SpaceFlight Vol 61 No 01 – January 2019

Where next for the IAC?
David Todd takes a tour around the annual International Astronautical Congress held in Bremen during early October 2018 and opines a view at variance with the message but endorsed by the non-attendance of certain dignitaries.

SLS: heavyweight challenger
On the back of his visit to the IAC, David Todd brings us up to date with NASA’s super-heavy launcher and posits the notion that while it seems set to fly within the next two years,it may have to cede ground to commercial contenders.

Back to the Moon – Back to the future
The Editor takes a look at the current plans for getting Orion around the Moon – unmanned on the first try, followed by astronauts within the next four years – as plans coalesce around the Lunar gateway to the Moon’s surface and Mars.

The dark before Dawn
Chris Starr FRAS, FBIS provides a fascinating wrap-up on the outstandingly successful Dawn mission to Vesta and Ceres and looks at what we have learned along the way.

Ahead of its time
Dr Bob Parkinson MBE, FBIS celebrates 20 years since the ISS first began to take shape with a look back to a BIS design produced 70 years ago by Harry Ross and Ralph Smith.

Behind the news
Six in a Row!/UK-led instruments for Exomars

Opinion

ISS Report
9 October – 8 November 2018

Multi-media
The latest space-related books, games, videos

Satellite Digest
552 – October 2018

Society news / Diary
What’s happened/ What’s coming up