The Space System/Loral-built DirecTV 8 broadcast satellite was launched by an International Launch Service Proton/Briz M booster from Baikonur on 23 May. Boeing launched a Delta II from Vandenberg AFB, California, on 20 May carrying the NOAA 18-N polar orbiting meteorological satellite.
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.
