iscover
The spacecraft, known as ViaSat-3 Flight 3 (VS-3 F3), was built using Boeing’s high-power 702MP+ platform at the company’s facility in El Segundo, California. It is designed to deliver flexible, high-performance bandwidth to support a range of users, including commercial aviation.
Four astronauts were sent on a 10-day journey that will take them around the Moon and back to Earth, after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Rocket Lab announced the agreement for a series of missions using its HASTE (Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron) vehicle, marking the largest single launch contract in the company’s history. HASTE was earlier this month used to launch a successful test flight of the Hypersonix DART AE aircraft.
The experiment, known as the Dawn Aerospace Radar Tracking Experiment (DARTE), saw Dawn Aerospace operate its suborbital spaceplane Aurora from the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, south of Christchurch. At sea, the Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Kaha tracked the vehicle using its onboard surveillance radar systems.
The funding commitment will take effect if the Australian government agrees to back the mission, which would see Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg become the first astronaut to fly under the Australian flag after training with the European Space Agency.
A public and industry-led campaign was launched late last month to implore the Australian government to partner with the European Space Agency to send ESA-trained astronaut Bennell-Pegg on an ESA mission.
PROFILES
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
Raising the Bar in Commercial Laundry: How Rinse & Repeat Is Redefining Service for Aviation
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
UPRT Australia- Transforming Aviation’s Greatest Risk into Its Greatest Asset
