ROCKWELL Space Systems is to provide worldwide marketing, sales and payload integration services for the NPO Yuzhnoye of Ukraine Cyclone launch vehicle. The Cyclone, developed from the SS-9 intercontinental ballistic missile, is capable of lifting an 1,360kg payload into low-, or medium- Earth orbit. The deal is " vital for possible future co-operation", says Robert Minor, president of Space Systems.
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.
