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The European Space Agency’s Aeolus wind sensing satellite has made the long journey to the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou and has been loaded into its launch vehicle.  It is scheduled to be launched on 21st August. Aeolus is designed to observe global wind profiles on a daily basis and in real-time.   Built by Airbus, Aelous will be equipped with a LIDAR instrument named Alad...

Boeing is looking to step up its presence in the small satellite market by acquiring Millenium Space Systems, a developer and manufacturer of satellites for military applications. Milennium’s AQUILA small satellite is used by the US Air Force for classified projects.  It also produces the ALTAIR Pathfinder spacecraft, currently actively working a mission in space, which is i...

The Airbus Zephyr S HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite) vehicle has successfully landed after its maiden flight.  The Zephyr had spent a record-breaking 25 days aloft, the longest flight ever made. The Zephyr is solar-powered and flies in the stratosphere, well above the weather and regular air traffic, acting as a cross between a satellite, a UAV and a conventional aircra...

Boeing will open a new R&D centre of excellence that will focus on designing, building and flying autonomous air vehicles.  The new 100k sq ft facility will be situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts on a new campus belonging to Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) and will open in 2020. Autonomy is all the rage in many industries at the moment and aviation is no diffe...

The Space industry is poised for huge growth in the next few years as new technologies bring down the cost of launch significantly and more and more applications for satellites become viable.  The UK is well placed to capitalise on this trend due to a strong position in satellites and related applications, as well as hosting a number of innovative start-ups and a wealth of s...