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.
