South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth is the second "space tourist" to be lined up for a flight aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The mission has yet to be scheduled and, if it takes place, it is likely to be on a mission unconnected to the International Space Station.
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.
