Two years after a fatal SpaceShipTwo crash, Virgin Galactic looks to move forward, confident about upcoming glide tests with an improved rocket motor.

Using rockets over and over like airplanes can hold down launch costs, but it will take a lot of launches to overcome the cost and weight penalties.

New NASA facility will simulate SLS launch loads, while planners study flight tests for secondary payloads.

In this week’s Washington Outlook: companies create new ways to contain potential battery fires; the hunt for new space policy champions; and a recommendation for changing remote-sensing regulations.

In this week’s roundup, the CH-53K is poised for production; an Indian and French company create a joint venture for helicopter maintenance; Embraer pays at least $205 million to settle corruption charges and a U.S. weather satellite breaks up in space.

The Chinese seem to be following in the footsteps of their former Soviet allies, developing a space presence that could lead to low-Earth-orbit commercial possibilities.

Nuclear-thermal propulsion could be an option for travel to Mars, but more work is needed.

Although ExoMars mission's landing demonstration may have failed, the orbiter’s mission to search for life will continue.