NASA hopes to launch Space Shuttle mission STS101 Atlantis on International Space Station mission 2A-2A on 24 April, despite replacing a 155kg (340lb) power drive unit that controls the rudder of the orbiter during landing. The unit has never been replaced at the launch pad with the orbiter vertical.
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.
