Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space has completed the engineering model of the first of eight planned photovoltaic solar arrays for the International Space Station, to be launched on a Space Shuttle in March 1999. The eight-array system will supply 264kW of power. The 33m-long engineering model has been extended and retracted 84 times during tests. Final tests take place at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama.
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.
