European Space Agency

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The agency seeks cheaper options for retrieving samples collected by the Perseverance rover.

The U.S. will contribute the launch service, aerobraking engines and radioisotope heater units.

The small rover would travel to the Moon aboard the company’s Resilience lunar lander as part of the Hakuto-R Mission 2.

ESA has awarded Thales Alenia Space a contract for the development of the Mars Entry, Descent and Landing Module of the ExoMars 2028 mission.

Startups Isar Aerospace, PLD Space and Rocket Factory Augsburg already have agreed to use the refurbished ELM-Diamant launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana.

The launch will be part of Ariane 6’s development and remain under the ESA’s responsibility.

The parachute-assisted splashdown of the four fliers occurred at 5:47 a.m. EDT, following atmospheric re-entry in the skies over the U.S. midwest and southeast.

NASA’s Planetary Science Division is hopeful it can craft a new operating plan for the Mars Sample Return mission by July.

NASA’s planned Mars Sample Return mission faces significant obstacles, an IG report says.

Axiom Space’s first all-European private astronaut mission crew sent to the International Space Station was preparing to end a 14-day stay on the ISS on Feb. 2.

Northrop Grumman’s 20th Cygnus resupply mission capsule successfully berthed to the International Space Station early Feb. 1.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched what it says is the “first metal 3D printer” to be hosted on the International Space Station (ISS).

The latest annual report by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s (ASAP) was released Jan. 25.

Viasat demonstrated its system using Cranfield University’s National Flying Laboratory Center’s Saab 340B twin-turboprop in January.

The Dragon Freedom capsule made contact with the orbital lab's U.S. segment Harmony module at 5:42 a.m. EST, initiating a 15-min. docking sequence.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket kicked off the planned 14-day Axiom-3 (Ax-3) mission with launch at 4:49 p.m. EST from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A.

The European Space Agency is reviewing the so-called geographical return rule.

Future European launchers will need engines in the 2,000-2,500 kn thrust range and preliminary studies have started.

A record 223 orbital-class rockets lifted off last year, a 20% hike over 2022.

With the Ariane 6 seeing progress at last and Avio leaving Arianespace, the European Space Agency takes steps toward a competition for Europe’s future launchers.

Major technical issues with the behind-schedule Ariane 6 have been resolved and the schedule has been stabilized, ESA says.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk has been named the third crew member for the first operational mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner to the ISS.

Ispace of Tokyo plans to make a second attempt to land an uncrewed spacecraft on the Moon as soon as the fourth quarter of 2024.

The review board was convened in the spring for a second independent assessment of the mission architecture and cost.