AVIC wins contract for winged, reusable spacecraft
China’s AVIC has secured a contract from the China Manned Space Agency to develop a winged, reusable spacecraft called Haolong.
Tyche ISR satellite launch boosts UK Space Command
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.
SpaceX wins contract to build vehicle for returning International Space Station to Earth
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 completes $4.8bn acquisition of Ball Aerospace
BAE Systems has completed its acquisition of Ball Aerospace, with the move further strengthening its US business presence.
NASA retires Mars helicopter Ingenuity due to rotor damage
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has retired its Mars helicopter Ingenuity after the craft suffered damage upon landing.
Saab test pilot trades Gripen for scientific stint aboard International Space Station
Saab’s chief test pilot for the Gripen, Marcus Wandt, has traded the cockpit for a roughly two-week stint aboard the International Space Station.
Scottish spaceport secures approval as UK’s first vertical-launch facility
UK regulators have granted a licence to a Scottish spaceport, located in the Shetland Islands, enabling it to conduct vertical launches from next year.
Stratolaunch prepares to introduce ex-Virgin Orbit 747-400 to aerospace test fleet
US air-launch specialist Stratolaunch has shown off the Boeing 747-400 it acquired after former operator Virgin Orbit was broken up earlier this year.
Secretive US ‘spaceplane’ will return to orbit on SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
The Boeing X-37 Orbital Test Vehicle, operated by the US Space Force, will return to orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster for its seventh long-endurance flight mission.
NASA pursuing new space vehicle to return International Space Station to Earth
The US space agency is asking aerospace suppliers to design a new orbital craft that could be used to perform a controlled de-orbit of the multinational space station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2030.