Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne reached an altitude of 212,000ft (64,600m) on 13 May, on the third rocket-powered flight of the company's contender for the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. Mojave, California-based Scaled hopes to make the first non-government manned suborbital spaceflight later this year with the air-launched, reusable SpaceShipOne.
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.
