One of the six science instruments has failed aboard NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker satellite orbiting the asteroid Eros. The near-infrared spectrometer, which failed temporarily in May 1999, has malfunctioned again. The other five instruments aboard the spacecraft are working well as NEAR monitors the asteroid from a low orbit, taking spectacular images of the elongated asteroid, including the one pictured below.
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.
