Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences is planning to launch a spacecraft on an MV booster in 2007 to orbit Venus. The craft will be equipped with an infrared camera to penetrate the thick carbon dioxide atmosphere. It will then make a three-dimensional survey of the surface, at the same time searching for active volcanoes.
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.
