An ultraviolet image of Saturn's rings suggests there is more ice towards the outer part of the rings, hinting at their origin and evolution. The image - taken using an ultraviolet imaging spectrograph instrument - was captured during the Cassini spacecraft's orbital insertion. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a co-operative project of NASA and the European and Italian space agencies.
Source: Flight International
China’s AVIC has secured a contract from the China Manned Space Agency to develop a winged, reusable spacecraft called Haolong.
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.
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.
