Adam Thorn

Four volunteers have finished spending a year living in a Big Brother-style recreation of Mars on Earth, designed to help NASA prepare for a future mission to the Red Planet.

Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland will be trained to use software that can simulate hypersonic space missions in a deal facilitated by the iLAuNCH research collaboration.

iLAuNCH has appointed a former deputy director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to its new industry advisory panel.

The 12-seat aircraft, first unveiled in 2015, is designed for various missions, including search and rescue, law enforcement and high-intensive care patient transport.

SpaceX has announced that its next Starship integrated test flight is planned to launch on 5 June.

The dramatic development comes hours after the airline suspended all of its flights and weeks after a rash of speculation about the future of the airline.

The Flying Kangaroo said in response it was “reviewing schedules and planning contingencies” to minimise disruption to passengers.

VH-X4B touched down in Canberra on Tuesday at 2:18pm following a flight from the Airbus factory in Mirabel, Canada.

The study comes as the airline prepares to fight ACCC allegations in court that it sold tickets to flights it had already cancelled, and months after the early exit of former CEO Alan Joyce.

An ATSB report into the incident last July revealed the smaller aircraft’s pilot spotted the larger Saab 340 ahead but chose to continue anyway, despite it being “almost certainly” possible to abort.