Hughes Space and Communications has inaugurated the use of a liquid apogee engine (LAE), built by Kaiser Marquardt, aboard PanAmSat's GalaxyXR satellite. An apogee engine is used to raise the elliptical geostationary transfer orbit to a circular geostationary orbit. The new LAE provides a heavy-lifting capability for larger satellites with its 100,000lb thrust (445kN).
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.
